Yahoo Lifestyle 
Aussie mum sheds 20kg in six months
A new mum has opened up about how she dropped an incredible 20kg in just six months - and she did it without giving up chocolate.
Crystal Fisher, from Brisbane, weighed in at 90kg and felt overweight, sluggish and desperate for some motivation. The mum-of-two told Yahoo Lifestyle it was when she found herself struggling to keep up with the kids that she knew something had to give.
“I wanted to try and lose some weight (to) keep up with my children... they’re always busy, running around,” she said.
That’s when a size 20 Crystal decided to sign up to The Healthy Mummy program, an at-home fitness program tailored to mums, after trying to shift weight for a while.
Yo-yo diets with no results
She had dabbled in fad diets - extreme juice cleanses and tightly restricted meal plans - but says they never worked, particularly once she was breastfeeding.
“I’ve done a few others as well, but I didn’t really stick to them,” the mum said.
We’ve all been there - your weight drops as you try to ruthlessly cut out food groups, and then it bounces back up when you inevitably crack and binge.
The yo-yo dieting was frustrating for Crystal but it wasn’t until she stuck to something that didn’t leave her hungry, or craving her favourite foods, that the weight stayed off.
How she lost the weight
Crystal says it was being able to eat everything she loved, with some adjustments, that made the program such a success.
“I love chocolate,” she admits. “You can still have the chocolate, you just have the 70% (cocoa) chocolate.”
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Little things like swapping potato mash for pumpkin and sweet potato, three pieces of white toast for two of brown, saw the mum thrive.
She also tied in at-home exercises.
“I started walking with the little miss in the pram first off while she had her nap,” she shared.
“Then I found a walking buddy and we would walk one or two times a week. And (finally) I started doing some exercises at home by myself.”
A brand new woman
One of her favourite moments in her weight loss journey was when she purchased a new wardrobe that she feels, and looks, amazing in.
“I realised when people started commenting on how much I’d changed,” she said.
“(I felt) really really good and happy to get some new clothes.”
Though, as with every program, there is never a perfect fix, Crystal says that for her, the program is damn close to it.
She says the key is still appreciating life, and not feeling like you're missing out.
“I’ve made these little changes here and there but I still enjoy myself,” she says.
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