Working in the kitchen every day, temptation was always in front of chef Kristiina Kuett.
Although the 25-year-old had always struggled a bit with her weight, it was when she began working with delicious food that the problems really began.
But it wasn’t until she saw the number on the scale that she knew she needed to make a change.
Now Kristiina, who at her heaviest weighed 83 kilos, is an incredible success story – losing 12 kilos in just 14 weeks.
Chef Kristiina Kuett, 25, lost an incredible 12 kilos in 14 weeks after she bought a scale and saw how much weight she had gained from working in the kitchen
Kristiina’s weight struggles first began when she was a teenager, but at first she didn’t consider it to be a ‘massive issue’.
‘I was just eating and eating all the time with my sweets and stuff,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I just had a stomach and never did anything about it. And when I grew older, I still didn’t do anything about it, and the stomach just got bigger and bigger.’
Kristiina, who lives in Melbourne, indulged her sweet tooth and filled her plate with pizzas, burgers, and ‘all kinds of junk food’.
‘Everything bad that you can have, I think I had it,’ she said.
And then there was the delicious food that Kristiina encountered at her own work every day.
Kristiina, who lives in Melbourne, used to indulge her sweet tooth and filled her plate with pizzas, burgers, and ‘all kinds of junk food’
It wasn’t until Kristiina saw she tipped the scale at 83 kilos that she knew she needed to make a change, and completely revamped her diet and fitness regime
‘Every time we made something new or nice, it was hard to take one bite and just make sure it’s good and not eat all of it and finish the whole dish,’ she said.
And, except for the occasional run, Kristiina wasn’t working out.
In September, she tried on a pair of summer shorts that had been big for her in the past. This time, she couldn’t even move around in them.
‘I decided to buy a scale, and it was the most horrible moment of my life I think,’ she said.
‘I had never weighed that much, and I finally realised how overweight I was.’
Kristiina said that day with a scale would be the major turning point that kicked-off her weight loss journey.
‘I knew I needed to do something,’ she said. ‘I knew I wasn’t going to do it now, I was going to get worse, and I didn’t want to get worse.’
Kristiina went from not working out at all to exercising every day with Varlah, a fitness program that lets you stream workouts from any device
Kristiina threw herself into the program, working out six days a week for six weeks from her home and discovering just how much she loved exercising
For a week Kristiina went for a run every day, and then came across TV ads for the Varlah fitness program – which lets you stream the workouts from any device.
Kristiina loved the fact that she could do the 40-minute workouts in the comfort of her own home, no equipment required.
‘I didn’t need to go anywhere or worry about other people looking at me doing my workouts or what I was wearing,’ she said.
‘The workouts seemed promising and it was exactly what I needed. I needed that push and I just thought, “Yeah, those are my workouts”.’
Kristiina threw herself into the program, working out six days a week for six weeks from her home.
She discovered how much she loved exercising, taking on the program’s challenges to see how many reps she could do for certain exercises each week.
‘It kept pushing me, because every week I could do better than I did last time,’ Kristiina said.
‘It made me push even harder. I really enjoy seeing what I can accomplish.’
Kristiina also completely transformed her diet, cutting out gluten, lactose, and refined sugar
Kristiina credits the Varlah nutrition program with teaching her about portion size, as well as how much protein and carbohydrates she needs to eat every day
Kristiina also completely transformed her diet, cutting out gluten, lactose, and refined sugar. The vegetarian also stopped eating junk food and began piling veggies, eggs, and tofu onto her plate and drinking protein smoothies and shakes.
‘I love protein smoothies and bowls with all kinds of fruit and healthy granola,’ Kristiina said.
‘And if I want junk food like a burger, I’ll make it in a healthy way that’s good for me.’
Kristiina now indulges her sweet tooth with raw, gluten-free, refined sugar-free treats, and also eats gluten-free bread and pasta.
She credits the Varlah nutrition program with teaching her about portion size, as well as how much protein and carbohydrates she needs to eat every day.
‘It made everything really, really easy,’ she said.
Kristiina, who now weighs 70 kilos, said her life has completely changed since she shed the weight.
‘I’m more active, more happy with myself, I’m enjoying my life more,’ she said.
‘I’m not worrying about my weight that much. I’m living in the moment and am truly happy about it.’
‘It has changed everything. I’m not sad or unhappy like I was before, I’m smiling every day.’
Kristiina, who now weighs 70 kilos, said her life has completely changed since she shed the weight and that she’s happier than ever
Kristiina said she now has a positive relationship with her body, and no longer dreads wearing a swimsuit or the beginning of summer.
‘Now I enjoy going to the beach and wearing summer clothes,’ she said.
‘I’m not ashamed of my body and covering up with layers. I’m confident and happy with what I have achieved.’
Kristiina described being able to buy new clothes, and throw out the old ones, as the ‘best feeling of my life’.
‘I got rid of them and it was so refreshing to buy all new stuff, and just wear it with confidence,’ she said.
And now when Kristiina is the kitchen, she only ever needs to take one bite.
‘I think in my head, I’m imagining the picture that I was last year and the scale number,’ she said.
‘And I know that I never ever want to be like that again, that’s my motivation.’