A typical afternoon used to consist of joining colleagues for beers, but now you’ll see them sweating it out at the gym and meal-prepping lunch and dinner for the next day.
Reporters Kelsey Wilkie, 27, and Lauren Ferri, 23, have spent the past 12 weeks transforming their bodies – and their lives.
Beginning their fitness journey in October, they spent each week working with personal trainer Julian Hooper and nutritionist Jennifer May in the hope of getting shredded for summer.
While the women started with the same goal, they quickly learned no two bodies are the same, and there’s no one program you can follow.
But despite challenges and a few pitfalls along the way, both women were successful in transforming their minds, bodies and in many ways, their lives – losing a combined 15kg in the process.
This is their journey.
Before and after: Reporter Kelsey Wilkie (pictured) started this fitness journey at 69kgs and now weighs a healthy and comfortable 62kgs
Before and after: Reporter Lauren Ferri (pictured) started this fitness journey at 98kgs and lost a total of ten kilograms, now weighing 88kgs
While Kelsey was often told she did not need to lose weight by those around her, she was keen to get into a more active lifestyle
Lauren has been technically overweight for much of her adult life but said she never really had any issues with body image
Kelsey found that the help from professionals was eyeopening and helped her tackle her bad habits that impacted her nutrition
Lauren said that beginning a full-time shift-work job caused her to fall into some bad habits and she got to the heaviest she had ever been at 98kgs
Why did we decide to do it?
Kelsey: Everyone kept saying to me, ‘you don’t need to lose weight, you look fine’. Sure, I wasn’t massively overweight, but I still wasn’t healthy and I knew it.
My eating habits were erratic, I relied on sugary foods for my energy far more than I should have. I was drinking more caffeine than water and eating a minimal amount of fruit and vegetables.
I was drinking heavily, doing little to no exercise and my sleeping pattern was irregular.
My bad habits showed in both my skin and hair, and I knew something needed to change – I weighed 69kg and was at the point where I was struggling to fit into size 10 jeans.
When Sydney City Nutritionist Jennifer May explained how my bad habits were impacting not only my nutrition but my entire life, it opened my eyes.
I have never been a fan of cooking and would often rely on UberEats and cheese and crackers for dinner.
This had to change.
Reporters Kelsey Wilkie (left) and Lauren Ferri (right) are both more confident flaunting their figures on the beach after they became stronger and fitter from the 12 week challenge
Reporters Kelsey Wilkie (left), 27, and Lauren Ferri (right), 23, have spent the past 12 weeks transforming their bodies and lives with the help of personal trainer Julian Hooper (middle)
While the women both started with the same goal, they quickly learned no two fitness journeys are the same
Lauren: I have been technically overweight my entire adult life and have never really done anything to fix it because I had learned to love my body no matter what the size.
However, I wasn’t naive enough to not know my attitude towards health and fitness had to change.
This was not my first attempt at tackling excess weight – but after settling into my first ever full-time, shift-work job and moving out of home, I found myself developing some pretty bad habits.
I found it easier to bulk-make a simple pasta dish so I didn’t have to be in the kitchen every night, with my regular form of relaxation becoming after-work drinks at the local bar. There was little time for relaxing at home.
But this behaviour had caught up with me and I became the heaviest I had been in years – 98kg.
I wanted to become healthier and fitter, so I knew I needed to kick myself into gear.
This was my chance.
How this is going to change my life going forward:
Not the same woman: Lauren believes the 12 week challenge has kicked off a complete change in lifestyle (pictured at the end)
When I started this process I thought it was as simple as eating a healthy diet full of nutrient-rich foods and completing a session in the gym four to five times a week.
But I was clearly wrong.
When I hit the wall at the halfway point, I felt I was not showing results and was ready to throw in the towel.
After raising my concerns to Jennifer and doing some blood tests it was found I had high insulin resistance, which can sometimes lead to diabetes.
Not only was this hard for me to hear, it was eye-opening and definitely a motivating factor in smashing the rest of the challenge.
We tailored my diet to speed up my metabolism and incorporated foods such as grapefruit to tackle high insulin. As soon as we made changes I saw results almost instantly. The number on the scale dropped lower every week.
I went from being the woman who preferred to sit at home in her downtime watching Netflix to putting on sneakers and enjoying the fresh air as much as possible.
