Wolverhampton female bodybuilder sheds five stone

But now Nikki Harvey has swapped the shots for squats in the gym shedding five stone to become a bodybuilder.

Nikki spent two years travelling Australia where she gained weight, becoming a size 16 after indulging in daily takeaways and regularly binge drinking.

The 24-year-old – who also smoked 20 cigarettes a day – can now deadlift 100 kilograms and has shrunk to a size six, weighing 8st 1lbs.

Miss Harvey, from Wolverhampton, said: “I absolutely hated the gym, I’d never step foot in one. But as soon as I lifted a weight I fell in love with it.

Training

“I train twice a day, six times a week and I’m down to 10 per cent body fat.”

Miss Harvey went to Ounsdale High School in Wolverhampton, before going to King Edward VI College in Stourbridge.

The self-confessed yo-yo dieter, struggled with her weight for years and at her biggest, she weighted 13 and a half stone – but it wasn’t until she saw a photo of herself in a bikini that she realised she needed to lose weight. She said: “I graduated from university and went travelling around South East Asia and Australia for two years.

“I’d always been a yo-yo dieter - I would do milkshakes for four weeks then binge for four weeks, so I was up and down all the time.For the two years I was travelling I never really had a kitchen, so it was just a constant supply of takeaways and alcohol. I wasn’t aware I was putting on weight though because I was having such a good time. But then I saw a picture of me in a bikini next to a waterfall and I didn’t recognise myself. I couldn’t believe I was looking at me – I’d piled on the weight and I was in a really bad place. I would break down and cry every time I saw myself in a mirror and for the last six months of my trip I refused to be in any photos.”

Her old diet consisted of skipping breakfast, before enjoying a Subway at lunch and indulging on a large bag of Haribo everyday and a kebab or takeaway after a night out. She would drink three to four pints of cider and a bottle of wine. Bordering on obesity with a BMI of 30, 5ft 5in she had already started dating rugby player Jordan Burgess, who she then asked to help her lose weight. She started exercising while she was still in Australia in 2015, and found the first 20lbs dropped quite quickly.

By the time she came back to the UK in September 2015, she was down to a size 12 and stepped her training up even more.

She said: “I wanted to get into it a bit more seriously so I had my body fat measured as well, which I’d never done before.

“I was 39 per cent body fat, now I’m 10 per cent body fat and down to a size six.

“I’ve lost 50lbs overall which is crazy because I never planned to lose that much weight.”

Her current diet has changed dramatically and consists of 30 grams of oats with blueberries for breakfast, chicken and vegetables for lunch, a snack of tuna with salad and avocado and chicken and vegetables again for dinner with yogurt with protein powder for supper.

The fitness fanatic now trains twice a day, six days a week and can deadlift 100 kilograms.

Nikki has quit smoking and doesn’t drink, except for the odd gin and slimline tonic at a wedding. She is currently training for her third bodybuilding competition, so has spent the past three months ‘shredding’ - burning fat to define muscles, specifically for the competition.

She said: “My first competition was April 2016 which was really overwhelming.

“Winning a trophy was the best feeling, and to be here and look back is amazing.

“It’s quite emotional when it all comes together and your hard work has paid off.”

She added: “I’m so proud of everything I’ve achieved and it’s really empowering.”