Name: Jamie Ipek
Age: 30
Occupation: Stay at home mum
Hometown: Melbourne
Starting weight: 106kg
Current weight: 81kg
What prompted you to start your wellness journey, was there a particular moment or realisation?
My journey was one that had a seen quite a few attempted starts in the past, but none that quite saw themselves through. But this time with a few key life events coming up, I realised that I needed to really kick myself into gear and try hard to lose weight.
Firstly, my 30th birthday party was fast approaching and whilst I wanted to look great for that, I wanted to go into my 30s feeling healthy and happy in myself. Secondly (and most importantly), my husband and I were keen to try for another baby, and I knew that I wanted to be healthy and lighter if I was going to carry baby number three.
I’d tried a whole heap of different diets and methods for weight loss in the past, but nothing quite worked. Or even worse, I’d lose a bit of weight, only to quickly put it back on again in a few weeks’ time. I needed something that was going to keep the weight off long-term.
I remembered seeing Be Fit Food on Shark Tank a little while ago, and at the time thinking that it seemed like a good option for weight loss but never got around to trying it out. This time, being so determined to succeed in my journey, I thought I’d bite the bullet and give it a go. And I’m very glad that I did.
What was the first change you made to your lifestyle?
I stocked up on two weeks’ worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks from Be Fit Food. Be Fit Food say that people lose an average of 5kgs in two weeks, so I wanted to assess it after two-weeks on the program before signing up for a full month.
I also immediately booked in for a consultation with a dietician at Be Fit Food to get their advice, discuss my goals and mainly for accountability. If I was going to commit to the weight loss journey, I wanted to do it properly!
In the first week of Be Fit Food I lost 3.9kgs. Whilst the first few days were a little hard, I started to see the difference almost immediately and was feeling better already. I decided to stick with Be Fit Food and did the program intermittently for 7 months – whilst still continuing to check in with the dieticians for support.
What other changes did you initially make to your eating habits?
I stuck strictly to the Be Fit Food program, not even straying from my allowed snack list (which was tricky, to say the least), and only drank water. The pre-prepared meals helped a lot, as they took the guesswork out of meal-prepping for yourself. I was automatically eating a lot better on the program, and as it went on, I was starting to understand how to eat better, and how different things affected my body and helped me to achieve better health outcomes.
Between each program (I would only do it strictly for 2-4 weeks at a time), I was still eating Be Fit Food meals twice a day but was prepping lunches and other snacks for myself too – this is where my knowledge of what goes into the meals, and support from dieticians and the Be Fit Food community helped to keep me on the right track.
What other changes did you initially make to your exercise habits?
I didn’t exercise at all for the first 3 months as I didn’t need to, the weight was dropping off purely from what I was eating.
After around 11 weeks on the program, I had lost 13kgs and started going to the gym 3 times a week purely because I wanted to, not because I felt like I had to. Having lost so much weight in a short period of time (and after 2 kids!), I felt I didn’t have any stomach muscles, and I wanted to build strength and tone up. My usual visit to the gym would consist of a little bit of cardio, and mostly free weights/strength training.
Exercising afforded me a little bit of freedom in my diet too. Where I would previously bring my Be Fit Food meals everywhere to avoid straying, I now felt ok to eat a different meal (still making good choices of course) in its place.
How did your weight loss/fitness progress?
In the first week of Be Fit Food I lost 3.9kgs and was steadily averaging a 1-2kg weight loss per week after that. For me, there were lots of other health benefits that came with my new lifestyle too; better sleep, snacking less, my mind was more alert during the day, better mental wellbeing, and I just felt healthier overall.
What changes made the most difference?
It was all about the food for me. I was eating too many calories and wasn’t fuelling my body correctly and eating Be Fit Food made all the difference. It helped me to control my portion size and understand the importance of eating the right nutrients and vitamins.
How did you feel during the process?
The first 3 days were difficult as my body was adjusting to the smaller portions, low carb intake, fewer calories and no sugar. After that initial struggle passed, I began to feel better than I ever have. Despite eating less, I had more energy, felt healthier (I didn’t get sick once) and better overall.
The feeling of fitting into regular clothing was amazing!
What did you find was the hardest thing about your journey?
The hardest thing was watching people around me eat whatever they wanted when I was trying really hard to stick the program. I also have a husband, and two kids to cook for so it could be tricky preparing meals for them that weren’t within my diet.
Also, eating out could be really hard. Especially if we were going to dinner at someone else’s house (where I didn’t have control over the menu), but most people knew about my journey and were super accommodating. Sometimes I just took a Be Fit Food meal with me to heat up (to my in-laws for example).
It’s all about making better decisions, and I eventually got the hang of it!
What helped to keep you motivated?
I had a goal and a timeframe (my 30th Party) and my mind was set on achieving it. Plus, I had amazing support from my husband, family and friends.
Importantly, the dieticians and team at Be Fit Food were a great support. They encouraged me along my journey and were always there to provide support when I needed it. They were genuinely happy to see me come in for my appointments as the weight was falling off!
The Be Fit Foodie group on Facebook was a great support network for me. It connects you with others going through the same journey and you can swap advice, stories and help to motivate each other.
Another thing I did was pre-book all of my dietician consultations (which involve a weigh in). That way every time I left an appointment, I knew I had another one coming up and I wanted to be better!
What are your current short- and long-term goals?
At the moment, I’m pregnant with baby number three and it’s such a joy. So, at the moment I’m focusing on growing a healthy baby while fuelling my body and healthy wholesome foods.
In the new year, I plan on going back on the program and my goal weight is 70kgs (a further 10kgs less than my weight at my 30th birthday party!).
This would have seemed scary before but now I know that I can do it!
What would a day on a plate look like for you now?
Obviously being pregnant, this varies greatly at the moment (cravings!). But pre-pregnancy, it would have looked something like the below:
Breakfast: 2 egg omelettes with vegetables or a Be Fit Food granola with milk
Lunch: Grilled chicken with salad or veggies
Snacks: Yopro yoghurt, Be Fit Food protein balls and almonds
Dinner: Usually a Be Fit Food dinner. My favourite is the wholemeal lasagne.
What is your current exercise routine?
Prior to pregnancy, I was keeping up going to the gym three times a week so keep fit, tone and maintain my weight and strength.
What achievement are you most proud of?
I’m proud of myself for setting my mind to something and sticking to it. But specifically, it would have to be getting back down to my wedding weight (which was 10 years ago).
What advice would you give to others wanting to do the same?
Start by ordering one weeks’ worth of Be Fit Food and stick to it. The weight will drop off and when you see those results so quickly it will encourage you to keep going. Also, make sure you’re in the Be Fit Foodie Facebook group (a great support network) and making use of the dietician services available to you. It’s really helpful in having someone guiding you and keeping you on the right track.
Another thing I would highly recommend is making people in your world aware of what you’re doing. This can help you to keep boundaries and speak up when your Grandma is trying to force-feed you another piece of lasagne at family dinner!
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