4 Weeks To Target

 After 10 years of being overweight, Laura Burns decided to finally give her body a break. She’s now only four weeks away from her goal…

Name: Laura Burns
Age:  28
Home: Dubai
Height:  179cm
Was: 107.5kg
Now: 84kg
Target: 79kg

 MY STORY SO FAR…
“In 2002 in my final year of high school I gained 27kg, taking my weight up to 87kg.  I stopped going to gym and I worked for a pizza place. My parents divorced and my mom was working away, so I was home on my own every week. I ate whatever I wanted – chocolate, pizza, brownies… I indulged my every whim.
I started seeing the signs of my weight gain, but I was in denial. I remember putting on my stretchy jeans, finding they were tight and wanting to believe the tumble drier had shrunken them.
When I finished school, I tried a few different diets, but after losing weight, the kg soon started to creep back on. The more I yo-yoed, the more despondent I became.
My bad habits continued into adulthood. I never had just a coffee – it was always a croissant and coffee. Even when I was watching my favourite show The Biggest Loser, I would always have pizza and chocolate beside me.
I fell in love, got married, and had a son. And our family’s bliss only increased when a year later I found out I was pregnant with twins. But I was soon dealt a devastating blow as I lost one of my girls.  This was the worst time of my life and I sunk into deep depression and grieved. My husband had to be away for work and I had no help. I was drained emotionally and physically. I felt trapped in my body. My children were the only reason I would have to face the day.  It was for them I thought I had to make the change.
I began seeing posts on Facebook about a health and fitness support group called GloryGirls (www.glorygirlfitness.com) and someone I knew did the programme. I signed up, but at this time I decided that I needed to return home, take care of my depression and have some support for my children. After five months in South Africa I returned to Dubai, and re-joined GloryGirls in January 2012.  Even though my weight was at its highest, emotionally I was in a much better place.

MAKING CHANGES
“Thanks to trying the programme before I knew what I had to eat, so I made the dishes I really enjoyed. This helped spur me along and within a month I’d lost almost 10kg – I was delighted. What surprised me the most was the amount I was eating. I’d never eaten this amount of food before. But instead of pizza and chocolate, I was enjoying lean protein, complex carbohydrates and veggies.
I found it trickier trying to sort out my workouts. Initially, I had many set back and couldn’t work out the way I was supposed to, but I focused on my eating and I was seeing really pleasing results. So to make sure I exercised, I set myself some targets. I signed up for the Ladies 5km in November – which was huge for me, as I never expected to do anything like this, I then ran the Dubai Marathon 10km leg in January and joined the Swim Around The Burj Al Arab in February.

GETTING RESULTS
“I’m now only four weeks away from target and I am excited. I appreciate all the support from my family and friends, and I am so thankful to Nadine from GloryGirls for believing in me.  This weight-loss journey has been a marathon and not a sprint, but this is the way that I plan to live for the rest of my life. I’ve got to buckle down to hit target. Although the changes I’ve already seen are huge. The whole family is living a healthier lifestyle and the kids love exercise time!”

Laura and her coach Nadine Du Toit.

Next week: A hectic week means that Laura’s stamina will be put to the test.