A mum who lost 17 kilos in eight months says her mental health has ‘gone through the roof’

A Sydney mother-of-two lost an incredible 17kgs in just eight months — but there’s a lot more to this photo than her weight loss.

Samara Syed stopped weighing herself when she went over 80kgs.

The Sydney mum-of-two suffered from depression and anxiety fuelled by the extra kilos she was carrying during her second pregnancy.

And while her photos show her drastic physical change after losing almost 20kgs, it doesn’t show the mental transformation of Ms Syed — which she described as far more rewarding.

Despite having lost 18kgs after her first child, Ms Syed piled it back on after giving birth to her youngest daughter, now three.

“I was in a dark place. It was really quite bad and it took a lot for me to come out of that,” Ms Syed told news.com.au

Samara Syed, 30, lost 17kgs in just eight months.

“I had put on more than 20 kilos with my second daughter and so I stopped weighing myself because that together with my depression was really getting me down.”

She recalled the moment they took family portraits and photos of her newborn.

“I got some of them back and I was really unhappy with them. Not only that but I couldn’t get dressed in morning without feeling down on my self,” she said.

Ms Syed, 30, would often wake up to a packet of chips for breakfast or slice of cake and could even find herself eating about 20 Krispy Kreme doughnuts in just a few days.

“A block of chocolate would go down very easily,” Ms Syed said, with McDonalds and KFC were also part of her daily diet.

“I could easily go through drivethru to get a milkshake and go back to get lunch from KFC, come home, then eat a block of chocolate.”

She suffered from depression and anxiety after weighing more than 80kgs after her second child.

But there came a point when the young mother knew she had to be selfish — not in a negative way — but in a way that would benefit her entire family.

“I always say this whole weight loss gain is 80 per cent mental and 20 physical and once I started eating better and moving my body, it really helped me focus on myself,” she told news.com.au

“I became selfish in a positive way. I always say that we need to as women, mums and partners, be more selfish because when I started to do things for myself it not only benefited me, but my two girls too.

“My mental health has gone through the roof. I would never pose in white underwear or have done this interview three years ago.... instead I would be hiding away under my blanket with a block of chocolates and a packet of chips.”

She says apart from her physical change, it is her mental health that has benefited the most.

Ms Syed joined The Healthy Mummy after having her second daughter in 2016 and went on to lose 17kgs in just eight months.

“I followed the meal plan, did the exercises and have maintained (60kgs) for over two years now,” she said.

“As soon as I started to move my body and made little goals like eating breakfast (Healthy Mummy smoothies) I started seeing instant results.”

She is now a motivational speaker as part of the HM community.

“I go on Facebook live most mornings and run a motivational group with over 700 women, giving advice to motivate, inspire and really give that personal support to other mums.”

She is a big believer in just moving your body.

She wanted to set a good example for her two girls aged six and three.

“I don’t want to of exercise as a punishment which is why I tell other women to just move their bodies, whether it be half an hour to an hour in the gym, walking your kids to school.

“I move my body for about 40 minutes everyday, either at the gym or by doing at-home workouts with my girls.”

She mixes her days with cardio and weight-based exercises.

Above all, her weight loss transformation was motivated by her children.

“I wanted to set a good example for my girls and teach them good habits from a young age,” Ms Syed said.

Samara does a Facebook live chat with more than 700 women to inspire and motivate them through her story.

She says it’s all about finding ways to just move your body.

“It’s about finding ways to incorporate movement into your day-to-day life so instead of driving the girls to school, we walk and it may involve having to leave the house a little early but it’s setting a good example.”

“I know everyone says this but it really is a lifestyle change … the little changes you make become a part of your life and the norm — and that's what I want to show my girls as well.”