Like so many others in the Weight Loss Mindset Series, Emma has taken her incredible life changing journey and shared it with the World.  Emma is true inspiration for long lasting, steady weight loss. Here is her story. 

 1. Please provide your name and some  information about you?

 Emma is a communications consultant, blogger,  editorial assistant and creator of wellness programs.  She blogs at 93 Frocks – weight loss one dress at a  time about her weight loss journey from 120kg to  60kg, (42kg lost so far, 18kg to go), her new found  fitness, the changes to her health and wellbeing and  her love of frocks. She started her blog to help others  and inspire change.

 Emma works as a freelance marketing and  communications consultant and is an editorial  assistant at ROOOAR Magazine, a free digital  magazine for female entrepreneurs and women in  business and is the co-founder of The Healthy Living  Project, a 12 week weight loss and wellness program  based in Brisbane, Australia.

 She also works part-time at The National Stroke  Foundation (Australia) on the Know your Numbers  program, which aims to improve public awareness and  early detection of individuals at risk of stroke, type 2  diabetes and other cardiovascular disease by facilitating screening assessments in pharmacy and community settings.

Emma holds a Master of Public Health in health promotion and a Bachelor of Business in marketing.

2. How much weight did you lose and over what period of time?

I started out at 120.2kgs (265lb) and am 5ft 2inches tall (short!). I currently weigh around 78kg (172lb). I would like to reach 60kg (132lb), which would be half of my body weight lost.

I’ve lost 42kg (92lb) since 2 April, 2013 so I’m coming up to two years on 2 April, 2015 and am hoping reach 45kg (99-100lb) by then for my two year health anniversary.

I anticipate it will take the remainder of 2015 (another nine months), to lose the last 15kg (33lb).

3. Going into some level of detail, what was your mindset during the time you were (or still are) losing weight?

I’ve focused on wellness rather than weight loss, so rather than just looking at one area (e.g. food intake), I made a (very) conscious shift to a holistic approach to losing weight and developing wellness.

For me, one of the important parts of doing this in terms of mindset was to ‘give in to the higher power,’ which I suppose references AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) to some extent, but I find it hard to explain it another way!

I had a personal trainer and wellness coach (Chris), who set out a wellness program for me, and part of what I needed to do was relinquish control and give in to the program. This meant just doing what I was asked to do without trying to modify the program, or negotiate aspects of it, either with myself or with him.

And we all do this! It’s the voice in your head that says, “Well if I eat the burger and chips, I’ll just eat lettuce tomorrow,” or, “I’ll just have a bit of chocolate today, and go for a big walk tomorrow.”

But what actually happens as that when we do eat the burger, or the chocolate, it sets off feelings of guilt and negativity which then lead to not being able to stay the course on the program. Being able to win at weight loss definitely starts and ends in the mind!

Another big part of my mindset has been acceptance. Acceptance that for me when I started, this was a life or death situation. Acceptance that eating whole and healthy foods was the best I could do for my body. Acceptance that moving my body and becoming physically strong was part of wellness and needed to be addressed daily. Acceptance that undertaking such a big program of change would come with challenges. Acceptance that being kind to myself every day mattered.

And acceptance that there is no quick fix or speedy solution; that I have had to settle in for the long haul. When I started, Chris said to me that it would take 1,000 days to lose the weight, undo the damage to my body and become well. I was a little shocked when he said it - 1,000 days is a little under three years and that seems like a very, very long time to wait.

But I accept this timeframe now. And the cliché is true; there is a lot to learn and enjoy from taking the journey and worrying less about the destination.

Almost two years have passed and my body is constantly changing; sometimes weight loss slows down, sometimes it’s quick and sometimes it stops altogether. However at this stage, whilst I still have weight to lose, I’m living a happy and healthy life, and know that by the time I get to 1,000 days, I will have lost the rest of the weight and rehabilitated and recovered my body, both inside and out.

4. How was your mindset different from previous attempts to lose weight?

In previous attempts I would only focus on one aspect; usually changing what I ate. Or sometimes throwing myself into a gym regime. Both of these only ever lasted a week or two!

This time, with the guidance of my personal trainer and wellness coach Chris, I focused on wellness; being kind to myself, keeping stress levels low, getting lots of rest, telling myself I could do this and gravitating towards people who were supportive of the changes I was making.

The focus on wellness moved my mindset from ‘being on a diet’ to eating whole foods that were good for my mind, body and energy requirements, albeit less of them than someone who wants to maintain their weight, as I also wanted to be in calorie deficit in order to lose the excess kilos.

I have the same approach to fitness, with a well-rounded program that encompasses yoga, cycling, cardio, weights, flexibility, core and balance that I do consistently, with the goal of constantly rehabilitating my body from the rigours of daily life and creating a strong body that lets me live the healthy life I wanted for so long. Exercise is no longer about punishing myself, rather, it’s about being kind to myself.

5. What advice would you give to others (with regards to their mindset) who need to lose a lot of weight?

Don’t wait for motivation, inspiration or an epiphany. These may never happen.

Motivation comes from the process of doing, so just start today. Go through the process. Show up, do what you need to do in terms of changing your diet, your movement and your mindset. As the changes to your body begin to happen so will the changes to your mindset

This is when you’ll find motivation; in the process of doing. And you’ll find inspiration in your own little wins every day. And this is what helps you keep going on what is a long and often challenging journey, but with many rewards that make it hugely worthwhile.

 

Author's Bio: 

Tryary is a Law of Attraction Social Network. Here you can read our blog, find events, courses, watch inspiring videos and more.