TERI
MEET TERI – MY MOST INSPIRING SUPERSTAR YET! #179
When Kim first asked me to share my journey a couple of years back, I had to pinch myself, I was so honored, excited and nervous. So much so I ended up declining. Fast forward to now and I couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity to share my exciting journey. So much has happened through my journey to good health, I wanted to share – but more so, I want everyone to know that anything is possible if you believe it enough and want it badly enough.
I wasn’t a large child growing up. I was brought up in a home where we had next to no junk food and I had many food allergies; because of this I felt my Mother watched what I ate intensely. Once I hit my 20’s, through emotional eating and thinking life was just one big party where food was concerned, my weight went up to the point where after I had my two children, I became morbidly obese.
The other amazing part of Kim’s app is the support we receive. Kim has managed to create such a positive and encouraging environment in her Facebook groups.
I felt so despondent and worried that no diet or weight loss program would work for me that I began discussions with my friends and family about considering gastric bypass surgery. I was terrified and I didn’t want to go down that track, but I needed to do something as my weight was now at a dangerous high.
A post popped up on my Facebook newsfeed for Kim Beach I found the success stories and examples of her eating plan really resonated with me. In September 2015 I signed up for her #noexcuses program and through that first 8 weeks I lost 12 kilos. I completed those 8 weeks with zero exercise. I was so large back then, that even to walk 1 kilometre for me was painful and tiring.
I felt imprisoned in my own mind and body and my health continued to deteriorate.
Over the next year or so I completed a number of Kim’s #noexcuses programs, gradually introducing regular training through my week. My best 8 week weight loss being 14.5 kilos. I also began receiving counseling to help me deal with my emotional eating and my own self worth.
In December 2018, I signed up for Kim Beach’s app and have never looked back. While weight loss in the beginning was my main focus, I have lost an additional 15 kilos following the app, my focus now is maintaining and creating a new and healthy lifestyle for myself. I achieve this with the aid of Kim’s daily recipes and training.
I had tried every diet known to man, but I wasn’t a happy person and I became very unwell. I was always told “at least you have a pretty face” by friends and I was also told I was an embarrassment to be seen with by my ex-husband. I began to feel very lonely and unworthy as a human being. I felt imprisoned in my own mind and body and my health continued to deteriorate. My parents took me into their home where I began the medical treatment I required. This treatment spanned over a two year period. Finally after those two years my body had begun to heal. Now it was time to look after me; my mind and body.
Fast forward a number of years, I had great success in losing 90 kilos after weighing in at a hefty 158 kilos. Unfortunately I had not learned how to maintain that weight nor how to live a normal and healthy life when it came to food and exercise. I ended up putting back on most of that weight, which left feeling depressed and humiliated.
I no longer look at my eating plan in 8 week blocks, but have learned how to fuel my body with nutritious foods that energise me. I train often with both cardio and weights to build my body’s strength and endurance and one of my favourite hobbies now is walking. For me walking 8 or more kilometres is part of my every Saturday and I just love the feeling this gives me.
The other amazing part of Kim’s app is the support we receive. Kim has managed to create such a positive and encouraging environment in her Facebook groups. I am never afraid to share my most difficult or challenging moments for fear of judgement, as everyone is incredibly supportive. I have also made some of my most beautiful friends through these amazing groups.
There are so many benefits for this new lifestyle of mine. Besides the obvious of losing weight, I am happier, I have way more energy and I sleep better. I am also more confident and I have an amazing mental toughness when it comes to training each day and preparing my food for the week ahead. I am really proud of how hard I have worked and everything I have achieved.
I used to suffer from severe pain in my feet from plantar fasciitis, which I no longer have any issues with and I am able to walk and run long distances with zero pain. Sitting in a seat in the cinema used to be most uncomfortable as my sides were bulging over the arm rests, now I have room to move. I struggled at one point to even be able to roll over in my bed as I was so large, but now I have so much freedom of movement.
I have since remarried and we live a beautiful life filled with lots of walking, training in the gym and we’re now about to embark on hiking together. I feel I am finally free within both my mind and body and we enjoy creating nutritional meals together. I also love sharing my journey with my beautiful daughters. I realise that through my weight issues as I was bringing them up, that I wasn’t perhaps the best role model when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle or having a healthy self image. Being a strong positive role model to them now later in life is incredibly important to me.
Recently I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was an incredibly scary and dark time for me. I am incredibly fortunate to have caught this early and I have to say, I can honestly thank my new lifestyle, as well as my faith and the love of my family, for this early discovery and relatively quick road to recovery. I have no doubt that if I was still that 158 kilo woman, my journey back to good health would be very different. Eating nutrient dense foods as well as regular training helps to create a positive outlook on life, as well as making you feel good. I love to focus now on a positive mind, body and soul.
I am now 52 years old and living my best life without restrictions. I cannot recommend this lifestyle enough.
Thanks so much Kim.
Teri xx
