Big Aussie to Not So Big Aussie

As promised... My story and what I have learned.

My Story

I had always enjoyed a very active lifestyle through my childhood and teen years playing at representative level for both AFL and Water Polo up to the age of 19. 2 years later, after deciding to drop my sports, I found myself 21 and out of shape. I got married at 25, moved to England for a couple of years and enjoyed life abroad, especially the food. By the time my first child arrived in 1999 I was overweight and by the time my third came in 2005 I was morbidly obese! By the end of 2008 I had blown out to 185.9 kilos. In 2009, even though I had lost around 20 Kilos, I was told I had extremely high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. In 2010 in an effort to lose some more weight by starting some regular walking, I went for a walk before work one morning and woke up in intensive care have suffered some sort of heart/respiratory condition. I had dropped down to 135 kilos over the next couple of years but “yo, yo” dieting, lack of self-worth, work stress, relationship breakdowns, depression and other issues saw my weight see-saw between 140 – 160 over the next 5-6 years. After my 45th Birthday this year I had once again found myself at 146 kilos and was rapidly going up. While polishing off another bottle of Soft Drink, pack of chips and donuts, I decided that enough was enough and I was going to make a change.

I adopted a meal replacement program along with a bit extra (your body needs the fuel!), changed from “world’s biggest” carnivore to Vegan/Vegetarian (supplemented with Pea Protein), looked for alternative/healthy foods and decided that sugar was not ever my friend. By mid-October I had lost 22 kilos, my blood sugar level had gone from 14 mmol to 8 and my bad cholesterol (LDL’s) had gone from 3.86 to 0.94. It was then I decided take things up a notch and join a gym. Since joining , I have dropped a further 30 kilos and currently weigh in at around 94 kilos.

I can now shop at regular shops (totally skipping the “Big Men’s sections) have gone from a size 52 waist to a 33 and 7XL shirts to M/L all since starting this journey again back in late August.

My stress levels have dropped, I'm no longer diabetic, cholesterol is perfect and I am feeling fitter, healthier and happier than I have in a very long time.

Things I have learned on my journey to better health:
*Listen to your body it will tell you what you need both in diet and training.

*Drink lot's of water

*Find a way, anyway to move everyday

*Treat your journey to health as your friend, don't complain about your diet and training embrace it and think about the effects it is having on you and your well-being

*Weight loss is 90% diet and 10% training

*You don't exercise, you train - set goals

*You will never achieve getting a healthy, fit, beautiful body without cultivating and nourishing your mind! Be positive, find a way to love yourself, educate yourself, meditate (Yoga!), Build real, positive friend and support networks, read do everything you can to build your mental strength.

And lastly…
Listen to your body! (Worth mentioning twice)

I look forward to being friends with any one who can motivate me and i can motivate.

Cheers!