CatersA woman who doctors warned was on a ‘fast track to an early death’ has turned her life around, dropping 14 stone and winning a body transformation championship.
33-year-old Veronica Colbert from Brisbane, Australia was shocked when she visited the doctors with shortness of breath and dizziness and they warned her that her weight was putting her life at risk.
Worried about the prognosis Veronica opted for a gastric sleeve, which doctors had already recommended months prior, and dedicated herself to losing weight.
Putting aside fad diets and began working out toward small reasonable weight loss goals. Slowly but surely Veronica managed to lose weight but was left with saggy excess skin.
While she initially didn’t mind the excess skin she eventually wanted to get rid of them and five months ago opted to have surgery to remove 5kg of skin.
Veronica managed to get her weight down 59.2kg and last was awarded first place in a competition for the Inaugural Queensland Transformation Championships.
CatersAfter her victory Veronica said:
It felt amazing. I didn’t realise at first that I had won, and I was so shocked. There was so many deserving and inspirational people that were also competing.
The competition was for people who had transformed their lives through better health and fitness. I never thought this would be possible. I always thought I would be the overweight and unhealthy person I was two years ago.
I just want people to know that there are options and it is achievable. At 150kg I never thought I would ever be in a position where I would be winning a transformation competition.
Most people find it hard to believe it is me when they see pictures. I find that hard to take as in my eyes I was just taking back my life and prolonging my life.
Veronica blames her craving for sugary foods and drinks for her weight gain which took place over a decade and left her with a BMI of 36.6 BMI, the highest level of obesity.
She believes an underlying health problem for her cravings.
She said:
I started to suddenly eat more often and crave sugary foods and drinks. At the time I thought it was due to some medication I was taking at the time.
But since I have been seeing an endocrinologist due to hypoglycaemia it is more than likely that my low blood sugars starting happening a while ago.
My body was telling me I needed to eat all the time to combat the low blood sugars and hence I gained 100kg 10 ten years.
CatersSince her surgeries, Veronica says she’s happy people are inspired by her weight loss but admits she struggles with the attention she gets from strangers.
She says that when she was at her heaviest people used to tell her heaviest that she would look so much prettier if she lost weight but she believes beauty is not measured in kilograms. It is measured by your heart.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.