Weight loss stories: "How I lost 45kg"

NAME: Rodney Laugher

HOME: Canberra
JOB: Retail storeowner
AGE: 26
HEIGHT: 195cm
BEFORE: 143kg
AFTER: 98kg

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THE WEIGHT GAIN

Laugher had been overweight for as long as he could remember. He grew up feasting on fatty fried foods and drank a couple of bottles of soft drink a day. Meals at his house resembled mountains. “My plates used to overflow with mash potato and pasta,” he recalls.

By early high school, Laugher tipped the scales at 100 kilograms and it wasn’t long before he was struggling to find clothes to fit. “I had to shop for my school uniform in menswear shops,” he remembers.

In his twenties, Laugher let numerous gym memberships lapse and with no exercise apart from golf, he found himself blowing out to over 140 kilos.

Related: A glutton's guide to slashing cholesterol

HOW HE CHANGED

In early 2011 Laugher went to a doctor and was told his blood pressure was high. The doc advised him to get his weight under 100kg. Around the same time, he received a free weekly trial and cheap membership at a new gym near his work. But once again, within a few weeks he was set to let it slide. Only this time fate intervened.

Wet weather kept Laugher off the golf course. At the same time a mate offered him a session with a personal trainer. He decided he had nothing to lose and went along. The trainer gave him a program and emphasised the importance of setting small, realistic goals rather than striving for an unattainable “goal weight”.

Laugher began training 4-5 times a week and, in time, added mountain bike rides to his routine. At the same time, he cut back on treats and limited his portion sizes. “Steamed vegies started to take up most of my plate,” he says.

THE WEIGHT LOSS RESULT

Twelve months after his first gym session, Laugher got under 100kg, dropping four pants sizes and two shirt sizes. His blood pressure is back to normal and his confidence has soared, changing his luck in love. “I recently found a beautiful girlfriend,” he says. “It’s given me a big second wind in life.”

It’s also added a new dimension to his golf game. “The biggest change is the flexibility, range of motion and increased strength,” he says. “It’s helped me pick up an average 10-20 metres on my drives.”

Mountain biking has become a serious hobby. Last year Laugher competed in an enduro race, finishing mid-field over the 50-kilometre course. He’s since completed more races and is eyeing off the more challenging obstacle events.

Head to the Fitness section to get your body back on track

WEIGHT LOSS ADVICE

Seek help. “First see your doc, then a trainer and a nutritionist. Without help it can be easy to give up.”

Mix and match. “I started to become bored with exercises after a month,” says Laugher. “So I’d ban that particular movement and challenge myself to think how I could do the same workout on a different machine or using a different exercise.”

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