Anderson - Journey to health: how I lost half my body weight and found a new way of life

First published in 2018

Copyright Simone Anderson Pretscherer, 2018

All images are from Simones collection, unless otherwise specified.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Allen & Unwin

Level 3, 228 Queen Street

Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Phone: (64 9) 377 3800

Email:

Web: www.allenandunwin.co.nz

83 Alexander Street

Crows Nest NSW 2065, Australia

Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand.

ISBN 978 1 760633 54 7

eISBN 978 1 76063 631 9

Design by Kate Barraclough

Cover photograph by Jonny Scott

To my family, friends and partner, and to every single one of you who supported me to get to this point

CONTENTS

THE DAY I DECIDED TO change my life started out pretty much like any other day. I crawled out of bed feeling tired, despite the fact Id just woken up, and got ready for my day interning at a jewellery factory with my friend Chantelle. Id been working there for just a few weeks and was really enjoying it.

As usual, I didnt have time to make breakfast, so I followed my typical routine of stopping by the bakery on the way to work and grabbing myself a pie and a doughnut. Once at my desk Id scoff them as quick as I could, feeling bad because Chantelle was such a healthy eater. Then, as I got underway with my work, my thoughts would turn to what I was going to have for lunch. I was 23 years old, and I was seriously overweight, almost completely inactive and obsessed with food.

There was one thing different about this day, however. Nagging away in the back of my mind was the knowledge that a big set of industrial scales from the factory warehouse was going to be sold today. They were used to weigh freight and materials, but I knew one other thing they could be used for: me.

It had been months since Id last weighed myself and it was obvious to me that using commercial scales was the only option. Most home scales only go up to 100 kg, and I could tell I was way over that. The last time Id had the opportunity to check my weight I had been about 150 kg, and I had got heavier since.

This, then, was my only opportunityand time was running out. It was now or never if I wanted to face the reality of what my weight had crept up to.

When lunchtime rolled around, the others headed off to the lunchroom while I made an excuse about finishing something at my desk. I was terrified that someone would see me going down to the warehouse and ask me what I was up to. I was even more terrified of being caught on the scales and revealing my weight in the process. But, funnily enough, I wasnt terrified of what the scales were going to say.

Im not stupidI knew I was overweight. I had been steadily gaining kilos for the previous 10 years. But, strange as it may seem, I wasnt that worried about my weight; Id come to accept it as a part of my life. Id learned to live with it, to adapt the things I did so that I didnt get caught out having to walk any distance or sit on something that wouldnt hold my weight, and I bought clothes that disguised my rolls of fat. I was just curious, thats all. I was resigned to the fact that I was going to be heavier; it was just a question of how much.

I finally worked up the courageand the energy, because physically it was a bit of an effortto go downstairs and turn on the scales. I cast a glance around; no one was watching. Then I slipped off my shoes and stepped on.

The scales were those old-school ones with a dial and a needle. As the platform registered my weight, the needle bounced around then settled down to return its verdict.

169 kg.

Oh. My. God.

It was worse than I thought.

This had gone beyond a joke. I weighed the equivalent of nearly three healthy women my height. I was what doctors would call morbidly obeseand by that they mean so fat that its going to kill you. I knew I had an increased risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea, gastroesophageal reflux, gallstones, osteoarthritis, heart disease and the big one: cancer.

I stepped off the scales, watched the needle flicker back to nothingness, and thought about how hard it was going to be climbing back up the stairs.

Something had to change.

I WASNT ALWAYS OVERWEIGHTfar from it. In fact, when I was a kid I was pretty skinny, in that natural way most kids are before they have a chance to develop bad eating habits. Like a lot of children of my era, I was super-active, always running everywhere, jumping, climbing, and into every sport going. I could never have imagined when I finished primary school that within 10 years Id be so fat I could hardly walk, let alone run.

I was born in Auckland, and brought up in Remuera. I had an older half-brother and half-sister from my dads first marriage, who lived with their mum, and then two younger brothers came along: Nicklaus, who is two years younger than me, and Jackson, who is another 18 months younger again. Mum and Dad divorced when I was 13, and the boys and I moved to live with Mum in Parnell, closer to the city centre, while spending regular weekends with Dad.

I did all my schooling, right from primary up to Year 13, at St Cuthberts College, a girls school in Epsom. I feel quite privileged to have gone to one school right through, as it meant I knew everyone and felt really at home there. It gave me a strong base and the confidence to do well in a supportive, familiar environment.

As I said, I was a really active kid. As soon as any sport was offered at school, I had my hand up to give it a try. I think at one stage I was doing 14 different sports. I loved being busy before and after school with training and events (though Im not sure Mum enjoyed it so much, having to drive me around!). Netball, water polo, badminton, table tennis, hockey, cricket, basketballanything that wasnt running-based. I never liked cross-country or long-distance running (and I still dont).

As soon as any sport was offered at school, I had my hand up to give it a try. I think at one stage I was doing 14 different sports.

My greatest passion was swimming, probably because as soon as I tried it I discovered I was better than everyone else! I seemed to have a natural ability, making it easy for me to get motivated to train and compete because I got the buzz of winning right from the start. I competed in pretty much every stroke and distance, including medleys and relays, but butterfly was probably my best disciplineI won a national age-group title in that.

Cuddles with my beloved mum, Nikki, and my younger brothers, Niklaus (left) and Jackson.

As a kid I was into just about every sport going, including tennis.

Mum had been an athletics champion and she had great hopes for me in track and field, but she remembers the first time she came along to watch me compete at school athletics: I tried the long jump and had trouble even making it into the pit. That was the end of that dream. But then at my first school swimming sports I basically won everything, so that made up for it.