Weight loss success stories: how I lost 53kgs

NAME: Paul Farina

HOME: Perth, WA
JOB: Community Events Officer
AGE: 27
HEIGHT: 188cm
BEFORE: 135kg
AFTER: 82kg

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THE WEIGHT GAIN

Chubby from an early age, Farina accepted this as part of his identity. “I never really saw my weight as an issue because I just thought I was the ‘fat kid’,” he says. Although he played sport, he admits it was the bare minimum to keep his parents happy.

On finishing school he let sport go, while continuing to eat like a champion athlete. “It wasn’t uncommon for me to have a drawer full of chocolates or sugary snacks at work, and while my lunches and dinners weren’t unhealthy, the portions were oversized,” he explains. By the time Farina hit his mid-twenties, his lifestyle was showing, with his weight tipping the scales at a thumping 135 kilograms.

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THE DIET CHANGE

Working in community leisure, Farina’s job was to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. “A colleague convinced me to do a fun run,” he says. “We walked most of it, but we both vowed to start practicing what we preached.”

Taking advantage of thye free gym at work, Farina began doing interval sprints on the treadmill. “At the start I could barely run, but before long I’d built up to three kilometres and then 5km,” he says. Not long after, Farina was sprinting and cycling in the same session. “I didn’t have a strict regimen, but for 12 months I’d go to the gym every day and work out for an hour.”

At the same time, he cut out junk food and switched to the high-protein, low-carb diet dominated by veggies, salads, chicken and fish. “If I had to eat carbs, I replaced white bread and pasta with wholegrain varieties.”

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THE RESULT

Over the following 10 months, Farina exercised daily and stuck to his new diet, eventually shedding 53kg.

He’s learned to enjoy running and while he is still yet to devise a routine, he hits the gym at lunch every day. “I’m doing a few more weights at the moment, as I’m hoping to build more lean muscle,” he says.

While he’d always projected self-confidence, Farina believes this was more a defence mechanism than indication of contentment. “I’m so much more willing to give something a go now, without worrying about what people think of me.”

WEIGHT LOSS ADVICE

Be flexible. “I never weighed myself, as I didn’t want to have a number-based goal that would make me do anything too drastic or get me down if I had a bad week,” says Farina.

Find what works for you. Farina’s freewheeling approach to training allowed him to figure out what he enjoys and what was effective. “What might work for 20 other people could have no effect on you.”

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