During a grocery shop you’ll find me filling my trolley with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, and checking out the macros on the back of every product I pick up.
I have gained a wealth of knowledge from this experience and I am so excited to move forward and transform my body even more in 2020.
I am not the same woman I was 12 weeks ago, in every sense. I am the most active I have ever been and my mood is significantly higher than it ever was.
The 12 week challenge has kicked off a complete change in lifestyle for me and I really believe my live has been transformed forever.
Lauren managed to lose 10kg over the total 12 weeks, showing dramatic differences in her weight and posture (pictured left at the 2018 Daily Mail Australia Christmas Party and right at the 2019 Christmas Party)
How Kelsey and Lauren did it:
The first step was to get in touch with Sydney City Nutritionist Jennifer May, who had us fill out an initial assessment to analyse our lifestyle and eating plans.
‘Nutritional deficiencies lead to cravings, reduced energy and poor conversion of foods into energy,’ she explained.
‘I found both Kelsey and Lauren suffered from high stress and poor sleep. Elevated stress hormones can lead to imbalanced female sex hormones, reduced metabolic function, reduced energy and increased cravings.’
Jennifer decided to create a food plan for the pair to follow that challenged these cravings by giving them individual calorie plans and macro-nutrients (macros) which we had to try and meet every day.
Our personal trainer, Julian Hooper at Fitness Playground Newtown, analysed our bodies and created a 12-week fitness program that would be implemented in three stages.
Kelsey (left) and Lauren (right) pictured in October at the start of the 12 week challenge with personal trainer Julian Hooper
The girls and Jules pictured at the end of the 12 week body transformation, where they feel healthier than ever before
‘My focus when developing programs for Lauren and Kelsey was to ensure they safely achieved their specific weight loss goals, while also enjoying the process and having fun,’ Julian said.
Julian Hooper (pictured) at Fitness Playground, analysed our bodies and created a 12-week fitness program
‘Their 12-week programs were split into three smaller four week blocks, all designed to reduce body fat and build lean muscle, but each block also targeted a more specific micro goal.’
The first four weeks focused on improving basic movement patterns and addressing any mobility, stability or posture issues found during the initial assessments.
‘The second focused on increasing muscular strength and endurance, and the last on building lean muscle and reducing as much body fat as possible,’ Julian said.
‘We incorporated resistance training, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and cardio training into each program. All sessions contained a tailored mix of compound exercises targeting the full body.
‘This included some form of a squat, hinge, horizontal and vertical push and pull, rotation, anti-rotation, bilateral and unilateral exercises which were all suited to Kelsey and Lauren’s skill levels.’
‘The complexity of the exercises gradually increased as did the intensity and volume completed in each session, however as this was done progressively we were able to achieve the desired effect from their bodies while avoiding injury.’
At the beginning of the process, Julian assessed the girls movement capability, analysing their form to tailor their programs, pictured is Julian assessing Kelsey’s pull movement
Julian said his focus for the program was to achieve specific weight loss goals while also enjoying the process and having fun. Pictured he is assessing Lauren’s form as she squats at the beginning of the challenge
Both women finished their journey with a wealth of knowledge about nutrition and strength training (pictured at the end of the challenge)
What they ate to achieve our goals:
Kelsey: Jennifer recommended a diet rich in bitter foods to combat my sugar cravings. She also wanted me to eat more food – but healthy food – to increase my metabolic rate.
Eating fruit and vegetables, decreasing my caffeine intake and increasing my water were essential to improving my energy. I also needed to increase the amount of protein I was eating and healthy fats too.
My breakfast switched from being just coffee or a bacon and egg wrap, to porridge with protein powder, followed by ten almonds as a snack and tuna, avocado, kale, lettuce and roasted brussel sprouts for lunch.
Before heading to the gym I’d have some Greek yogurt or a protein bar and finish the day of with a typical dinner of salmon or turkey accompanied by roasted vegetables, kale and spinach.
I don’t love cooking so I kept my food simple and made sure to keep my portions controlled, but with a limited amount of time in the evenings I made sure to meal prep each Sunday.
I went from eating a lot of of sugar and caffeine to keep my energy levels up to eating a lot of vegetables and protein. The switch kept me fuller for longer and I actually noticed a big difference in my moods.
