I Lost 45kg on 12WBT and I've Never Felt Better!

Over the last four years, Karen has lost 54kg with 12WBT and has totally changed her outlook on life. She is truly unstoppable!

We got to chat to Kaz about her tips and tricks on how she has achieved such incredible results, and how she manages to juggle healthy living with her husband and two young kids.

When did you know things had to change?

I developed gestational diabetes during both of my two pregnancies. So after having my second child, a beautiful baby girl I decided that the time had come for me to dramatically change my lifestyle to become the best person I could be for myself, my kids and my husband.

What were your biggest hurdles in the beginning?

Having a newborn and a toddler, waking up multiple times in the night and still getting up to train at 5am every morning, six days a week was challenging, yet the most rewarding!
In the first couple of weeks I felt very hungry, but being organised and planning my food each day was key to overcoming this hurdle.
I had my fair share of injuries and illnesses throughout my journey but it was important to rest when necessary. Realising that weight loss is 80% food helped me to focus on nutrition when I couldn’t exercise.

Any tricks for keeping motivated and focused?

I set reminders in my phone throughout the day, to make sure I was always in the right mindset. One was: remember WHY you are doing this.
I would brush my teeth straight after dinner to eliminate any sweet cravings and drink soda water and fresh lemon as my go-to ‘refreshing’ drink instead of alcohol.
I incorporated my kids into my workouts. Now my four-year-old son does his version of burpees, mountain climbers and donkey kicks! It melts my heart knowing I am making a positive influence on our family now and for the future.

How did you feel at the beginning, compared to now?

100 times better! I have more energy than ever before and I am fit – finally!

I can do burpees, box jumps, run and sprint. I am strong, and as a mum this is so empowering. I have gone from a size 18 to a size 8, so clothes shopping for me now is VERY enjoyable (I seem to be accumulating way more gym gear than normal clothes though!).

What motivated you to come back to 12WBT after the first Round?

I did back-to-back rounds because there was no doubt in my mind – I WAS going to reach my weight loss goal, taking it to a total of 54kg since starting 12WBT in 2015.

The constant flow of support and encouragement that came my way through the Member Zone was overwhelming and so empowering. I felt the extreme need to make myself proud and everyone else around me. It felt like we were doing it together with the biggest and best group of people ever!

How are you planning to keep momentum in the future?

Healthy living is absolutely ingrained in me now and it is my life and my family’s life now too. We love it!

Everything I have learnt on my 12WBT journey are things that I can apply in everyday life which is amazing. I think that’s why this really is the best program around!

12WBT has the best recipes, the smartest calorie burning workouts, mindset videos that are timely and super helpful, and pre season tasks that get you set for life!

What are the three biggest lessons you learnt doing 12WBT?

That it’s OK to put myself first. I remember sitting down with my husband and explaining what I needed to do in my training each day and feeling like I needed to ask if it was OK with him? He said, “It’s OK Karen, if you need to train in the morning, I’ve got the kids covered. Just do it! You can do this!”
I learnt that goal setting and mindset is everything! Each pre-season I would set SMART goals and visually place them around the house for myself and others to see every day. I’d then go around and highlight them once I reached each goal with a big tick. I loved this!
I learnt to have an optimistic, ‘it’s a gift’ mentality and trained my mind to turn negative thoughts and situations into positive ones. By shaping my brain to highlight the positives, regardless of the situation and asking myself “what can I learn from this?” I have developed an overwhelming sense of happiness and drive to continue on this path of healthy living.