Inspiring TRANSFORMATION
TINA WHITE • WAS 79kg • NOW 64kg
As a mum of two young children, and regularly eating takeaway food, Tina White, 36, knew something had to change. “I needed to become the active mum [my kids] deserved, which meant I needed to lose weight and get fit.” Until that point, White had no motivation to even go to the park with her kids. “I was paranoid about people’s perceptions of my appearance, which led to me not going out,” she says. Brought up in a house where love was shown through food, she spent much of her childhood and teenage years obese. “After high school, I tried all the fad diets and quick fixes to cheat my way to my ideal body. Not one of them worked. If anything, I gained more weight.” Desperate to change, White joined Goodlife Health Clubs and embarked on their 12-week challenge. But it was tough. Twice daily she went to training – at 4.30am and 5.30pm – five days a week. “I also did one session on a Saturday making sure I got to rest on Sunday with my family.” Despite her efforts, at eight weeks she hit a plateau. “I thought it would never shift. I couldn’t see all that I had already achieved. My mind would play tricks on me and on those days I would see my old self in the mirror.”That’s when she realised she needed to take a break, so she took her family to Torquay, Victoria, for some sun and surf. “It helped me refocus and refreshed me for the remainder of the challenge,” she says. Back on track she made some adjustments. “I changed up my food and the times I would eat, and I took out one cardio session and substituted it with a strength session. I ended up losing another 6kg over the remaining weeks.”The challenge provided White with new ways of looking at food. “I’m no Jamie Oliver but the recipes on the 12-week challenge made me feel like a gourmet chef … the best part was it tasted amazing and was good for my waistline!”