As the weather heats up, many of us look for ways to shed the winter kilos and look our best for summer.
Looking great in a bikini was Marina Sestan’s motivation when she shed 30kg.
The 40 year old mother of 3 young children weighed 95kg before she decided to join The Biggest Loser Club. Within 6 months, Marina dropped 30kg to weigh a svelte 65kg and is now proud to show off her body in a bikini.
“After I had the twins I really stacked on the weight, but I was so busy looking after them and my eldest child that I was unable to put any time into myself,” she says.
“I guess I had no idea what I was supposed to be eating, and I didn’t do any exercise either.”
Marina knew she had to do something about her weight after watching an episode of The Biggest Loser on TV one night and the contestants were weighing themselves.
“I was sitting on the couch eating a chocolate ice cream and decided to do the same and weigh myself.” She says.
“It was big shock when I realised how much I actually weighed. I made the decision right there and then to go online and sign up to The Biggest Loser Club. Once I started and got into it, I lost weight quickly.”
Marina can now recognise the calorie content of many foods and says this knowledge has helped accelerate her weight loss results.
“I’ve done other diets but it’s never been this easy to count calories,” she says. “You can see your intake right there on the screen. Seeing the calorie graph and seeing the fat blobs coming off is exciting and keeps you going. I guess it’s about retraining the brain to know what you actually need to eat to be healthy and lose weight.”
“I never would have thought I could wear a bikini again after the birth of my children but here I am and I feel great!”
The Biggest Loser Club personal trainer Andrew Cate says summer brings cravings for lighter and healthier foods, and this an excellent time to give weight loss efforts a boost.
He provides 8 tips to help you get your body looking fabulous for summer:
1. Use hills, stairs and sand– Running on sand places extra demands on your cardiovascular system, and targets the thighs, butt and calves. Sprinting up hills and stairs is also a great way to perform interval training, and turns an ordinary run into a fat stripping workout.
2. Protein power for breakfast– Eating a protein-rich breakfast boosts your metabolic rate and controls hunger throughout the day. Go for an omelette, poached or hard boiled eggs, a smoothie, or baked beans and lean ham on wholegrain toast.
3. Lift your body– Resistance training improves strength and boosts energy while toning and tightening your muscles. After a short warm up, try to perform a 10-20 repetition workout of push-ups, sit ups, squat jumps, chair dips and lunges, 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days.
4. Load up on low-carb vegetables– Water rich vegetables are the ideal fat loss food, as they are high in fibre and nutrients, but low in carbohydrates and calories. Aim for 4-5 servings of water rich vegetables a day, like capsicum, zucchini, asparagus and mushrooms.
5. Buddy up– Working out with a friend, partner or work colleague increases the enjoyment factor while making you more accountable. By joining forces, you can encourage each other to eat better and stay positive.
6. Reduce sugar– Sugar is high in calories and low in nutrients. Digesting sugar triggers a surge in the hormone insulin. Most of the sugar we eat is hidden in packaged and processed foods, especially yoghurts, sauces, muesli bars, breakfast cereals and spreads. High sugar drinks like fruit juice and sport drinks are also high in calories. Cut back on processed foods and drink only water to keep your sugar intake to a minimum.
7. Detox from alcohol– If you’re serious about your slim-down, cutting back or even cutting out alcohol is a good move. Alcohol slows down your metabolic rate, increases your appetite, reduces your willpower, and can make you feel sluggish the next day. It is also high in calories. Skipping on alcohol for the next few weeks gives your body a chance to replenish and rejuvenate itself, and your waistline will thank you for it.
8. Use smart rewards– Used well, rewards reinforce good habits and encourage the types of daily actions that get your body ready to hit the beach. Focus on rewards that help your progress, like a massage, a personal training session, trendy new running shoes, a healthy recipe book or new workout clothes.
For further information visit www.biggestloserclub.com.au
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