'I cried on my first day at the gym - now I'm climbing Everest': IT consultant, 46, reveals how she lost FIVE STONE after her marriage broke down - while enjoying burgers, pancakes and the odd glass of red wine

Rebecca Sagar turned to junk food when her marriage ended and her father diedThe 5ft1 46-year-old IT consultant tipped the scales at 92kg - just over 14stoneShe lost nearly 32kg - nearly five stone - and has since climbed Mount Everest 

A devastating family tragedy, divorce and serious illness left Rebecca Sagar at breaking point emotionally, tipping the scales at more than 14 stone and with a stark warning from her doctor.

The IT consultant from London turned to comfort food when her marriage ended and her father died suddenly.

But after three years stuck in a vicious cycle of poor nutrition and worsening health, Rebecca decided it was time to turn her life around.

The 5ft1in 46-year-old signed up for a complete transformation at a gym in London and lost a staggering 32kg. Last month, she scaled Mount Everest and this month she is heading to Ecuador to take on the five peaks challenge.

Here, Rebecca shares her journey and advice for others looking to overhaul their life – mentally and physically – this year.

Rebecca Sagar signed up for a transformation at the Roar gym in London and lost a staggering 32kg. Pictured, the IT consultant before and after

Rebecca showcases the impressive results of her hard work

Rebecca joined Roar Fitness in London, where clients lift heavy weights and follow a high protein diet with burgers, homemade pancakes, prawn curry and steak on the menu.

Founded by three-time Olympian Sarah Lindsay, Roar has gyms across London and in Dubai and counts Graham Norton, Millie Mackintosh, Nick Grimshaw and Ed Westwick among its celebrity clientele.

She signed up to the gym in October 2022, with a starting weight of 92kg. By September 2023, she was down to 60.3kg.

Working with nutrition coach James Castle-Mason, and personal trainer Valeria, Rebecca’s new diet consisted of burgers and lean meats, pancakes for breakfast and lifting heavy weights in the gym three times a week.

Not only did Rebecca drop a staggering 32kg, she completely turned her life, diet and health around – and will spend this weekend scaling Everest.

She told MailOnline: ‘When I was younger, I used to be super-fit – I would run, mountaineer – I was very active. Then a whole load of things happened.

‘I had an accident which left me with a brain injury and bleed on the brain. Suddenly I was unable to do loads of things I could normally do.

‘Then I got sick and was misdiagnosed. I was really ill for a long time then my dad got sick and died really quickly.

‘My marriage then broke down.

‘I really lost my way and turned to food – I became an emotional eater and for about two to three years lost myself in all of that.

Rebecca followed a high protein diet while lifting heavy weights in the gym three times a week

BEFORE: Rebecca struggled to eat well when her dad died, and her marriage ended

AFTER: Rebecca is now super-fit – running, hitting the gym and scaling mountains

The mother of two captioned each photograph with the day of the week she wore the oufit, kicking off the week in a black co-ord with zip detail

Made in Roar: MIC star Millie Mackintosh is a Roar regular, seen here in the west London gym

‘All of that had a huge impact on my health. I wasn’t feeling good, had a high resting heart rate in the high 80s-low 90s, high blood pressure, and had two surgeries. I then had blood tests and the results weren’t great.

‘It just got to the point where I thought, enough is enough – you cannot take your health for granted.

‘I was enjoying my job, had great friends, and finally got to the point where I got over the marriage break up. But my health and fitness held me back and didn’t make me feel good about myself.

‘It is harder to lose weight when you get past 40 and I would lose a few kilograms then put them on again, and got stuck in a cycle of losing the same 2 kilos of weight then putting them on again.’

Rebecca decided to join a gym which offered personal training and transformations – but wanted one that was sustainable, yielded long-term results and didn’t simply put clients on a drastic diet.

She added: ‘I liked what Roar was doing because their focus was on wellbeing, not just how much weight you can lift or a quick fix of drink a protein shake and not eat.

‘I liked the feeling of it; I needed help and they were the people to get me there. It was time to invest in myself so I sold some shares I had.

‘I cried on the first day, because I was in such an emotional state and really just needed help.’

Roar founder Sarah Lindsay, right, with longtime friend and ‘Roar girl’, Pixie Lott

TV hardman and SAS star Ant Middleton with Lindsay in her Dubai outpost of Roar

Roar clients might also bump into football legend John Terry in Sarah’s gyms

Loose Women star Denish Welch regularly shares snaps of her workouts out Roar in London

DJ Nick Grimshaw is among the regulars at Sarah’s gym in London

A self-confessed fussy eater with a nut allergy, Rebecca said she was ‘ready to make the change because the results at Roar speak for themselves’, adding, ‘And an eating plan that lets you eat burgers, albeit without the bun, is great.’

She said: ‘My diet was terrible before I started. I was eating takeaways when my marriage ended because cooking for yourself isn’t always as nice. I was eating McDonald’s, sugar, things I shouldn’t have been eating – which really does have an effect on your mental health and traps you in a vicious circle.

‘I lost weight straight away but by February I started to feel a change – despite a few bumps in the road and slips ups like trying to organise food and cooking all the time while working in the office.’

And she’s managed to not only keep the weight off, but turn it into a sustainable lifestyle.

‘I wanted to make a lifestyle change but I’m not going to never go out. If I had a big night out, I’d cut calories a few days before to allow for it,’ she added.

‘I’m no saint. I had a few glasses of wine for my birthday but I’m a lot more conscious of what I’m eating and drinking.’

Before Christmas Rebecca scaled Everest, and will do five peaks over 17 days in Ecuador this month.

She added: ‘I don’t think I’ve been this strong physically and mentally. You do stuff in the Roar gym that you’d never think you can do.

‘Now, if I get anxious I don’t turn to food but I’ll go for a walk or do something else. Now I see food as energy. My resting heart rate is in the high 40s and my blood pressure is exactly where it should be.’

‘I’ve lost loads of weight and I am slimmer but the thing that is most important to me is my health.

‘Think of all the things you like doing – not necessarily running marathons or scaling mountains but just generally living. Everyone’s goals are different but it is so important to have your health. Now I can do fun stuff; run around the park with my nieces and nephews, take them swimming and wear clothes I wore when I was younger.

‘I lost my way for so many years but I finally feel like myself again. I feel like I’ve got my life back and friends and family tell me I’m fit, strong, healthy happy.’

Details of ROAR Fitness transformation and Personal Training programmes can be found here