A mother-of-four who gained 20 kilos after a family tragedy has revealed how she managed to lose the weight and get her health back on track in just six months.
Amy Kingston, 33, from the Gold Coast, Queensland, was a size eight her whole life but put on weight while she was grieving the death of her grandma.
‘I started drinking almost a litre of vodka a day. I started my weight loss journey because I was stuck in a vicious cycle of drinking and depression. I wanted more and my kids deserved more,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘Grief had me living in a bit of a black hole, I was using alcohol and chocolate to get through it.’
A mother-of-four who put on 20 kilos after the death of her grandma has revealed how she managed to lose the weight without giving up pasta
Amy Kinston, from the Gold Coast, was a size eight her whole life but put on weight after having four kids and put on extra kilos while she was grieving her lost loved one
At her heaviest Amy was almost 73 kilos, which she said was a lot for her as she’d never been more than 60 kilos.
Now Amy weighs 53.3 kilos and she still allows herself her favourite meals while she follows 28 by Sam Wood.
‘I cut out alcohol completely, for my body but most importantly for my mind. I’m an all or nothing person, so I cut out processed sugar and chocolate as well,’ she said.
This meant she was also not putting sugar in her coffee and although she suffered withdrawal headaches, she knew it was ‘short term pain for long time gain’.
Despite all of this, she knew it was all about moderation.
‘I started drinking almost a litre of vodka a day. The weight piled on very quickly and I was stuck in this vicious circle of grief and depression, the depression made worse by alcohol,’ she said
Now Amy weighs 53.3 kilos and she still allows herself her favourite meals while she follows 28 by Sam Wood
Amy overhauled her diet, now starting her days with a smoothie followed by chicken breast or salmon with salad for lunch.
As she cooks for her family the busy mother will cook everyone’s favourite meals and simply adapt her own to make it healthier.
‘My family loves pasta so I still always allow myself pasta once a week but it used to be three or four times a week before,’ she said.
‘My relationship with food is so different! Once I cut processed sugar out of my diet, everything else tasted better.
‘I eat a wider variety of food now, and even eat Brussel sprouts for the first time in my life!’
‘I cut out alcohol completely, for my body but most importantly for my mind. I’m an all or nothing person, so I cut out processed sugar and chocolate as well. I was all in,’ she said
She has learned how to control her portions and she also knows it’s okay to have a treat day every now and then.
‘I’ve had four kids, I never thought I’d feel this good about my body. Just by making a few changes and moving my body every day, I’m in the best shape of my life,’ she said.
It took her four months to get to her goal weight of 60 kilos and then over time she continued to tone her body and lost the extra kilos.
All up the weight loss only took her six months.
On her Instagram account she explained that following the 28 by Sam Wood program has helped her maintain an exercise routine and have a different perspective on her health and body.
It took her four months to get to her goal weight of 60 kilos and then over time she continued to tone her body and lost the extra kilos
As she cooks for her family the busy mother will cook everyone’s favourite meals and simply adapt her own to make it healthier
‘It’s all about progress, and that progress isn’t always physical! It’s not always measured in numbers, but how we feel. After the first 28 days, I knew I was right where I needed to be and it was only getting better,’ Amy said.
‘The second round I lost almost no weight, but that wasn’t going to stop me because exercises that defeated me in the first 28 days, I was getting better at.’
All of this being said, it doesn’t mean Amy doesn’t occasionally indulge, which is something she doesn’t beat herself up over.
There are also periods of her life where she exercises less but knows that she will eventually get back on track.
‘I’ve not felt good about my body after two and a half weeks of missed workouts, living off hospital food, eating sugar just to get through the sleepless nights and drinking way too much coffee,’ she said in a different post.
All of this being said, it doesn’t mean Amy doesn’t occasionally indulge, which is something she doesn’t beat herself up over
‘Did I NEED to eat the M&Ms?!? Probably not, but at the time I just needed that sugar hit to get me through, I was getting 15 minutes of sleep a night!
‘So although I’m not in the best shape I’ve ever been over the last year, I will get it back but I’m still not where I started a year ago.’
When faced with some health complications that saw her go to hospital Amy’s routine took another blow.
Instead of letting it defeat her, she took it in her stride.
‘Today’s diet consisted of pizza, one vodka and half a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Since going through everything I have in the last two months, I’ve learnt some valuable lessons,’ she said.
‘Health is important, abs aren’t everything (but easier to maintain after 12 months of hard work), it’s okay to eat ‘normal’ things every now and then, as long as I burn it off, life is for living and balance is key.’