Flash back to the Nineties, and Susie Elelman was not in a good place.
The Australian television presenter and author had always known she was overweight, but it wasn’t until she was fat shamed for her weight that she knew she had to change.
That backlash prompted the now-63-year-old to overhaul her diet and transform her life.
Now, having shed almost 60 kilograms and kept it off for more than a decade, Susie spoke to FEMAIL as her new book, Still Half My Size, hits bookshelves across Australia.
She revealed how she lost the weight originally and has managed to keep it off – and how sex could double your own personal results.
Susie Elelman (pictured in 1997) spoke to FEMAIL about how she shed more than 50 kilograms and kept it off for more than a decade
The now-63-year-old (pictured in 2014 and 2009) revealed her secrets for weight loss – and how sex could double your results
For Susie, the moment she knew she needed to change came about in 1995 (pictured in 1998) – and so she began a slow and steady approach to losing the weight she’d put on
At her heaviest, Susie (pictured with the NSW Governor, David Hurley) admitted she must have weighed somewhere around 135 kilograms
Susie explained that the weight gain had come about for a number of reasons:
‘The weight crept on slowly after my father died in 1993,’ she told FEMAIL. ‘It’s so easy to use food as a crutch when you’re down.’
At her heaviest, Susie admitted she must have weighed somewhere around 135 kilograms – binging on the ‘Cs’ as she calls them:
‘Chocolate, chips, cake… Anything that began with C that was bad for you I loved,’ she said.
Susie (pictured in 2017 and 2004) added that at the time she was bingeing on the bad things beginning with the letter C – like chocolate, cake, chips and the like
Susie (pictured) said she needed to take a critical approach to eating and how she approached food – rather than dieting, she needed to make conscious lifestyle changes
In light of the fat shaming, the then-40-year-old set herself a goal – to transform herself from plump to fabulous.
‘I had always needed to lose weight,’ Susie explained. ‘But this time around, I knew I needed to take a critical approach to eating and how I approached food.
‘I’d dieted all my life and had no success. This needed to be a conscious lifestyle change.’
Taking matters into her own hands, Susie (pictured in 2010) vowed to quit alcohol, meat (because, she explained, she only likes the ‘fatty bits like chicken skin’ anyway) and sugar
Taking matters into her own hands, Susie vowed to quit alcohol, meat (because, she explained, she only likes the ‘fatty bits like chicken skin’ anyway) and refined sugar.
Instead, she became a vegaquarian – a fish-eating vegetarian – and followed a low-carb, healthy fats diet:
‘I’ve always eaten relatively good meals, but my Achilles heel was what I ate in between meals when I wasn’t hungry. The unhealthy snacks had to go,’ she explained.
Susie also took up power walking – which, she said, became her ‘secret weapon’ – and slowly the kilos dropped off as she moved from a size 22 to a size 12 over a period of years.
While she said she’d always eaten relatively healthy meals, her ‘Achilles heel’ was always her snack eating – which she totally put a stop to
‘I’ve learned many things over the course of my weight loss,’ Susie explained – sharing her tips with FEMAIL.
‘After a while, I stopped weighing myself and I cannot explain how much good that did me.
‘When I weighed myself every day, it would determine how the day would go – and whether I’d lose or gain weight that day.
‘We so often forget that a kilo of muscle and fat weigh the exact same, and it’s more about how you feel in your clothes and the measurements of your waist that are important anyway.’
Instead, Susie started measuring her waist when she found she needed to check in with herself.
She explained that women should certainly have a waist that’s smaller than 88 centimetres, while men should be less than 102 centimetres.
‘I felt so relieved when I threw away the scales,’ she added. ‘It’s very refreshing.’
Instead, she became a vegaquarian – a fish-eating vegetarian – and followed a low-carb, healthy fats diet (Susie is pictured as a young woman)
Susie (pictured with her brother as a child) said she’s learned to control her portions, and eat from smaller plates with smaller knives, forks and sometimes even chopsticks
Susie’s second tip is to think about your portion control:
‘It’s amazing how eating off a smaller plate with small spoons and knives and forks can help you to eat less,’ she said.
‘Sometimes, I even eat with chopsticks just to make myself more aware of how much I’m eating.’
The 63-year-old also said she has learned to eat less – and more frequently:
‘Close your fist and look at the size of your hand,’ Susie said. ‘That’s roughly the size of your stomach so we shouldn’t cram it full of food.’
She has also taken up power walking – as well as some form of daily exercise (pictured)
Susie’s new book (pictured) is out now
Susie is also a plan of baby steps, mindful eating and chewing each and every mouthful.
‘You also need to look closely at the labels on foods,’ she explained. ‘Often, healthy foods like yoghurts can contain up to 12 teaspoons of sugar – when we’re only supposed to eat six a day.’
Lastly, Susie spoke about embracing moderation – a word she’s struggled with her entire life:
‘I am an all or nothing girl,’ she said. ‘The hardest word in the English language is moderation.
‘But you need to stick with your healthy choices and try not to fall off the wagon, once you’ve lost the weight.
‘It’s a matter of setting yourself small goals, and celebrating achievements before getting back on track.’
Susie Elelman’s new book, Still Half My Size, is published by New Holland Publishers for AUD $29.99. It is available now here.