‘I WAS FAT-SHAMED IN BALI’
Belinda Brodie, 31, Perth, WA
Beads of warm sweat eat dripped down Belinda Brodie’s face as she slugged her 130kg frame through the bustling Bali clothing markets.
And that was just the start of what became a heartbreaking reality check when her holiday was ruined by a rude beach market vendor.
“They said I was too fat to fit into anything that was for sale,” the 31-year-old recalls. “I was mortified. I could hear the market sellers laughing as I walked away.”
The cruel comments jolted Belinda into action – she never wanted to carry excess baggage again and her shame became success when she lost 56kg.
The mum totally overhauled her carb-heavy diet of bread, pastries and pasta for a cleaneating regimen, focusing on lean proteins and fresh fruit and vegetables. She also began jogging every morning and doing fitness classes.
Belinda, whose weight has always yo-yoed, stacked on the kilos after giving birth to her son Oliver in 2011 when she suffered from postnatal depression and turned to baked goods like brownies and muffins for comfort.
But with determination and persistence Belinda lost 30kg in a year. “I felt incredible, and the weight t kept coming off,” she says. s.
Now the inspirational mum-of-one says she no longer feels “too fat to travel” and she’s having the time of her life, jetsetting once more, having lost 74kg.
“I’m living my life, not just existing,” she says. “I can’t wait to do more travelling. The whole world ld has opened up to me now.” w.”