Former MAFS participant Monica Vanderkley has bravely shared her private struggle with her weight.
The 28-year-old accounts and project manager took to Instagram to relate her story to her followers.
Alongside two images of herself, Monica wrote: ‘On the left I was 10kg lighter and believed I looked great. On the right it was 5 years later and I was sprinting the last km of my first ever #marathon.’
She admits she was ‘engaged in a constant battle with my body’.
‘My GP warned that if I didn’t gain weight, it could lead to infertility, and this is what catapulted me into making changes,’ Monica, who wed Mark on national TV, confesses.
‘Looking back now it’s hard to believe how small I was and how easy it is to lose perspective. Positive body image is such a challenge for so many of us. It’s often weight loss stories which we celebrate and little fanfare is given to weight gain, when often the reverse situation is just as tough, and can have such dire consequences. I’m a big believer in loving your body for what it is. We are all beautiful and unique and comparing ourselves to others is both unrealistic and harmful.
I’m a massive health and fitness advocate, and I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved and how far I’ve come, but I’m still a work in progress. Never judge a book by its cover and never assume you understand what battles somebody else is fighting. Just because somebody is slim doesn’t mean they aren’t fighting demons. Just because somebody is larger doesn’t indicate that they dislike their body.’
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
