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Real life weight loss: How I lost 24kg

Photography Jamie Kripke

This 26-year-old not only got in shape – she became a body builder and personal trainer

When Mandy Martin was in her teens, she worked as a waitress and it helped her stay trim, despite a greasy diet. “I didn’t think twice about what I ate,” she admits.

But in 2005, she took a new job as an equipment operator at a coal mine – and had to sit still for 13-hour shifts. On the way home, she often stopped at a petrol station for huge servings of junk food before collapsing into bed. In just a few months, 165cm-tall Martin tacked on 18kg.


The change

Martin started a string of fad diets but always veered off course when the weekend rolled around. One night, after months of on-and-off attempts, she opened a letter from her mum and got a shock – it was a photo of herself a few weeks earlier, at Easter.

“I was stunned that I looked so bad,” says Martin. “It was my wake-up call to do something, for real.”


The lifestyle

Shunning convenience-store food, Martin went grocery shopping – for the first time ever – to stock up on whole grains, lean meats and fresh fruit and veg. Five months of clean eating helped Martin trim off about 9kg. That summer, she braved the gym.

“At first I couldn’t walk on the treadmill for more than five minutes,” she says. “I worked up to 30 minutes of walking, running and other cardio.” Another month later, another 5kg had gone. But it wasn’t until she added resistance training that Martin found her favourite fix.

“I’d never felt powerful before,” she says, “and lifting weights made me feel that way.” Those curls and squats also helped knock off another 10kg over the next three months.


The reward

Martin’s newfound confidence gave her the guts to study sports medicine and start a new career as a personal trainer. “Now I get to move around all day instead of counting the minutes until I can go home,” she says.

She entered her first body building competition in 2009 and has now done seven shows. “I used to flip through fitness magazines and think, ‘Why can’t I be like that?’” she says. Her answer now? “I can.”


Martin’s Tips

Plan ahead “I arranged my work schedule so I could exercise between shifts.”
Be a protein pro “I add eggwhites to pancakes instead of water – it helps keep me full.”
Hit the perimeter “The food you need most – fresh produce – is around the edges of the supermarket, not in the middle.”


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How I lost 38kg
How I lost 19kg