Fit Friend Tuesday

I thought it was time to start sharing some of my friend's stories because many of them have been more successful than I have over the past four years. And...they inspire me! So, hopefully they will inspire you!

My first friend is Lisa. I met Lisa through work. She was a fantastic client but an even better friend. I am so proud of her weight loss - the pictures do not do her justice.  Lisa lost HALF of her body weight in about 7 months and it took a lot of dedication. Here is her story -

Start Date September 2012

Heaviest Weight 135 kg/297 lbs

Start Weight 121 kg/266 lbs  

End Weight 67 kg (147lbs)

What were a few of the motivating factors to get you started?

I was made redundant from my job and saw it as an opportunity to focus on myself instead of my career. I had seen what you (Victoria) had been able to achieve and the self discipline you displayed, I didn't want to be the only one of my friends who was fat. My blood pressure was also a little high and that doesn't run in my family - we have low blood pressure if anything.

What did a usual day’s food intake look like?

Fruit salad for breakfast, salad for lunch (sometimes with rice or corn thins), fish/seafood or chicken with salad or stir fried with vegetables for dinner...  Sometimes only 2 meals a day, and/or a slice of cheddar for a snack.

What program did you use?

I didn't follow a program per se, just followed some rules...

No starchy carbohydrates at all (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta).

Lots of water, no lollies(candy).

No chips or biscuits.

Fruit if I wanted something sweet.

Unlimited instant coffee (with a dash of skim milk only).

Nuts (unsalted natural), chia seeds, lemon and ginger tea were all added to my diet.

1/2 squeezed lemon for dressing salad.

I always bought the best produce I could so I enjoyed what I was eating... If I occasionally wanted some red meat, I bought really good quality eye fillet, I ate lots of yummy fresh oysters, prawns and sometimes crab. I would also use a beautiful marinated feta to dress salads. I had cheese if I wanted. Sometimes I had poached eggs, steamed spinach and bacon as a treat for breakfast.

I ate unlimited salad and vegetables to feel full. If I really needed a sweet treat, I would have a high quality dark chocolate (above 70%) and would only need a couple of squares to feel satisfied.

Most importantly everything was logged on myfitnesspal (food and exercise) and I tried to average about 1200 calories per day.

What are the challenges with maintaining your weight loss? 

Not allowing bad habits to creep back. It takes planning to ensure you always have a yummy healthy option on hand, it's easy to grab a bag of chips or other crap, they are always available and easily accessible with no prep required. When I initially went back to work, I kept to my new habits, but now I find myself making the same old excuses, I'm too busy, I'm travelling heaps and it's hard to make good choices, which is all rubbish - it's about what you choose to prioritise.

What were some of your goals and how did they change as you went along?

I wanted to be 60kgs and a size 10... That never changed. I told myself if I achieved that I would reward myself with some cosmetic surgery. I never got there and didn't have the surgery.

What was your exercise plan for the week?

Minimum of 60 mins exercise per day, I started off having a personal trainer once a week, at the end of the 6 months I was using him 2-3 per week. I did lots of weight training because I enjoyed it and increasing you lean muscle mass increases your metabolic rate.  

Do you still follow that plan?

No and I am feeling very slack and guilty

Three things that you believe helped in the weight loss?

1. I used to use my job performance as a measure of my self worth, taking that away meant I had to focus on something else to have any self esteem.

2. Logging everything so I knew everything that passed my lips and holding myself accountable.

3. Consistency.

Three favorite things to eat on your diet that were healthy options?

1. Tropical fruit

2. Fresh seafood

3. Unprocessed nuts

Before and After pics

I struggled with this because I hate having pics taken at the best of times but I had next to zero pics, seriously could only find one from when I was fat, and that had been cropped, sorry.

And, I found this great pic of Lisa and I when I was doing well so we both look great! :)  At the races in Brisbane! :)