the skinny latte story

*updated August 2009*

Or, how I went from this:

March 2005

to this:

September 2006

In April 2005, I weighed 103.5kg (228lbs). A year later, to the day, I had reached my goal weight of 76kg (167lbs). It is now 2009 and I have kept the weight off for over three years.

June 2009
(Yes, I do still like to have beer!)

What was your life like before you lost weight and got fit?

I grew up in Hobart, Tasmania. Prior to beginning my weight loss journey in April 2005, I had had issues with my weight for a very long time. I was a skinny, active child, but became overweight once I hit puberty and stopped playing sport. I lost a lot of weight when I was 16 but unfortunately took it too far and battled an eating disorder for most of Year 12.

Then I went to university, got married, got a job that I hated but the pay was good, and the weight steadily increased. My job was unbelievably stressful, so I ate to forget about it, or comfort myself after a hard day. I didn't have much of a social life either, so found myself alone a lot on weekends, where I'd settle in with a DVD box set, a tub of icecream and a block of chocolate for company.

I ate whatever I liked, whenever I liked. I would eat breakfast on the run (occasionally not at all), drink Diet Coke like water, eat enormous helpings at dinner, and still have room for half a cheesecake afterwards. I ate whatever was put in front of me or whatever happened to be in the cupboard (or other peoples!), without a thought as to whether it was good for me, or whether I really needed it. By the time I was 22, I was wearing Australian size 18-20 clothes (US size 14-16) but thought I was healthy because I went to the gym five days a week.

I left my job in December 2004 in search of new opportunities, which meant quitting the gym, as I could no longer afford it. I didn't curtail my eating at all, so my size steadily increased in the early months of 2005. I wasn't thrilled with my appearance, but had kind of given up on myself. I had been doing this for eight years - up down, up down - from obesity to anorexia and back again. There seemed to be no end in sight.

What was your "turning point"? When did you decide enough was enough?

Just after Easter in 2005, my best friend joined Weight Watchers, and I was a bit taken aback. After all, she was at least 10kg (22lb) lighter than me! We had talked about losing weight together before, but I honestly never thought that it would happen. I knew that I was on the larger side of girls my age, but had very little motivation to do anything about it. So when my friend went ahead and made a decision, it forced me to have a very hard look at myself!!

So, the first motivation behind getting this journey started, apart from desperately wanting to enjoy young fashion while I could and stop gasping for breath every time I went up stairs, was because I didn’t want my friend to lose weight and look fantastic, and for me to be left behind! Also, I had recently got some photos developed that were not flattering at all, so that was a bit confronting as well.

So on 25th April 2005, I stepped on the scales. I was not prepared for what I saw - 103.5kg (227.7lb). It was so upsetting, but it was the kick in the pants that I sorely needed to get this journey started. I had all the evidence in front of me - the unflattering photos, the tight jeans, the figure on the scales. If I didn't start now, when was I going to start?

When I saw the figure on the scales, that was it. I was so ashamed and embarrassed that I'd let myself go like that. I had to face facts - I was very overweight, and out of control. I decided there and then that I was going to sort this out once and for all. I didn't care how long it took. Something in me just snapped. I never ever wanted to be in that situation again and I knew that it would be different this time - I was not going to give up.

My life changed that day.

How did you do it?

Somehow I knew that this was going to be a change for good, so I didn't do anything drastic to start off with. My best friend was a Weight Watchers member, so I followed that with her to begin with. We would ring or text each other with our weigh-ins every week, as I hadn't actually joined WW officially. For exercise, I started going for a 20 minute walk three or four nights a week after work, and then did an abdominal workout from the WW DVD my friend bought me. I'd go for longer walks on the weekend. I tried to exercise every day, but if that wasn’t possible I aimed for six days out of seven.

I got a tracker (just a small exercise book) and pasted the fat, unflattering photos of me in them. I wrote a list of reasons why I wanted to lose weight. I wrote down my goal weights - my mini goal and my ultimate goal of 76kg. I wrote down inspiring quotes.

I used this exercise book to track, and I tracked religiously – I wrote down everything I ate and drank, and what exercise I did, every day. This helped me to see exactly what I was eating and doing, so if things went well, I had a record of what had worked. If I didn’t lose much that week, I could look back and see what I might have improved upon.

I cut down my portion sizes and boosted my meals with lots of vegetables. I stopped buying junk food. Pretty simple when you think about it - I just became more aware of what I was actually eating and focused on how much better I felt by eating well and exercising, and taking care of myself.

Every week it became easier.

