Rebecca wanted to lose the weight for her family

Paramedic Rebecca has one tip for people wanting to lose weight: pick a day and just go for it!

Rebecca put the weight on over a number of years but it was at work that she noticed it the most. As an intensive care paramedic, she had to be able to do some heavy lifting and her excess weight wasn't helping.

"I was unhappy with myself. I did not like to look in mirrors and certainly didn’t like having my photo taken," she says.

"The worst part I think was with work. Every so often, my uniform wouldn’t fit any more.  I remember being upset so many mornings as I tried to get my uniform on. It felt too tight and uncomfortable".

There was no one moment that made her decide to lose the weight. She'd just had enough and wanted a weight loss plan that would work.

With the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, Rebecca lost 23 kg* and has dropped 3 uniform sizes.

*In 6 months. Individual results may vary. 

Big family

It wasn't an easy project though. With a "manic household of 7" as she calls it, following a weight loss plan and finding time to exercise was a real challenge.

"What I really liked about the TWD is that it was family friendly. I didn’t have to have a separate meal to anybody else in the household. We pimped the kids’ stuff but we still ate together as a family," Rebecca says.

"What we’ve gotten into the habit of doing is every Sunday we’ll do a menu for the whole week. We write out on a chalkboard on the fridge: Monday night, we’ll have steak and vegetables, Tuesday night it will be chicken something, Wednesday this, and we work out what we’re going to have."

“We make this all work around happiness and healthiness, so healthy choices for our kids in what we eat and what we do, in sports and all sorts of things.”

Running for the first time

Rebecca has also made huge strides when it comes to exercise since she started the Total Wellbeing Diet. Both her father and brother are long distance runners but by her own admission, she's never been able to run.

"I could never do it, I was never interested, I could never run," she says.

"I could run around a softball diamond but not distance running and through the weight loss experience and the exercise program that comes with it, I actually started to run."

"I’m still a bit of a Cliff Young shuffler, like I’m not fast, but the fact that I can run 5 km continuously and I can do it under 40 minutes, has surprised me and it has surprised my family, especially my dad and my brother."

Just go for it!

Finally, Rebecca believes that if you're going to lose weight, you just have to make the decision to start.

"Telling ourselves we don’t have time really is just an excuse. If you want it bad enough, there is always a way to make it work," she says.

"I have never been so fit and healthy. I have new clothes and am able to keep up with my family. I have my confidence back and I have a whole new uniform... which is 3 sizes smaller than it used to be!"

*Individual results may vary