Quick Stats
Name: Paul
Start weight: 160kg
End weight: 101.5kg
Weight loss: 58.5kg
Over: 12 months
For most of my adult life I have been morbidly obese.
As a 17 year old I was a promising footballer and was close to making my debut with Sturt in the SANFL league team. I suffered a serious foot injury in the 2000 season and regrettably I decided to ‘hang up’ my boots. I was super fit and my weight at the time was 75kgs.
Fast forward 11 years, I had gained 105kgs, more than doubling my body weight which peaked at 180kgs.
The reasons for the weight game were pretty simple really, I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I rarely did any form of exercise. Following my peak weight of 180kgs in 2011 I was in a constant yo-yoing weight range of between 150 – 170kgs.
In 2019 I was 160kgs and a walking heart attack waiting to happen. As a father of two young children I resented myself for always saying no to their requests to play with daddy as I was just exhausted all the time. I am a weekly interstate flyer for work and I would always dread when the middle seat would have someone in it. I overflowed into their space and on many occasions I would have to fight back tears as I was subjected to rude comments about my weight, dirty looks and disgusted sounds from the person next to me. The most heart breaking of all though was the looks I would catch the cabin crew giving the passenger next to me, the ‘I feel so sorry for you being sat next to him, I would move you if I could’ look.
When you are very large, many aspects of life are extremely difficult. Eventually all of these difficulties build up more and more pressure and you find yourself in a constant cycle of eating for comfort, eating to cover the emotional pain, eating to cover the regrets and eating for the sake of eating. It is a vicious cycle…….but the cycle can be broken!
It was on a plane flight in June 2019 I decided it was time to take charge over my health, to take back control, and get back the life that I wanted. A life where I was a healthy weight, a life where I had a better relationship with food, a life where I had loads of energy to play with my children, a life where my stomach wouldn’t spill into the plane seat next to me, a life where I had resilience and self-control, and most importantly a life where I was happy and being the best version of me that I could be.
I knew I now had the resolve to make the necessary changes, however I also I knew that simply going on a diet wasn’t the answer. Diets are typically very good at masking the underlying issues that caused the obesity and in the longer term any weight loss is rarely sustainable.
I knew that to be successful I would need to change my entire lifestyle and that only by taking a truly holistic approach to my health and wellbeing would I be able to bring about sustainable change.
As the saying of ancient Chinese philosopher Lao – Tzu goes “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” and so I determined my first step would be sourcing a nutritionally balanced meal replacement program which I would combine with daily exercise. I researched the various brands that provide meal replacement programs and quickly identified that Celebrity Slim had the most comprehensive and holistic approach and their values were a close match to mine.
The same day that I decided to put my trust in Celebrity Slim was the same day I joined my local gym.
It has now been 12 months since I started my wellbeing journey and I am thrilled to say I have lost 58.5kgs so far. The shakes all taste amazing (although Café Latte is my number 1 favourite) and they are so easy to incorporate into your daily routine, no matter how hectic or challenging your routine may be.
So how do I feel 12 months on? Amazing. I have more energy then I ever have before and I am the one wearing the kids out! I have regained my self-confidence, I have developed a deep respect for my health and wellbeing and Celebrity Slim and daily exercise have become an engrained part of my life.
The most valuable lesson I have learnt on my journey is the need to be your own champion. To me, being your own champion means looking within for the inspiration, motivation and accountability to change your life and ultimately be successful in the long run. I have never had to rely on a personal trainer, or friends and family to push me along and motivate me. I have never let a bad day at work or horrible weather or some other potential distraction stop me from going to the gym. Being your own champion releases all of the resilience, determination, motivation, accountability and power from within you and from that point on nothing will stand in your way to achieving your goals.
Are you ready to start your journey? Are you ready to challenge yourself? Are you ready to be the healthiest, happiest you that you can be? Are you ready to be your own champion? I know you can do it. I dare you to start your journey and take that first step.
*Individual results may vary.
