Slade Point mum Deb Anderson lost 30kg after giving birth to her son

After this Mackay mum of two ‘lost control’ of her good food habits during Covid and on maternity leave, she decided to shake things up.

When mum of two Deb Anderson was on maternity leave, she “lost control” of her good food habits.

“With Covid I couldn’t go to the gym, then I stopped going because I had lost motivation,” she said.

Mackay mother-of-two Deb Anderson, from Slade Point, has shared her weight loss journey – having trimmed down 30kg after giving birth to her son. Picture: Michaela Harlow

“When I could go back to the gym, instead of resetting, I just lost control.”

It is a common scenario that can hit the best of us – years of routine broken in just a few months.

Mrs Anderson’s story is the second in a weight loss series the Daily Mercury is running - Shed the Kegs.

The 39-year-old Slade Point woman said when she gave birth to her son in August 2020 she was at 90kg.

“Even though I was 39 weeks pregnant, it was still a shock to see that number,” she said, adding her weight usually sat between 57 and 63kg.

“I knew while I was pregnant, I wasn’t doing very well health and fitness wise for me.”

Mrs Anderson said with her weight gain on top of her pregnancy, she was “the biggest I’ve ever been” after having her son.

“My clothes weren’t fitting … it impacted my self esteem,” she said.

Time to shed the kegs

“I didn’t want to go out, I dressed differently because I wanted to cover up.”

So when her son was eight weeks old she rejoined a gym.

But although she was exercising five to six times a week as well as walking her dog, Mrs Anderson said her diet was still an issue.

“I knew my body was changing but my eating was out of control,” she said.

“When I was hungry I was going for something easy, like a piece of toast or making up a sandwich or throwing something in the air fryer.”

Mackay mother-of-two Deb Anderson, from Slade Point, has shared her weight loss journey – having trimmed down 30kg after giving birth to her son. Picture: Michaela Harlow

Mrs Anderson put her “poor choices” down to a number of things – boredom, being home and not sleeping.

So in February 2021 she decided to join the Athletic eight-week challenge “to be accountable for my choices”, she said.

“It definitely helped with my mindset, just knowing I was part of a challenge,” she said.

Mackay mother-of-two Deb Anderson, from Slade Point, has shared her weight loss journey – having trimmed down 30kg after giving birth to her son. Picture: Michaela Harlow

She added she also received information packs about nutrition and recipes.

“I wasn’t actually a member of Athletica prior to having my boy, but I knew I needed to change, I needed to shake everything up,” she said.

Mackay mother-of-two Deb Anderson, from Slade Point, has shared her weight loss journey – having trimmed down 30kg after giving birth to her son. Picture: Michaela Harlow

Now sitting back at 57kg, Mrs Anderson said she made healthy choices during the week and did not restrict herself on weekends.

“I give myself a little bit of a break,” she said.