Karin - Loses 16.5kg

After numerous visits to he doctor and a number of tests it was determined that Karin had developed low blood sugar, an under-active thyroid and rheumatoid arthritis, all at the age of just 28.

The day Karin struggled to get into a size 10 she knew that her weight gain was out of control. Having increased from a size six her health was also deteriorating, she was constantly tired and her joints were starting to give her problems. “I was doing competitive Latin dancing and was also teaching aerobics and Pilates classes at the time and increasingly began to suffer from ankle and knee injuries. At first I thought it was caused by my extra weight, but as more joints became stiff, sore and swollen I started to realise there was more to it.” 

“My condition quickly deteriorated, to the point where I was struggling to get out of bed, climb stairs, run, jump or dance. I was also struggling with stomach ulcers. These issues meant that I had to give up dancing, which was heart breaking. I became severely depressed and began comfort eating. The more I neglected my diet, the worse the arthritis got. Within three months I could barely walk and had to use crutches. However, sore and swollen hands limited my ability to be mobile.”

At this stage Karin became withdrawn and refused to see anyone or go anywhere where people would recognise her. “Whenever anyone wanted to take a picture I made sure that I was the one taking it so that I wasn't in the photo. I felt so uncomfortable and ashamed that I started avoiding people and didn’t want to leave the house.”

Feeling completely defeated after a tough, restless night of pain-ridding sleep Karin finally made the decision to take control of her life and improve her circumstances. “For the first time in my life I started eating to be healthy, not just to lose weight!” Karin empowered herself by researching her conditions to determine what would trigger the inflammation and cause acid build-up in her body. “I taught myself what to eat and in what quantities. I ensured that I got adequate nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the food I ate and the supplements I started using. It felt like I was eating a lot and I was convinced I’d pick up weight, but I actually started losing! My energy levels improved along with my arthritis.”

It was at this point when Karin became more active by taking short walks around the block. “After a month I started going to the gym to do slow cardio. I also started doing Pilates again. The more I moved the better my joints started to feel. I then started going to gym twice a day.” Karin's sister, Sandra, who’s a qualified personal trainer, then convinced her to start doing weights. “I started very light and did everything slowly. Before long I could feel my muscles getting stronger and I started to notice a change in my body too. Everything was getting smaller and tighter!”

Karin also cleaned up her diet by including more vegetables, complex carbs and lean protein, cutting out sugar, milk, wheat and gluten, and anything else that was acid-forming. “I also began eating every three hours to keep my blood sugar stable and drank more water and herbal teas, while reducing my intake of coffee and diet cooldrinks that contained aspartame.”

With this approach and the help and support of her family Karin began losing the weight. “I also found the confidence to train like my sister, who was preparing to enter her first bikini competition. Before long I was training a whole hour with my sister and he. It was a little slower and a lot lighter, but I was keeping up, and shaping up too. By this stage I had lost 10kg!”