As Seen On TV

Sharon Lacy is an amazing success story, and was interviewed by The Today Show.

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Sharon’s Story

My name is Sharon Lacey and I have spent a lifetime overweight. I have been so emotionally low at times, but in the last few years so inspired and blessed. I would like to share some of my highs and lows with you as they have all been an important part of my weight loss success.

I was around the age of 11 when we had a family movie night. We had just finished a bbq dinner and enough sweets to feed an army, like normal I had more than my share, and the movie was about to start. All the little kids were at the front, bigger kids at the back and the adults stood behind us when I overheard one adult say to another that “Sharon will always be overweight”. I could not wait for the lights to be turned off, not so that I could see my image on the screen, but so that no one could see my tears.

When I was a teenager I started yo-yo dieting in the hope to find a boyfriend. Mum and I always went on diets, we tried everything, we even tried diet tablets not realising how bad they were! My best friend from high school recently told me that when I used to take diet tablets it had nothing on me with PMT!! How did I think that it would help me find love?! Then I ran into John at a party, we had met a few years earlier when he worked with my mum, and I knew when I first met him I would marry him one day.

We started to date, after a while we moved in together, a few years past and we decided to marry. I could not believe that someone loved me and wanted to marry me when I did not even love me. So another big diet started to fir into a wedding dress, the size 20 was too small and I wanted to fit into a 16. There were many months of dieting and the last month before the wedding I decided to move back in with my parents, this way mum and I could do a full boot camp diet and exercise tape each morning, but as soon as the wedding was over I started to regain the weight plus more. My self esteem and confidence were on a roller coaster ride and when we decided that we wanted children that emotional roller coaster started up once again. It took ages for me to conceive so I started to eat better and exercise, with each pregnancy gaining weight, losing weight and always being broke. Whilst living week to week with two small children we decided to move to the Gold Coast to be closer to family, however when we moved to the new city I did not drive or work and being lonely I started to comfort eat and my weight ballooned to 150kg. It was winter and I had nothing to wear, mum told me that Lowes, a menswear store, had jumpers for $7.00 each all colours and sizes. As we did not have much money at this time it sounded great, mum picked me up and we went shopping, the biggest men’s jumper was too tight around the hips. I wanted to throw myself on the shop floor and cry; I probably made some funny joke to hide my pain, so I went home with all good intentions to start another diet. John was working late that night so I decided to have one last pig out and comfort myself after the ill-fated shopping trip experience and start my diet tomorrow… Later that night I can remember lying in bed with a tight feeling in my chest, feeling sick, I thought I was going to have a heart attack and being 150kg I was more scared of not fitting into the coffin than dying so I lay with my arms and legs close together just in case. I thought of my girls and I asked the universe that if could live I would never binge like that again. Mum and I started walking, I was eating a bit better and we had lost a bit of weight so we decided to join Currumbin Calorie Club, the women were very welcoming. But I was so embarrassed when I hopped on the scales and it read AL, I asked what it meant, Pam the weigh lady looked up with a worried face as she told me that I was too heavy for the scales, next these two little old ladies struggled getting these other scales out of the cupboard and I was weighed in the kitchen so that no one could see, at this point the weigh-in ladies face lit up as she told me “you’re only a little bit too heavy”. It took a week and I could weigh on the regular scales like all the others, but I started to panic that if I had a bad week they would drag out the other scales for me to use again…. Sure enough I had a bad week, so it took a while to return the Calorie Club, but when I did return they had new electronic scales that could weigh people up to 300kg. Shirley always welcomed me back with open arms, a big smile and a hug, but it took another 10 years of ups and downs before something life changing happened.

