A young nursing student has shared how she boosted her self-confidence by dropping 38kg in only ten months during Melbourne’s long Covid-19 lockdown last year.
Carla Visentin tipped the scales at 105kg and said her weight gain was caused by a combination of poor dieting, lack of exercise and being in hospital.
‘I was frequently in and out of hospital due to my Ulcerative Colitis and the medications I was on made me gain lots of weight, which made me very upset,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
The 21-year-old admitted to eating takeaway fast food almost every day and would go to the gym once every few months.
But after leaving hospital in July 2020, she decided to prioritise her health to shed the unwanted weight and now weighs 67kg.
Carla Visentin tipped the scales at 105kg and said her weight gain was caused by a combination of poor dieting, lack of exercise and being in hospital
But after leaving hospital in July 2020, she decided to prioritise her health to shed the unwanted weight and now weighs 67kg
‘I wanted to change my health physical and mental health for the better, and after many failed attempts I wanted this to be the last time because I was so sick of feeling bad about myself,’ Carla said.
For the first two months of her weight loss journey Carla maintained a vegetarian diet to reintroduce vegetables and fruit into her nutrition plan, because she ‘never’ ate a single vegetable prior.
As the months continued, she started consuming meat as a source of protein and managed to swiftly drop the kilos by eating in a strict calorie deficit diet tracked through apps.
Carla also began going for hour-long walks and followed weighted workout videos on YouTube six days a week.
For the first two months Carla maintained a vegetarian diet but then started eating meat as a good source of protein. She also began going for long walks and followed workout videos on YouTube six days a week
Carla added how the most challenging aspect of her weight loss journey was the three plateaus she experienced, which was difficult and demotivating
‘This was all happening during Victoria’s long lockdown period and I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted to shock my friends and family with my transformation,’ she said.
Carla added how the most challenging aspect of her weight loss journey was the three plateaus she experienced.
‘I went through a period halfway through where my weight didn’t move for a month, which was very difficult and demotivating,’ she said.
‘I felt like giving up a few times, but I knew I couldn’t and wanted to succeed.’
felt like giving up a few times, but I knew I couldn’t and wanted to succeed,’ she said
After gradually losing the weight over time, Carla became obsessed with cooking healthy meals for herself and learnt that weight loss food doesn’t need to be boring
After gradually losing the weight over time, Carla became obsessed with cooking healthy meals for herself and learnt that weight loss food doesn’t need to be boring.
‘The food was definitely my favourite aspect of my entire journey; I learnt how to cook so many different meals and dishes to prepare,’ she said.
As she slowly started to see progress Carla’s confidence in herself increased and said she began to ‘love herself again’.
Today her standard ‘day on a plate’ starts by eating a bowl of oats with lean protein powder, fruit and almond milk, lunch is eggs with pulled pork, salmon and vegetables, and dinner meals vary but is often a type of protein with vegetables and noodles.
When asked what advice she would give to others wanting to lose weight, Carla said: ‘It’s going to be hard but don’t give up on yourself.’
Today Carla fits in to size ten clothing and is incredible proud of what she has achieve, as too are her close family and friends.
‘I have never been happier! It is one of the best things I have ever done for myself,’ she said.
When asked what advice she would give to others wanting to lose weight, Carla said: ‘It’s going to be hard but don’t give up on yourself.
‘Make a promise to yourself and the hard work will pay off.’