Reason behind Australian woman’s impressive 45kg weight loss

A woman who struggled with her fluctuating weight revealed her journey.

Welcome to You Got This, news.com.au’s weekly fitness series featuring stories and ideas from real women who’ve experienced it all.

A woman who struggled with her fluctuating weight revealed her journey.

Sandra Yerbury’s weight was something that always fluctuated. She had lost 20kg thanks to lunchtime walks with her colleagues and other exercise but when Covid gripped Australia a lot of that went out the window and she “started eating the wrong foods”.

Her weight climbed to 114kg and she started to experience sleep apnoea, which is when your breathing repeated stops and starts during sleep.

Sandra before her weight loss. Picture: Supplied

“This was one of the reasons I didn’t feel like doing anything. I had no energy,” Ms Yerbury told news.com.au.

“During Covid I kept telling myself I’d start next week but it never happened. The more weight you put on the harder it is to get started.”

However, Ms Yerbury’s doctor kept pushing her to do something about her weight after it was discovered her cholesterol was through the roof and she was on blood pressure medication.

She decided to turn to Lite n’ Easy

“It’s convenient. I live by myself and I’m not a really good cook so I was on it for a long time but not consistently,” she said.

Sandra after her weight loss. Picture: Supplied

So she sought out a dietitian for a meal plan — Lite n’ Easy for lunch and dinner, while having cereal or toast for breakfast. She wasn’t having any snacks.

She said she also loved the food compared to some of the ready made meals available at the supermarkets. Ms Yerbury said she enjoyed dishes such as chicken schnitzel, spaghetti and meatballs and casseroles.

Ms Yerbury’s 50th birthday was fast approaching and she wanted to lose weight for that as some friends had planned to take her shopping for the occasion.

“That was a bit of a motivator for me. I tried to make myself have little goals because obviously you can’t think too far ahead and say ‘I want to drop 40 kilos’ because that's too much,” she said.

Her weight had climbed to 114kg and she started to experience sleep apnoea, which is when your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. Picture: Supplied

“So I said I wanted to lose this amount by Christmas and then after that I wanted to lose more weight for a cruise I went on in November 2023.”

Around four months into her journey Ms Yerbury started to walk regularly and now goes for an hour a day before work.

In total, Ms Yerbury has lost 45 kilograms and dropped six dress sizes, saying she doesn’t have any weight fluctuation problems if she sticks to the meal plan.

“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved,” she said, revealing friends often compliment her endeavours.

“Even being able to buy a dress. I never used to wear dresses, only baggy clothes, and now I have heaps to choose from.”