The most notable change was probably with my sleep. As I wasn’t eating erratically I was managing to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep, which meant I wasn’t needing caffeine and sugar to keep me going throughout the day.
As an added bonus I eventually saw my clothes fit better and I have managed to slip into size 8 jeans.
The women encouraged each other by going to the gym together. Above is a picture of Kelsey and Lauren looking fed up after a gym session
Lauren and Kelsey were encouraged to have a high intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, incorporating ‘as many colours as possible’. Pictured is one of Lauren’s grocery hauls
Lauren: In the early stages I found following the meal plan quite hard as I didn’t really have the time to buy groceries and cook meals.
As we were training more than ever, my meal plan was tailored to suit intense workouts, encourage a better sleep pattern and support my emotional well being.
I was instructed to have a high intake of fresh fruits and vegetables to improve mental and physical well being and aimed for ‘as many colours as possible’.
‘Each colour represents a unique nutritional profile and therefore health benefit,’ Jennifer said.
My next priority was to incorporate mood boosting foods into my diet as neurotransmitters would help me feel motivated, energised and happy.
After we discovered I had higher levels of insulin and lower iron, Jennifer adjusted my plan to ensure I was eating foods to both lower my insulin and raise my iron, which definitely helped.
I also cut out sugary, processed foods and stopped having coffee, which I quickly found meant I was sleeping through the night and waking up well-rested for the first time in my adult life.
Both Lauren and Kelsey got into the kitchen more and more as the challenge went on. Pictured left is Kelsey with her lunch and pictured right is Lauren’s dinner of fish, cauliflower rice and kaleslaw
The gym sessions Jules set out for the girls worked through every muscle in the body with the girls often being exhausted at the end (Lauren pictured after a session)
While the girls wanted to maintain a social life they did so in a way to benefit their lifestyle. Pictured is Kelsey enjoying a fresh poke bowl
Our fitness journey:
Kelsey: I’ve had multiple gym memberships over the years, and I would try to go at least three times a week. But going and actually putting in the effort were two different things.
Typically when I went to the gym I’d focus on cardio, mainly because I found those machines were the easiest to use. But I quickly learnt weight loss does not come from cardio alone – lifting weights is best to lose fat.
The idea of entering the area of the gym where the ‘experts’ spent all of their time was terrifying to me.
Getting the help from Jules was phenomenal. He explained why we did each exercise and ensured the technique was correct before upping the weights.
As I had very minimal experience lifting weights my progress was slow at the start.
I had to learn all the correct techniques to avoid an injury and as I already had issues with my back, shoulder and hip, the first few weeks were slow – including my weight loss.
Within the first four weeks I was ready to give up as I could see no change, but Lauren was losing weight easily.
I felt as though I was doing something wrong or wasn’t trying hard enough.
Although I felt disheartened I stuck with it and hoped that maybe a miracle would happen by the end of the challenge.
As I got more comfortable in the gym and with the workouts, the weights slowly started to go up and I was starting to find the exercises easier.
Both Lauren and I hit a wall again at week six. I was over it. I had people coming up to me and telling me they could see a difference but I couldn’t see it myself.
I felt like I was failing, despite sticking to the program, only ‘cheating’ by eating sugar-free dark chocolate on Sundays.
When I went to weigh myself on week seven I was stunned to see the number had dropped to 65kgs. Later in the week I decided to reward myself with some new clothes.
Bowl of deliciousness: Lauren (pictured) and Kelsey fell in love with poke bowls, enriched with protein and healthy fats
I tried on a skirt and found the medium was too loose. I was hesitant to reach for a small, thinking ‘not bloody likely, hun’. But tried it on anyway, and what do you know, it fit.
After that I was feeling quite chuffed with myself and was more enthusiastic about heading to the gym each day.
With the finish line in sight the challenge became less of a chore too and having Lauren take part in this challenge made it a hell of a lot easier.
When we were both free, we were heading to the gym together. For me, this was incredible as I was still nervous about doing some of the exercises by myself.
(Struggling to push a sled in front of a group of huge guys was not my idea of a good time).
Lauren was a great motivator, she was really committed to the challenge and her enthusiasm made me more enthusiastic.
Seeing her results very early on, when I wasn’t seeing anything, was disheartening, but she encouraged me to keep going. We were often telling each other to ‘trust the process’.
We suddenly became the girls in the office always talking about the gym or sharing healthy recipes.
