Belinda Patterson found it difficult to enjoy comedian Carl Barron’s show at the Palais Theatre two years ago.
Her experience wasn’t marred by his observational humour, which she says she finds particularly funny, but was due to her profound discomfort.
“I had to wedge myself into the seat and I couldn’t move,” the Doreen resident says.
The 1927-built St Kilda concert venue has standard-size seats, but for Ms Patterson, who at the time weighed 135 kilograms, they contributed to what she refers to as “the worst experience of my life”.
Not long after that show the mother of three was asked to be a maid of honour at a friend’s wedding.
That proved the final straw. In the two years since, Ms Patterson, now 35, has lost more than 65 kilograms and now weighs less than she did when she started high school.
“I had lost weight in the past, but this was the first time I was serious about it,” she says.
She downloaded an app that counts calories and tracks diet, began walking half an hour each day, and started following
The Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges’ online program.
The next big step was joining a gym – a glaring conundrum for Ms Patterson. “Fit people go to gyms, not overweight people.”
Her weight has now plateaued to a healthy 70 kilograms and Ms Patterson encourages anyone carrying unnecessary baggage to follow in her footsteps. She has received numerous private messages from people who have noticed her transformation.
To get your fitness journey started Mill Park Leisure and Thomastown Recreation and Aquatic Centre have kiosks for weighing in and checking blood pressure.