I had to lose 27.5kg (60.5lbs) to get into my healthy weight range for my height. That number was quite daunting so, rather than focus on the entire amount I had to lose, I broke it down into small goals. The first goal was to get under 100kg, which happened within the first month. The next goal was to lose 5kg in total, then 10kg, then 15kg, then 20kg. I also gave myself rewards along the way for meeting these goals.

Eating well and exercising was only half of the battle, however. Prior to losing weight and getting healthy, food was my hobby. I had to completely revamp my attitude to myself and towards food. I had to learn to be my own best friend and stop using food as a distraction or a comfort. I had to learn why I turned to food if I was unhappy. I had to learn to recognize the triggers. It was hard work and it took some time for the new, positive behaviours to sink in, but they did eventually and it was a very proud day for me when I realised I had had a block of chocolate in the fridge for a week and only two rows were gone! :)

When did you start Skinny Latte?

I started the original Skinny Latte blog in September 2005, when I was about halfway to goal, and I had just moved from Hobart to Melbourne. I had been reading (ie lurking!) heaps of other weight loss blogs for a few months, and was really excited about starting my own and getting to know the people that I'd come to admire and rely on for motivation in a real and meaningful way. I wrote about the various ups and downs in my weight loss journey, and the amount of support and accountability I got from was amazing. I met some lovely people through the blog who are still among my closest friends today.

I reached my goal weight of 76kg (a loss of 27.5kg!) in April 2006, a year to the day after I started my journey. I eventually, through triathlons and yoga (and a bit of heavy partying!), got my total loss down to about 30kg.

How is Skinny Latte Strikes Back different to your original blog?

Skinny Latte Strikes Back houses the majority of my relevant archives from the original blog, and has some tales about life on maintenance and things that have inspired or continued to inspire me as I try to live the healthiest and happiest life possible.

Not everything from the original blog is here. Some of the posts were just reports on my daily life at the time, which I don't think are particularly relevant now, or interesting reading! Also, as most of you would know, once I reached goal my life changed dramatically because my marriage of nearly five years broke down and I found myself on a very different path.

So, once weight loss was no longer a main focus in my life, the blog became more about my search for my identity and what I really wanted to do with my life. But, again, those posts aren't really relevant anymore, so that's why I haven't bothered putting the majority of them up here.

How have you managed to maintain for three years? What made this different to all the other times you'd tried to lose weight in the past?

What made this time different to all the other times was that I finally got it. To be a healthy person, you have to exercise and eat right all the time, not just to lose some weight, or to fit into a wedding dress. It’s not something you do until you’ve reached your goal and then go back to being the way you were. I wanted to get this under control, once and for all. I never, ever wanted to be overweight again. And I knew that everything I put in my mouth would either bring me closer to what I wanted or would delay me from reaching my goals.

It was never a short term solution. This is my life now. I am a healthy person who loves to exercise and who eats when she is hungry, and yes occasionally for the hell of it. I like my icecream and my chocolate, but I no longer feel dependent on these things for happiness. If I want something, I can have it. I don't deprive myself.

A huge part of my maintenance success, I believe, is that I continue to challenge myself with my fitness. I took up long distance running in 2007, once I'd been through the triathlon experience and realised that I loved running the most! I keep as active as possible, preferring walking to taking transport wherever possible. I don't have a car anymore, so that really helps me to keep active.

So, what are you up to these days?

I am now 28 and I have lived in London, England, for just over two years. I left Australia in April 2007 and decided to go travelling for a few months through the USA and Canada, and had the time of my life! I then moved to London where I got a job in publishing, moved into a supercool share house and spent most of my weekends/spare cash travelling around Europe. Two years on, I now live with my wonderful boyfriend in a lovely garden flat in the centre of the city (you can hear Big Ben strike from my house!) and enjoy keeping fit by running, yoga and walking to and from work nearly every day. I really enjoy long distance running and I completed my very first half marathon in August 2009!

Me with my half marathon medal! Time 2:21:00!
August 2009

It was an amazing experience and I plan to do many more!

How much do you weigh now?

I honestly have no idea. The last time I weighed myself was in September 2007, and I was 72kg, fully clothed, after a huge breakfast. Everything from "Goal Days" (ie 2006/2007) still fits though, so I must be doing something right. It's less about a number and more about feeling good for me, these days.

~~~
Thanks for reading guys! Whether you're currently on a weight loss journey, or you've reached your goal and occasionally need a little oomph and inspiration, or you just want to make a positive change in your life, I hope by reading my story you can gain some hope and inspiration that, with the right attitude and a bit of effort, you can succeed. Wherever you are and whatever you want to achieve - it can be done!

I know you can do it!