A Fit and Fabulous Foodie
During her twenties, Adele was a keen socialiser. Her nights often involved takeout and wine, but due to an equally active sporting life, weight was never an issue.
"Before I was pregnant, socialising was a big part of my life. I also really love cooking but serving sizes for my husband and I were large and generally had lots of full-fat cheeses and sauces along with a lot of processed carbs."
It was when Adele turned 30 that weight gain from her foodie lifestyle started to become an issue. She was consuming the same large portion sizes, snacks and takeaway, but was unable to exercise due to an injury. This, combined with being a first-time parent, led to weight gain.
"I had my first child, my physical activity reduced, and food was always on the run. Prior to 30, I was extremely active, playing 3-4 sports a week, running regularly and getting plenty of sleep."
"I'm on the road a lot with my work and I wouldn't get time for breakfast. I would drink a coffee and lunch was normally takeaway food. I would snack with biscuits and cake regularly and the weight crept on."
The tipping point
After her third child, Adele decided something had to change, so she set herself the goal of fitting into her size 14 uniform by the time her maternity leave was over.
She researched different weight loss strategies to see what would best fit into her lifestyle, while also providing structure and guidance when she needed it. She tried Fast Start, a detox and Lite n' Easy - but had little success. Then she tried the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet.
"Some diets worked for a bit, but I always put the weight back on and with all of them I continued to eat in excess."
Soon after joining our online program the weight began to fall off, and after 22 weeks, Adele had lost 20 kg's*, received a refund of her original program fee and gained a new lease on life!
“It was so easy to follow with lots of support and I loved that you could still have indulgences and lose weight. I really look forward to them as a little reward for my hard work and still see the scales number reduce every week.”
* Individual results may vary.
Unexpected benefits
Losing weight has improved Adele's life in more ways than one. Not only do her clothes fit much better, but her eczema has also completely cleared up, and she can now easily run 5km.
"I feel better - I didn't get sick this winter - and I am much more active with my kids. Everyone has noticed the drop in weight and I feel so much more confident within myself. I look great in a pair of swimmers and I'm not afraid to show it off!"
Adele also feels completely equipped to tackle social situations - without lapsing back into her old ways.
"I now know what 150g of protein looks like and can stop eating at that. I do enjoy myself but do it sensibly. If I know I have an event coming up, I will save my grains and indulgences that week and really enjoy the night. I don't need to give up on wine and cheese and I get to have a lot of fun too!"
"Given I still travel a lot for work, if I can't prepare the meals in my menu plan, I know what the better alternatives are when I'm eating out, and I still try to stick to my units."
Adele's tips for success
If you're a Foodie like Adele, she's got these tips to help you succeed this year:
- Set a realistic goal and a reason you are trying to lose weight
- Be organised and have fun
- Understand your portion sizes and eat within them
- Save up indulgences and enjoy yourself
- If you do overindulge, don't give up, tomorrow is a new day... so start again!
- If you are entertaining, prepare healthy meals from the Total Wellbeing Diet database and serve them up. Get creative with the free foods, I bet your guests will love it and won't even know that it is healthy - mine don't!
- Take pictures and log your weight. Even a loss of 300g is a loss of a whole tub of butter!
