A fitness coach who shed 20 kg to achieve her "dream body" has shared the one "life-changing" habit she attributes to her dramatic transformation.
Sydney resident Brittany McCrystal, a 27-year-old who relocated from Auckland last year, began noticing an uptick in the numbers on the scale when she started a sedentary job - located next to a food court - and found herself partying often.
Candidly speaking of her weight loss journey, McCrystal told news.com.au that after starting her new job, her weight increased to 82 kg - despite standing at a petite five-foot-one.
"It was a real wake-up call," the 27-year-old told the outlet. "It wasn't really about how I looked, but I was more concerned at how this could impact my health in the long term. I already felt sluggish, was tired often and easily out of breath.
"I had no energy, and for someone in their mid-20s, I knew that wasn't normal. I wanted to feel strong and capable."
Despite embarking on a string of fad diets, McCrystal said she struggled to shift the weight - until she decided to take a 'back to basics' approach that focused on nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods and a regular exercise regime.
McCrystal has since dropped an impressive 20 kg and through her journey, discovered her passion for health and wellbeing. She now helps others to achieve their goals, providing one-on-one coaching for women wanting to lose weight or increase their fitness.
With 2023 in full swing, McCrystal also shared her top tip for people with a New Year's resolution to cut the kilograms.
She told news.com.au the one habit that proved instrumental in her successfully losing weight - and not regaining it - was careful planning.
"Having a plan in place is the key to successful weight loss," she revealed to the outlet. "People who do not have a plan are [almost always] going to fail. This is something I've seen time and time again.
"During my journey, I wrote a daily to-do list, and would tick things off as I went. Visualising my plan for the day helped tremendously. People often just go to the gym and do random exercises, then wonder why they're not seeing results."
She added that anyone hoping to shift stubborn pounds should focus on setting an achievable, realistic goal and outlining how they can work towards accomplishing it.
"Starting any fitness or weight loss plan without a goal is like driving to an unknown destination without putting it in Google Maps," she said.
Finally, consistency is key to long-term results, she said, noting that while motivation may come and go, it's imperative to keep "showing up every day" and sticking to your plan.
"You just have to start," she said. "Start slow, but start. One of my favourite quotes is 'nothing changes if nothing changes'.
"One thing at a time, and over time you will see results."
