‘ I USED TO BE THE QUEEN OF EXCUSES’
When Steph Ericson scrolled through the photos from her honeymoon around America with her husband Stuart, she couldn’t believe what she saw.
“I didn’t recognise myself,” Steph, 34, says sadly.
For years, she’d battled the urge to binge. It was while she was waving goodbye to her son on his first day of kindergarten, she decided to overhaul her unhealthy habits.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’m 120kg and I could easily be dead soon.’ I had too much to live for to throw it all away,” says Steph.
Determined to be a better mother for her two children, Cohan, 10, and Archer, 20 months, Steph signed up for the Michelle Bridges challenge and lost 20kg in 12 weeks.
“I used to eat four or five pieces of white bread for breakfast. Then for lunch, I’d have a huge portion of macaroni and cheese, followed by two sandwiches, a packet of chips and a soft drink,” she says. By lunchtime, Steph admits she’d often eaten well over 2000 calories. “Then I’d have a Mcdonald’s meal with two extra cheeseburgers.”
By exercising and preparing healthy meals made of leafy greens, boiled eggs, tuna and chicken, Steph lost a total of 37kg and is now a size 12. “I’m no longer the queen of excuses,” says the Sydneysider. “It’s all about creating a healthy routine and I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.”