How this woman lost 50kg naturally – and still eats hot chips

* Weight loss: Rotorua woman Makuini Warbrick reveals how she lost 50kg through diet and exercise

* She reveals how she changed her diet and what exercises she does

* He can also eat treats such as hot chips and butter chicken

If losing 50kg in just over a year isn’t incredible enough, McQueeny Warbrick is proud to say she did it naturally through diet and exercise.

Today, the 32-year-old accountant from Rotorua is a fit and lean woman eyeing her next big fitness event.

But last year she was in such a bad condition that it was difficult for her to breathe and carry out daily tasks.

Her efforts were praised by her coach Kerris Brown, who said it was a breath of fresh air to find someone who does it naturally.

Warbrick said Rotorua Daily Post she has always been a bigger girl but the weight has increased over the years and last year she was 125 kg.

I got Covid and it really affected me. I didn’t handle it well. I was out for a month and it took me at least two months to get it right.

Her poor physical condition arrived not long after when she made a Vhnau event walking up Mount Tarawera.

I was so short. Then I woke up one morning last August and decided to go to the gym.

Warbrick was a member of the gym, but rarely went.

Then the next morning I woke up and thought, here I go again.

At that time, she was engrossed in television series and it made her go to the gym, look at her phone while cycling or on the treadmill.

Dan Ward of Flex Fitness wrote her a workout program and meal plan.

I just had it in the app and it was simple to follow. Just normal food and every day I knew what I had to eat.

Vorbrikova continued to train in the gym and watch what she ate and the weight started to fall off.

That’s when I started to catch some bug about it. There was not so much work, there was socializing with people.

Before the summer, she was invited to join the Browns swim group as part of Jogging The Power Poles, a group of people of all fitness levels who train together.

Next thing, she was talking about the IronMori event.

I remember thinking, maybe I could do it one day, but at that stage I wasn’t cycling and I couldn’t run.

Then they said, Hey McQueen, why don’t you come for a spin session? and, Mcquin, why don’t you come to one of our running classes? I thought, Oh, I’ll try, but I’m not running away. Now it has turned into a bit of an addiction.

On November 4, she found herself on the start line for the IronMori half in Napier.

Not only did she complete the 2km swim, 90km bike and 21km run, she did it in six hours and 45 minutes, was the 31st woman home and finished an impressive fifth in her age group.

The event culminated in the achievement of another milestone – the loss of 50 kg.

Now she weighs 75 kg and feels amazing.

Vorbrikova said her meals were protein-based and focused on filling and portion sizes.

She never ate badly, but she ate too many things that weren’t great.

Instead of toast and jam for breakfast, she switched to oats and a teaspoon of protein powder. The Shed has things like rice cakes for morning tea and makes mini pizzas at work for lunch – using a split muffin base, with chicken, tomato and cheese on top.

Warbrick might have a piece of fruit in the afternoon and dinner would be meat for protein and rice or potatoes with vegetables or salad.

She still occasionally ate favorites such as butter chicken, and added sauces and dressings to her meals to make them palatable.

Warbrick said her secret isn’t really a secret. It’s just normal simple food.

No fasting, no pills, nothing like that.

Vorbrikova knew she had to eat the right foods, increase her protein and watch her carbs given her training levels.

She trained every day, sometimes twice a day. On weekends, she either went for a long bike ride, ran or swam.

If I wasn’t feeling 100 percent, I would have rest days, but since training, I haven’t really been sick and I’ve had a cold every year. I sleep better and don’t wake up in pain all the time.

Warbricks favorite food was hot chips and she made sure to treat herself immediately after nailing her IronMori Half goal.

Now he’s looking for more triathlons.

I feel much better. You don’t realize until you lose a lot of weight how much easier things are like doing basic things like tying your shoes, making your bed.

She said that having people make nice comments helped her to keep going and admitted that a few people didn’t recognize her during the year.

Her key to success was joining Jogging the Power Poles.

It’s really cool because you train without thinking about training.

When she joined the Browns swim team last summer, Warbrick was still a big girl, but she had no idea she had already lost weight.

She had one suit that was big enough to wear.

Surprisingly, she kept showing up for the swim, and before you knew it, she was swimming faster than anyone else in the lane – wow.

Brown said Warbrick kept showing up at other practices.

She quietly bought a bike online and showed up with her new bike. Then she showed up in a race or two.

Brown recalls seeing her at the Browns Novice Triathlon in the fall, and while Warbrick initially committed to a quarter-iron, she soon noticed she was breaking everything so she convinced her to aim higher.

She just showed up at all the training sessions, getting stronger and stronger, thinner and thinner. I am in awe of her quiet determination, no drama or selfies, she just does the mahi.

Brown said Warbrick was able to gradually lose weight the old-fashioned way, but still had enough energy to train.

I have every confidence that she will blow full iron, just like she did with her weight. Oh, and by the way, her suit got too baggy so she’s now in a different one – one that’s four sizes smaller.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who reported for Rotorua Daily Post for over 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.