Kirst Greenaway loses 55kgs and discovers passion for lifting weights

I started with my weight loss journey 4 and a half years ago, I never realised how overweight I was until I had been looking through photos of myself with my nephew and realised enough was enough and it was time to finally take control of my life and my health.

The beginning:

I was never a small child as far as I can remember and I was made fun of in Primary school which continued into High school about my weight. I turned to food as my comfort which caused a spiral effect. The more weight I put on the more depressed I became, the more food I ate.
My father died at the age of 45 from heart disease, he had high cholesterol and high blood pressure and I realised that if I didn’t make a change fast I could end up with the same illnesses.
I used to eat a large packet of “Liquorice Allsorts” every day, endless slices of bread and way too many takeaways than I’d like to count. In my late teens I started drinking, endless amounts of alcohol which never agreed with my body. It was all a terrible unhealthy mess.

The change:

I joined Virgin Active on the 1st of May and said to myself it’s now or never. No more crash diets , no more binge eating, no more self hate. I refused to weigh myself when I joined the gym because I was so embarrassed and ashamed I had let myself get this way.

I wore layers of clothing to try and hide myself. I got onto the bicycle, cycled for 10 minutes, got off and went home and cried. The thought of me staying the same way I was, I was devastated and I was determined to not give up.

I cut out takeaways and kept on with the cardio every second day. I then finally signed up with a personal trainer in July and he made me finally get on the scale – I was HEARTBROKEN.

I weighed 115kgs, wore a size 50 jeans and could barely catch my breath walking up a flight of stairs.
My personal trainer was wonderful, patient and pushed me when I wanted to give up. He gave me an eating plan which consisted of lean protein (Chicken, ostrich, tuna), healthy fats (avo, peanut butter), complex low GI carbohydrates and green vegetables.

I did mainly weights or a circuit workout training and hardly any cardio – which to me was a shock to the system because it’s always been drilled into you, you do cardio to lose weight, endless hours of it. However that’s not the truth.

My support:
I have the best support structure, my family and friends stood by me through every step of the way. They still do, support is so important in this journey. Times I wanted to give up and when I wanted to no longer carry on , they pushed me and never allowed me to give up no matter how many times I fell off the wagon.

The Challenges:

As much as this entire journey and change has been the best thing I ever done, it comes with the lows. To this day when I go clothes shopping I still pick the biggest tshirt on the shelf and have to stop myself as I need to remind myself I am no longer a XXL.

The battle with the scale is another challenge, you have to stop watching the scale and start watching how your body looks and responds. Another challenge I found is trying to get people to understand why you can’t have that slice of cake , as its only one piece. Yet it’s because of the bigger picture.

The Highlights:

Being able to go swimming with my nephews and nieces at the beach and not have to worry about covering myself up.

To be able wear anything I wanted and not have to shop in the maternity section just to have clothes fit me.

Regaining my health back and finally believing in myself enough to be able to do this, to love myself enough to put myself first, no matter how many setbacks I ever faced.

To date:

I have lost roughly 55kgs in total, when I first started my journey I wanted to lose as much weight as possible and become a size 32. However I have found my passion in being strong. I no longer chase what the scale says, I chase how I feel, how heavy I can lift and how happy this makes me.

I now pride myself in being as strong as I can be, I’m very competitive so being in the gym drives me. I have set huge goals for myself for the next year coming up and plan on working on these on a daily basis.

My routine: 

I train 6 days a week, still minimal cardio and more lifting weights with a rest day on a Friday. I currently eat high lean protein foods, low carbohydrates (only due to how my body reacts to them, each person is different, it’s taken me a very long time to get to know what works and doesn’t work for my body), fruit and vegetables (Broccoli, green beans, butternut, spinach, celery, pineapple and granny smith apples). Fats mainly consist of avo and peanut butter. I either grill my food in the oven or use spray and cook. I drink 3 – 4 litres of water a day, hydration is key!

Supplementation:

Whey protein, Omega, multi vitamins and milk thistle and L Carnitine.

My Tips:

1. Stay consistent, this is a huge factor in this, no crash diets.
2. Focus on health.
3. Drink water, hydration is so important often times we confuse hunger for thirst.
4. Move, get your body moving, the endorphins released from exercising soon will become your new favourite thing.

Do it for you!