Melita's Story

My name is Melita. I am 9 years old. Before I met Desi Carlos from Tree of Life I weighed 57.9kgs, a girl’s size 16. I was very unhappy, I used to have a shower at night and look at myself in the mirror and cry. I used to cry to my mum saying I wanted to look like all the other girls at school. Mum put on many diets, made me exercise, signed me up to play soccer and told me I couldn’t eat any junk food or lollies, I used to tell her she was mean. Everyone used to say it was in my genes and that I took after my dad’s side of the family and was big boned. Most of the kids at school didn’t play with me and some even used to tease me saying I was too fat to play with them.

At the beginning of 2010 I didn’t want to go to school anymore, I was uncomfortable, I used to get a lot of headaches and felt unwell all the time. Mum decided it was time to do some tests thinking maybe my thyroid was out because I didn’t eat unhealthy and did exercise. My test came back all okay and in March mum asked our doctor for a dietician’s phone number and that’s how I met Desi.

My first appointment was upsetting and embarrassing because I saw how much I weighed, I was too embarrassed for Desi to see the scales and started crying when mum looked. Desi reassured me and gave me hope by telling me that if I followed the right diet with some exercise I would lose some weight. She gave me a food plan of what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat. She even told me I could have 2 scoops of ice-cream for dessert, I liked that idea. I had to keep a food diary of everything I ate. I also had to do 2 hours of exercise a day, 1 hour during the day (playing and running around at school) and 1 hour in the afternoon, which was hard at first because I was unfit and overweight so I got tired pretty quick.

The first week was the hardest. Mum packed my lunch and I’d eat everything at morning tea and at lunch I had nothing and was hungry. The school office had to ring mum so I could get something from the tuckshop, mum only allowed this on my first day of the diet and told me I had to eat my lunch at the right times.

My second week was easier. I had my second weigh in and lost 4 kilos, I was so happy and it gave me the will and hope that I could do this and keep going.

Every fortnight I had to see Desi to weigh in and show my food diary and change any food I was getting bored with and get new suggestions from her of what I could eat. Every week she saw I lost between 2 to 3 kilos, mum was so proud, I was very happy and Desi was wrapped.

In July I had my athletics carnival and for the first time ever I won my 80m sprint, I was no longer the fat girl who came last.

Now 8 months on I weigh 38kilos, I’ve lost a total of 19.9 kilos and I am now a girls size 8 to 10 and I can now shop in the kids clothes section and realise everyone was wrong, I take after my mum’s side of the family, I have little bones. I have a lot more energy and confidence and I owe it all to Desi, without her guidance and support I would still be overweight if not heavier and unhappy. I recommend her to anyone who has tried to lose weight and haven’t been able to, because she helped me and taught me how to eat properly which I am able to carry on for all the years of my life.