Weight loss stories: Personal power

Home Allambie Heights, NSW
Age 33
Height 160cm
Job Business owner

Weight before: 106 kg

Weight after: 62 kg

A trainer and a sugar ban sweetened Melissa’s life

A love of vanilla slices and an emotional eating habit caused Melissa Weston to pile on kilos. But when her dad lost his leg to type 2 diabetes, she knew she had to curb her “extreme sweet tooth” – for good. Weston’s overeating began as a teen, but when she joined a gym at 17, she shed 30kg. Then in her 20s and working full-time, she saw the scales head upwards again. “The exercise I was doing ceased, but I continued to eat as if I was still going to the gym,” she says.

The toughest times

At 28, Weston found out she had polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and blocked fallopian tubes. Thankfully, four years earlier, she’d had daughter Natasha, now 9, but dealing with her “plumbing problems” switched her overeating into overdrive. “It played havoc with my emotions,” she says. “I’d wait until everyone was asleep and have a cup of tea with about 10 biscuits or chocolate. I was also drinking too much. It was easy to go through almost a bottle of wine a night.”

Taking action

Weston has a family history of type 2 diabetes, and her father losing his leg to the condition was huge motivation for her to lose the weight. So in March last year, she set a goal: in nine months’ time, she was going on a holiday to Fraser Island with her family and some friends, and she wanted to feel good in a swimsuit. She joined a Virgin Active Health Club and hired one of its personal trainers, Cameron Dyer, who she worked out with for three 45-minute sessions a week – two sessions of resistance training and one of high-intensity cardio.

For six months she also gave up her two major vices: sugar and alcohol. “This was extremely difficult, but the kilojoule savings were huge. I replaced alcohol with herbal teas, and I switched from three mochas a day to one skim flat white,” Weston says.
By training hard with Cameron and dodging the vanilla slices, she lost 37kg by holiday time.

Life is sweeter

Exercise has become a big part of life for Weston that she now works out daily. “My increased energy levels have given me a new lease on life and generally just make me feel great.” Another huge perk of being a healthy weight: “I am no longer as worried about getting type 2 diabetes – a huge relief.”

This time, Weston is committed to keeping the weight off for life. “I have already influenced others to do something about their weight too, including my brother Richard, who has shed 25kg in the past six months.”

MELISSA’S TIPS

Get a personal trainer “They become your rock, especially when you’re feeling sorry for yourself and think that it’s all getting too hard. They’ll help you get results a whole lot quicker.”
See a chiro “In the early stage of training I had problems with my right knee because my hip was out of whack. I saw a chiropractor fortnightly to help realign me and make sure the rest of my body was in the right position.”
Don’t overlook drinks “We often forget about the kilojoules we consume in beverages.”