I was with my granddad half an hour before he died, I felt granddad wanted to see me before he died, my husband suggested that I stay away from the hospital so that he would keep on living, but on the 21st June a strong urge came over me and I knew it was time to go to the hospital to see him, he was so happy to see me and for a moment he did not look sick, drifting in and out of consciousness I believe that the universe wanted me there for a reason and we weren’t the only ones in the room that day. Grandad was making peace with his maker and he told me that he was scared and did know what to do, I told him not to be scared and whatever is meant to happen will happen. I was so proud of him as I held his hand through the sheet and was sure he thought it was grandmas, we said our final goodbyes, he told me he loved us all and I knew he meant his large family, sadly by the time I got to mums and dads he had passed away. Dad asked me to drive to the hospital with mum as he was already at the hospital.

We all viewed Grandad’s body together and we were just there for each other and when leaving the hospital for the last time I noticed a huge sign saying “lose weight, massage”. I told mum that I had a sign and this is what I was going to do, finish my certificate IV in massage and get healthy, when it comes my time to go I don’t want to have any regrets and I want my family to be proud of me just as I was of Grandad. I was low for a while and I even felt guilty that I was able to share time with Grandad just before he died as it was scary, but at the same time it was life changing and it was an honour, how come I was allowed to experience this when his family was so big. I started to have panic attacks and even broke out in the ugliest rash on the bottom of my legs, I tried lotions and potions, but nothing worked. In the end I went to a skin specialist, he asked me if I had experienced any traumatic events in the last couple of months, tears welled up in my eyes as I told him my Grandad had passed away recently, it was a stress related rash and when I shared this with my family it started to clear.

After this I started to look for inspiration and inspiration started to look for me. I enrolled back in massage school, started to watch I ate and even found a nice jumper to wear to school. Then one day I got a brochure in the mail for Healthy Inspirations and I liked the look of it. I thought about it for a couple of days before ringing to make an appointment and I knew when I was talking to the consultant that I was going to lose 70kg, I weighed in at 141.6, the feeling passed over me like a wave and I joined up. I had never worn exercise clothes and I found a pair of black pants which were miles to long (have you ever noticed that6 the bigger the size of clothing the longer it is!), being 5’4.5” the size 26 was a little too long! When I started at the centre I was a little self conscious so would park as close to the front door as possible so that no one would see me in my sweat pants. I was still a member of the Calorie Counters and would go with my sister on a Monday morning; all the other ladies were all amazed at how quickly I was losing the weight. Each week the person with the biggest loss for that week would win a ribbon and for a few months I was winning all the time, they kept asking me what my secret was and they all seemed a little disappointed to learn that it was as simple as exercising and learning to eat better, I think they thought had discovered a magic pill. At the calorie club members were trying all sorts of things such as powdered meal replacements and Sure Slim, I even had a family friend that had had lap band surgery, some of the members did still count calories and some just came for the company, but we all shared our stories and ideas.

As time passed I wanted to find a job to pay for massage school, a friend told me that there was a job at our local bakery. I went in and applied, but didn’t expect to get the job as I was still very large and I thought is might have been bad for business, but decided I would apply just for the experience. A few days passed when the lady from the bakery rang and invited me to come for a trial and again I thought I would go in for the experience, after the trial they told me that they would let me know in a few days. In the middle of the week I got a phone call asking me if I would like to work Saturday, I asked her of it was for another trial when she said “no the jobs yours if you want it”. I thanked the boss for giving me the chance and she said I had impressed her. Now I was working, studying and losing weight by going to Healthy Inspirations, my life had never been so full; school was getting tough with exams and assignments. Just as I needed a top up of inspiration a new trainer started at Healthy Inspirations, Alex. I liked the look of her, very keen and she reminded me of Gillian from the Biggest Loser. I love reality TV and in 2005 I applied for the Biggest Loser and thought I was a sure thing. However, I didn’t make it in, I was sad for a while, but learnt that I have everything I needed; the biggest thing was my desire to lose weight.

