An Australian mum lost 39kg in nine months by putting herself first and carving out time to learn about nutrition and exercise while looking after two small children.
Melissa Pimmer, 34, ‘ballooned’ to over 100kg after she gave birth at 27. She put the weight gain down to eating too much takeaway and prioritising her family over her own health.
But the mum-of-two quickly realised that being the healthiest version of herself would set a good example for her daughters.
Melissa told FEMAIL it wasn’t until she was busting out of her clothes that she knew something had to give – and it wasn’t her zipper.
‘I didn’t recognise myself anymore, I knew I had to make a change,’ she said. ‘I really needed to get my bad habits under control.’
The mum was ashamed of how she couldn’t shop at ‘normal’ stores as a 27-year-old and that it was extremely embarrassing when none of the clothes she wanted to try on fit her.
Melissa Pimmer, 34, ‘ballooned’ to over 100kg after she gave birth at 27 – and the cause of her weight gain lay in eating lots of takeaway and prioritising her family over her own health
![Melissa told FEMAIL it wasn't until she was busting out of her clothes that she knew something had to give - and it wasn't her zipper](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/23/02/78885053-12853309-Melissa_told_FEMAIL_it_wasn_t_until_she_was_busting_out_of_her_c-a-5_1703298714045.jpg)
Melissa told FEMAIL it wasn’t until she was busting out of her clothes that she knew something had to give – and it wasn’t her zipper
Before starting on her health journey, Melissa said she had ‘no idea’ about nutrition and would just keep eating throughout the day to feed her hunger.
She ate four slices of toast or cereal for breakfast every morning and would have a burger for lunch.
‘I ate a lot of pasta, bread, and meat in huge portions,’ she said. ‘I was constantly snacking on chips, chocolate, and lollies.’
Taking care of children made it difficult to focus on herself and what she was putting into her body because she always came second.
But changing her diet has made her a ‘whole new person’ – and Melissa now strives for the most amount of nutrition from all her meals.
‘Every meal has at least 30g of protein – but I don’t feel like I’m starving myself,’ she said. ‘I’ve learned how to lower my calories but still increase the volume of what I’m eating.’
‘Busy family life, combined with stresses like interest rate rises and high cost of living can really cause havoc when it comes to eating habits,’ Moshy dietitian Kirby Sorenson said.
‘If you’re eating out or grabbing a meal on the run once a week, that’s fine, but when you get to the point that you’re eating more takeaway than home prepared meals it starts to become a problem.
‘Combine that with stress which leads to overeating and there’s not only an impact on weight loss goals but you’re likely to experience bloating and have a slump in energy levels, which makes you feel even worse.’
Ms Sorenson revealed the key to success is prioritising time to prepare nutritious meals and snacks to grab on the run but also being kind to yourself if things do come unstuck.
![An Australian mum lost 39kg in nine months by putting herself first and carving out time to learn about nutrition and exercise amid looking after two small children](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/23/02/78938533-12853309-An_Australian_mum_lost_39kg_in_nine_months_by_putting_herself_fi-a-7_1703298714363.jpg)
An Australian mum lost 39kg in nine months by putting herself first and carving out time to learn about nutrition and exercise amid looking after two small children
Melissa now snacks on protein yoghurt with blueberries and strawberries or whole meal corn thins with cottage cheese, hummus, ham, and tomato.
‘You feel like you’re eating a lot but it’s only 200 calories,’ she said. ‘It’s really helpful to ease into it and not feel like I’m on a diet.’
For breakfast, Melissa makes herself four eggs with bacon, and has started having chicken salads for lunch.
‘I also sometimes have open burgers for dinner and replace the bread roll with lettuce,’ she shared.
She has taken to finding healthier versions of her favourite foods – such as using her air fryer for chips instead of deep frying them and making low-calorie versions of her former go-to takeout meals.
‘I meal prep once a week and make sure I’m in charge of the calories and I’m tracking everything so that I don’t fall off,’ she said.
![The mum shared that taking care of children made it difficult to focus on herself and what she was putting into her body because she always came second](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/15/03/78885051-12853309-The_mum_shared_that_taking_care_of_children_made_it_difficult_to-a-11_1702610838513.jpg)
![But changing her diet has made her a 'whole new person' - and Melissa now strives for the most amount of nutrition from all her meals](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/15/03/78885049-12853309-But_changing_her_diet_has_made_her_a_whole_new_person_and_Meliss-a-16_1702610841387.jpg)
The mum shared that taking care of children made it difficult to focus on herself and what she was putting into her body because she always came second
![The mum revealed that one of the hardest aspects of her fitness journey was avoiding her cravings and staying consistent - but her family supported her throughout the process](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/23/02/78885031-12853309-The_mum_revealed_that_one_of_the_hardest_aspects_of_her_fitness_-a-8_1703298714381.jpg)
The mum revealed that one of the hardest aspects of her fitness journey was avoiding her cravings and staying consistent – but her family supported her throughout the process
The mum admitted that one of the hardest aspects of her fitness journey was avoiding her cravings and staying consistent.
She started small by waking up earlier to walk everyday and picking three days a week to exercise.
Melissa didn’t want to overcommit and be ‘unrealistic’ with her goals because she knew she’d give up if she didn’t see enough progress.
‘I wanted to feel fitter and stronger instead of tracking my weight because I knew it wouldn’t burn off immediately and I wanted to keep going.
‘I noticed massive changes after four months – and I didn’t even feel like I was doing much different.
‘There were always healthy alternatives ready to go to satiate my cravings, I kept a food diary with everything I ate, and made sure there was a good balance of macronutrients.’
![The mum-of-two was worried about losing focus of her family - but quickly realised that being the healthiest version of herself would set a good example for her daughters](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/23/02/78885019-12853309-The_mum_of_two_was_worried_about_losing_focus_of_her_family_but_-a-9_1703298715276.jpg)
The mum-of-two was worried about losing focus of her family – but quickly realised that being the healthiest version of herself would set a good example for her daughters
The mum tried to incorporate her children into her new routine as well – often taking her youngest on walks with her in a pram.
‘I realised that whatever I did – it was going to be hard. I just chose to put myself first because I deserve the time.
‘It was okay for me to go out for walks or go to the gym and draw that boundary with my family. It’s really not any more time consuming or expensive.’
Melissa revealed that losing weight has made her feel 100 per cent more confident and like she’s ‘found’ herself again.
‘I can finally go into stores and try clothes on – I can order things online and know they’ll fit me. It’s so freeing,’ she said.
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