A Gold Coast mother who lost almost half her body weight in 18 months credits the power of walking for her success.
Jacinta Dickenson, 35, can’t say exactly how much she weighed when she began her weight loss journey in December 2015.
She didn’t measure herself by scales, instead she went by dress sizes, at the time revealing she was close to a size 22.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Ms Dickenson said when she began walking she wasn’t really focused on losing weight as much as trying to find a way to process an accumulation of grief which started with after she lost her father in a plane crash in 2012.
Jacinta Dickenson, 35,(pictured can’t say exactly how much she weighed when she began her weight loss journey in December 2015 although she suspects it was around 130 kgs
She explained two weeks after that tragedy her grandmother passed from dementia, and the following year her and her and her husband divorced, leaving her to raise her four children alone.
In 2014, her mother was diagnosed with terminal metastatic bone cancer – with the burden of caring for her largely falling on her shoulders until she passed in 2016.
‘Through it all it was obviously very, very hard and the grief had built up,’ she said.
‘But I had to release it so I just started walking as a way to get out and turn that energy into a positive.
‘There was so much negativity going on in my life at that point.’
While Ms Dickenson said at the time she suspects she was close to 130 kilograms, weight loss wasn’t ‘her motivation’.
However, as she walked, she started seeing some encouraging changes.
The mum-of-four (pictured centre with two of her children) before embarking on her journey
‘I kept with it, and got a little bit more serious,’ she said.
‘I felt determined to go everyday just to release that grief energy.’
While Ms Dickenson confessed her first walk was a stroll around the block that left her ‘stuffed’, over time she kept pushing until she got to an hour.
This wasn’t without difficultly though, including hurtful comments from young males driving by who would yell out horrible things to her like ‘keep walking fatso’, she said.
Ms Dickenson (pictured centre) her first walk around the block left her ‘stuffed’
Although the remarks would often reduce her to tears, Ms Dickenson said she also found the resolve to turn this into a reason for continuing.
‘In my head I was like “I’ll show you, I will keep going”.’
Despite the many things, the mother-of-four said were working against her, she said she kept pushing and finding more reasons to commit to her new way of life.
Prior to exercising, Ms Dickenson shared she’d been struggling with weight issues most of her adult life, which became more problematic after the birth of her children, because she believed she needed a lot more food to survive.
Despite the many things, the mother-of-four said were working against her, she said she kept pushing and finding more reasons to commit to her new way of life
‘I was eating a lot of biscuits, cheap snacks and frozen foods like pizza or nuggets – anything convenient, and anything with sugar in it just to keep me going,’ Ms Dickenson said.
Over the course of becoming fitter, and starting to drop dress sizes, she found she started making healthier choices, without too much effort.
‘I cut my meals right down to basically what a toddler would eat,’ she said.
‘Some days I would only have one meal because I just wasn’t hungry.
‘I slowly cut out sugar – slowly because to go cold turkey was too harsh and I found this very easy.
Ms Dickenson shared she’d been struggled with weight issues most of her adult life, which became more problematic after the birth of her children
‘I started to make better food choices because I didn’t have the sugar cravings, it kind of came naturally and my perception of food has completely changed.’
‘I do pat myself on the back for doing all the hard work too because no one went walking for me.’
Over the course of 18 months, through walking and an a switch to healthy eating Ms Dickenson dropped close to half her body weight (she suspects it’s probably she now weighs around 70 kilograms) and said she now shops for size 10 clothing.
She credits the ‘simple doctor’s equation, less in more out’ as the reason for her success, but also acknowledges she put in the hard work.
‘I do pat myself on the back for doing all the hard work too because no one went walking for me,’ she said.
Ms Dickenson is also an avid motorcyclist who regularly takes on the drag circuit.
While losing weight has given her a new lease on life, she also attributes her healthier lifestyle for helping her become a better rider on the track.
The active mum is also an avid motorcyclist who regularly takes on a the drag circuit
‘I have noticed a change in my riding, and how I handle the motorbike. It makes a big difference, especially with my times,’ she said.
Today she blogs about her journey, and has shared her fitness routine consists of a daily 6.4 kilometre walk, one the now-active mum said she does irrespective of how she’s feeling, but also because she believes she’s setting a great example for her children aged eight to 15.
Ms Dickenson (pictured centre) with her brothers Matt (pictured left) and Adam (pictured right) said she’s determined to ensure the whole family stay the course
She explained as a mother of a child who also struggles with obesity, Ms Dickenson said she’s determined to ensure the whole family stays the course, no matter what.
‘They’ve never seen me at this size,’ she revealed tearfully.
‘And I know that they would be very proud of me so it’s quite an emotional thing. It’s awesome as well.
‘It’s one of the best things that has ever happened.
‘It’s really weird how something so good can come out of such a dark place,’ she concluded.