A woman who gained five stone whilst caring for her terminally ill father has shed the weight to become a bodybuilder after being unable to look at her final photo with him.

Ellie Crabtree, 22, turned to food "for comfort" after her dad Geoff's, 59, terminal bone cancer diagnosis in July 2022."



With "no structure" to her diet, Ellie would gorge on foods Chinese takeaways and ballooned to 15st 5lb. "

After her dad passed away in October 2022, Ellie began her weight loss journey after struggling to look at the final photo she had with him.

She lost four stone naturally before enquiring about bodybuilding training at her local gym, where she lost a further two stone to become a svelte 9st 3lb.

She went on to place second in the British finals at NABBA bodybuilding competition in Bradford, in May 2024.

Since then, Ellie has been dealing with "unresolved trauma" and has learnt how to maintain her weight healthily. "

Ellie, a women's transformation coach, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, said: "I gained a lot of weight when my dad had terminal cancer, and I was caring for him at home. "

"He was amazing and is my inspiration throughout all of this. "

"Some people lose someone and think that's the end of everything, and their life stops. "

"You can turn it into something beautiful. "

"I saw food as a comfort and felt so ashamed and didn't talk to anyone about it. "

"My dad had a few months left to live and we went out for afternoon tea because we were trying to make memories with him. "

"We asked the waiter to take a photo of us so we could look back at it. "

"That was the last photo I had with him. "

"I thought if this is the last photo I have with him and I don't even want to look at it. I need to make a change."

"I hated the way I looked and I was so horrible about the way I talked about myself"."

Ellie gained five stone in a year whilst caring for her dad.

She said: "We had bad news, and I would just eat more food. "

"I was trying to be strong for everyone else, and I didn't want to go to anyone for help, so I turned to food. "

"My diet had no structure. "

"My biggest comfort food was bread. "

"I could have easily eaten half a loaf because that's what gave me that comfort". "

After scattering her dad's ashes in September 2023, Ellie's "whole self-discovery journey" began. "

She said: "I came home and thought right OK, I'm going to take life seriously. "

"I lost four stone and joined a gym local to me."



"It was just from eating in a calorie deficit. "

"I tried to educate myself on the scientific way of losing weight healthily. "

"I committed to bodybuilding preparation in January 2024 and over seven months I lost a further two stone. "

"My whole life revolved around it at the time. "

"I would get up and do my fasted cardio seven days a week. "

"There were no off-plan days it's just the dedication to your goal and the preparation is what you prioritise. "

"I didn't go on holidays. "

"I put my life on hold." "

Ellie's dedication paid off and on May 26, 2024 she placed second at NABBA North West bodybuilding competition, Southport.

She said: "I went out for food after and was so excited for pizza, but I could only manage three slices. "

"I had qualified for the British finals the week after. "

"My family and friends were there. "

"It felt really emotional and bittersweet in a way as I wanted my dad to be able to be there and he wasn't with us. "

"I got up on that stage and he was at the forefront of my mind, I did it for him. "

Now a year on from her huge achievement, Ellie has started work as a fat loss coach for women, and has been open about adjusting to life after the competition ended.

She said: "I thought after it would all be rainbows and happiness as I'd worked for this goal, but I had a lot of healing to do. "

"I'd been on such a journey and there was so much unresolved trauma from losing my dad. "

"A few bingeing habits crept back up and I struggled with body dysmorphia. "

"You have to gain weight back and learn how to be healthy. "

"You can't be competition weight forever. "

"I'm 10st 5lb now and maintain that in a healthy way. "

"Now I understand the extreme lengths that people have to go through in a bodybuilding preparation there should be a little bit more awareness for women to not just see it as a glittery bikini. "

"I feel people should have healthy relationships with food before they do something like that. "

"It does have long lasting effects on your mental health, and I have struggled with that. "

"In my job as a fat loss coach I work with women to better their mindset and habits for weight loss and fat loss. "

"I'm trying to make their fitness journey fun rather than it feeling like a punishment". "

Diet before:

Breakfast - Nothing

Lunch - A sandwich



Dinner - Takeaway like Chinese



Snacks -

Chocolate


Diet now:

Breakfast - Oats with fruit and Greek yoghurt or bacon, egg and avocado

Lunch - Chicken or prawn salad with cottage cheese

Dinner - Chicken fajita salads with wraps or homemade burgers

Snacks - Greek yoghurt bowls with nut butters and fruit, baked oats, chocolate rice cakes