Triathlon instead of fast food: Australian woman dropped 115 kilos in 1.5 years

Two years ago, Elena Goodall weighed so much that she could only weigh herself on industrial scales. During the medical examination, the doctor told the girl that she was unlikely to live to 35 years. This was a turning point for Elena, and she decided to radically change her life…

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Source: Daily Mail

29-year-old Elena Goodell from the Australian city of Cairns showed an incredible result in changing her appearance: since the end of 2015, she managed to part with 115 (!) kilograms of excess weight. She can become an example for many: two years ago she was unable to tie her shoelaces, and today she is engaged in triathlon, participates in the famous Iron Man marathon and feels great.

According to Elena, she had a real addiction to fast food, she ate junk food in huge quantities every day and could not overcome her addiction in any way. In May 2015, she weighed 184 kilograms and suffered from type 2 diabetes and apnea (respiratory arrest).

"During the medical examination, the doctor asked how much I weigh. And I didn't know my exact weight, because when I tried to weigh myself on a regular scale, they showed an error: I was too heavy. To find out how much I weigh, I had to use industrial scales," Elena said in an interview with a British tabloid. The libra case horrified her: she hadn't realized before that things were so bad. From that moment on, she firmly decided to take care of her health.

"I couldn't do anything, even tie my shoelaces or sit on the ground, because then I couldn't get up," Elena recalls those times. — But it wasn't always like that! Before that, I took part in swimming competitions, I was in good shape. I think I just got used to living comfortably and got lazy. At first I bought fast food for dinner once a week, then two, then three. And gradually I began to eat junk food every night, but not one portion at a time! I tried to lose weight, but I had absolutely no motivation. I was not enough for more than a month. I loved fast food and couldn't stop. It was like a drug for me."

Doctors told the Australian that if she did not have a stomach resection and completely changed her lifestyle, she was unlikely to live to 35 years. Elena decided to have an operation after they wanted to take away her driver's license because of apnea. "The oxygen level in my blood dropped to such low levels that I could fall asleep at the wheel," she explained.

"After the operation, I happened to meet a woman who went through the same procedure, but did not change her lifestyle. She continued to eat junk food, did not exercise, and eventually all the weight she lost returned to her, — says Elena. "After that, I said to myself, 'No, this won't happen to me!' So I took up triathlon and started training intensively."

At the same time, Elena decided not to fixate on her original goal of reaching a weight of 85 kilograms, but to take care of becoming strong, athletic and healthy. "Diet and sports helped me lose weight," says the girl. "I completely gave up fast food and started cooking healthy food at home."

Thanks to daily intensive training, Elena became so strong and hardy that on June 11 she completed the Ironman semi-triathlon program, swimming a distance of 2 kilometers, cycling 90 kilometers and running 21.1 kilometers. In December 2017, Elena plans to take part in the full Ironman triathlon program, and her distant goal is the World Triathlon Championship in Hawaii.

All this time, the girl keeps a diary on social networks "Ellie's Path to health", where she talks about how she lost weight. "Now I continue to lose weight. I have an intense training schedule, and now I'm training hard. No wonder the weight goes away. But I constantly work with a nutritionist and a nutrition specialist, because I don't want to lose weight further," says Elena. — A certain amount of fat is necessary for my body, and now I risk losing too much weight. When I participate in "Iron Man", I don't think about time and results. I just want to prove to myself that I could do it. And I also try to show others what a path I have passed, with all its successes and failures."