Alex asked me about me weight and at the time I had hit a plateau around 109kg, but I really wanted to be below 100! Alex told me I would achieve that if I put in 100% effort over the next month. So with her help I set about the challenge. She pushed me and I pushed back, “don’t give up Sharon, I have been watching you”, “your brain is used to giving up, but your body is so much stronger now, you can do it”. Instead of using extra energy socking, making jokes and being dramatic I started to stand tall and breathe in the first week, at the end of the month I had lost 2.2kg, it took another 6 weeks to reach 100kg, but I did it. Some trainers you might think are impressive, but to have a trainer/consultant help you realise that you can be impressive and achieve your goals by believing in yourself is a true gift.

Life is good, I am losing weight and I now have my certificate IV in massage. I was asked to be a guest speaker at Healthy Inspirations when they were doing a book launch for USA weight specialist Casey Conrad’s book “Winning the Struggle to Be Thin”, I found sharing my story very healing. I also won a competition Members Choice Award for the most enthusiastic member and again when it felt like I needed a top up of Inspiration I got one.

Now I had the tools to achieve my goals, I was walking at the beach with a friend, I was telling her of my dream that when I get to my goal weight I wanted to work helping others to achieve their goals. Shirley from Currumbin Calorie Club asked me the next Monday whether I would like to volunteer being a hostess. Irene took the time to train me and it was very rewarding welcoming the new members. All this was getting me closer to my dream of worki8ng with women losing weight and also combining my massage skills.

A few months later I was having a bad day; I was tired and did not to exercise. I had a choice that day; sit down and watch TV and eat or to go and work out, I made the right decision that day, you just don’t know when your life can change. Whilst working out at Healthy Inspirations a few of the members and I were talking. I just had started working at Subway feeling that because it was healthier food than the bakery it would be closer to my dream job. It wasn’t what I was looking for; I wanted a job I could get passionate about. Danni one of the owners of Healthy Inspirations overheard our conversation, she came out of the office and stood in front of the exercise bike I was on. You could see her mind ticking over, it took her minute to speak and when she did she smiled, “Would you like to come in for an interview on Monday, I can’t promise you anything, but I might have a position for you”. I was so excited I don’t think I finished my work out, and when I drove home my hands were shaking and all I could think about was ‘what if I had stayed at home and watched Oprah!’ Trying to stay calm was hard and thank god my family were at home, I told my husband and daughter the story, my daughter jumped up and down and said “that’s what you wanted to do”. I had the interview and got the job, I have now been there for 6months. Every day I get goose bumps from the top of my head to the tips of my toes each time I see another member achieving their goals. It truly is my dream job.

Healthy Inspirations is very interested in the community, they have given me Monday Mornings off so that I can continue volunteering at the Calorie Club. The owners are hoping to go into schools so they can educate the younger generation about the values of a healthy lifestyle, I hope to be a part of that. I was taunted at school for my weight and I know how much it hurts, it would be a great opportunity to educate young women.

My eldest daughter Jessica started eating like my old habits and my youngest daughter Kathryn eats like my new habits and is interested in sports. She kayaks for PBC high school, Jessica in the last 12 months has started to eat better and exercise, she has now lost 10kg. My mum and sister have also joined Healthy Inspirations both of them have lost around 9kg. I am so proud of them.

Now I have set my next dream and goal; this is to have some of my excess skin removed as I have lost 67kg. I can’t afford to do it at the moment, but I know when I get to my goal there will be a way, just like the old saying “do what you love and the money will come”, I love what I do.

Last Saturday a lady called Dawn rejoined Healthy Inspirations, we had been members together in the past, she couldn’t believe what I had achieved and how well I have done. She told me that she used to feel sorry for me, now she feels sorry that she did not keep coming. I am lucky I have a close family and a best friend that loved me and believed in me before I did. Every day I get told how inspiring I am and how good I look; every woman should be told these things. Believe in yourself, don’t wait until you’re 80kg overweight or a loved one dies. Even if you have no support come in and we will support you. I still have weight to lose to get to my goal so let’s do it together. My name is Sharon Lacey and I have lost 67kg