After suffering a terrifying health scare at 35, Kelly knew she had to act to change.
Squeals of delight echoed through the park as my eldest daughter, Mickayla, 13, and I headed towards the roller-coaster. 'Let's go, Mum,' she called, pulling me into the line for the ride. I should've been excited, but I was riddled with nerves.Reluctantly taking my seat, the ride assistant suddenly leant down next to me. 'I'm so sorry, I can't get the harness closed,' she whispered. Breathing in as hard as I could, she finally managed to latch it. But I was mortified, and spent the entire ride fighting back tears.
There was no denying the truth anymore. I needed to change. I'd been overweight for as long as I could remember. Naturally chubby, I dealt with constant teasing at school. 'Why stroll when you can roll,' the boys would taunt. When I started high school, I was around 100 kilos. And by year 11, I'd ballooned to 125 kilos. I was desperate. I crash dieted, and got down to 75 kilos, but I became so sick I ended up in hospital.And it was all for nothing. All those kilos piled straight back on. I had only myself to blame.
At 19, I met my husband David, now 43, and although I was highly self-conscious, he wasn't bothered by my size. 'You look beautiful,' he'd always tell me. Marrying four years later, we went on to have Mickayla and Mackenzie, now eight. While I tried different diets, I never stuck with anything long enough to make a difference. For lunch, I'd eat a sandwich with hot chips and tuck into big plates of pasta or potato dishes for dinner. Most days on the way home from work, I'd also stop at the service station for a sneaky ice-cream or chocolate.
Gradually, my weight crept up to 160 kilos. At 172cm tall, I could only just squeeze into size-26 clothing. While I always kept a smile on my face for my family, I was secretly miserable. Whenever we were invited to dinner, I'd check on Google to see what type of chairs the restaurant had. 'I won't fit in the seat,' I would groan to Dave. Pressure on my joints meant I was sore and exhausted. And despite living 10 minutes from the beach, we never went. I felt terrible the girls were missing out, but I couldn't bear to show my body on the sand. I just wanted to hide away from the world.
Then one day, at the preschool where I worked I felt the whole room narrow around me. Laying my head down, I felt tingles in my arm. I went home and slept, but finally called my sister, Megan, 31, who's a paramedic. 'You need to go to the hospital,' she told me. It was there doctors found I'd had a mild stroke and put me on blood pressure medication. While I wore a brave face for my family, I was terrified.At just 35, I'd wake up most mornings surprised to be alive. Then came that moment on the roller-coaster. Although it was mortifying, it was the motivation I needed. If I wanted to live, I had to lose weight. It was that simple.
In May last year, my youngest sister, Katie, 27, and I joined a gym together. With her support, I managed to train every day and was amazed when I lost 20 kilos in the first six months. I could feel the difference, and before long other people noticed the changes too.'You look incredible,' my sister, Sally, 34, beamed. Inspired by my progress, I joined a six-week team weight-loss challenge at the gym. David was always incredibly supportive. 'I'll love you no matter what size you are,' he told me. 'I just want you to be healthy'. It wasn't easy and there were times I felt like giving up. But then I thought of my girls. 'I'm doing this for them,' I'd say. And with each week that passed, I could feel myself getting happier, fitter and stronger.
After the challenge, I'd shed another 15 kilos and was loving exercising. In fact, whenever anyone called the house asking for me, David would tell them I was with my new boyfriend. 'His name is Gym!' he'd joke. My amazing trainer, Phil, also helped me with an eating plan. Instead of starving or gorging on sweets, I ate every three hours. For breakfast, I'd enjoy bran cereal with almond milk before having Greek yoghurt with fruit for snacks and grilled fish with vegies or salad for lunch and dinner.
Today, 18 months after my transformation began, I've managed to shed 85 kilos. Weighing just 75 kilos, I can now fit into size 12 clothing. Having more energy means I can keep up with the girls and hit the beach. In fact, two of my sisters and I have planned a trip to Hawaii this year - something I would never have done before. What's more, I don't have to worry about fitting into a seat again! I just hope sharing my story can give other people the motivation to change. No matter how busy you are, it's never too late to turn your life around. I'm proof of that!
--Based on a true-life story--
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