‘The idea of entering the area of the gym where the ‘experts’ spent all of their time was terrifying to me,’ Kelsey said
Sweat it out: Both girls spent their free time hitting up the gym or getting a healthy poke bowl full of all the right nutrients. Pictured left is Kelsey on the assault bike and Lauren is right using the ropes
Lauren: This was not my first time stepping foot in a gym. I have had quite a successful journey with fitness before, but I never had to pair it with the stresses of working full time and rotating shifts.
The programs Jules created were easy to do, worked through every muscle in the body, and I always left the gym sweaty but most of all happy I had a good session.
Within the first four weeks I found almost 5kg dropped off me without me even realising it – clothes became a little baggy and I was motivated to push even harder as the weeks went on.
But by week six I completely hit a wall. Nothing I was doing was working and I was feeling lethargic and exhausted all the time.
Mostly I was frustrated because I was working so hard and seeing no results, so we called Jennifer and got the opportunity to have a whole-body scan and some blood tests to check my iron, insulin levels, thyroid function and liver health.
While nothing was worrying, the results showed I was producing a higher than ideal level of insulin in order to maintain optimum blood glucose levels.
Sydney City Nutritionist Jennifer May (pictured), had Kelsey and Lauren fill out an initial assessment to analyse our lifestyle and eating plans
‘This means that your pancreas is having to work harder than it should, to sustain and optimise your blood glucose and energy,’ Jennifer said.
My iron levels were found to be lower than ideal which was causing my fatigue, insomnia, easy bruising, sugar cravings and at time poor exercise performance and recovery.
‘Iron is required in many processes linked to weight loss including thyroid function and the conversion of energy into foods,’ Jennifer said.
We tailored my meal plan to ensure I was eating foods to target problem areas while also maintaining weight loss.
Once I started this, I noticed results were beginning to show right away and I continued to persevere and work hard, resulting in a further 5kgs of weight loss.
I definitely went into this journey believing it’s difficult to stay on top of health and fitness while working shift work but now I yearn for the days I start work at 5pm so I can get to the gym earlier in the day.
Working day shifts mean people expect you to socialise after work – friends want to catch up and if ever there’s a time to try and have a dating life, that’s it. Night shift means I get up, go to the gym, get my food sorted and head to work without anyone bothering me.
Despite challenges and pitfalls, both women were successful in transforming their minds, bodies and lives, losing a total of 15kg altogether, both pictured in the gym
The outcome:
Kelsey: The goal of the challenge was to drop a dress size and I did. I went from struggling to fit into my size 10 jeans to wearing size 8 easily.
And while dropping a few kilos has been great, other benefits were far superior, such as getting me into the kitchen and cooking proper food.
Meal prepping on a Sunday is highly beneficial and my approach to food and eating nutritious meals has improved drastically, as I went from eating the minimal amount of fruits and vegetables to loving brussel sprouts and kale.
My sleeping pattern has completely changed, I sleep through the entire night and fall asleep easier than ever.
Most importantly my caffeine intake has decreased, so my bank account is looking healthier too.
‘And while dropping a few kilos has been great, other benefits were far superior, such as getting me into the kitchen and cooking proper food,’ Kelsey said
Lauren: While I never really went into the challenge with a specific goal in mind, I was keen on dropping a few kilograms and hopeful I would go down a dress size.
I successfully lost a total of 10kg and even managed to throw out some clothes and comfortably fit into a size 14 – something I have not been able to do in years.
However, I think the biggest thing I got from all of this is the awareness of what I’m putting into my body, how I am using it every day and the education surrounding fitness and nutrition.
My mindset has also completely altered – while I used to agonise over how I looked in the mirror each day, I am now grateful for what my body does for me every day and the movement I am capable of.
For young women – including myself at some stage – the pressures of beauty standards can be hard to live with, but this journey has helped me completely fall in love with the process and myself.
Lauren has successfully lost a total of 10kg and even fits into a size 14 – something she hasn’t been able to do in years (pictured at the end of the challenge)
Before and after: Throughout the process Lauren found more and more of her clothes were becoming too big for her (pictured before and after the challenge)
Daily Mail Australia paid for the personal training sessions and use of Fitness Playground in Newtown. Sydney City Nutritionist offered her services for free for the purpose of the article.