A mother was motivated to lose more than 75 pounds after her young son drew a picture of her with a large belly and wrote, ‘It’s OK to be fat.’
Wendy Candlish, 40, from Canberra, Australia, was inspired to get in better shape after her son’s teachers told him to draw a picture of her – and he made a stick figure with a ‘ginormous belly.’
Wendy, who weighed 224 pounds at her heaviest, described the moment she saw the drawing hanging on the classroom wall as ‘a slap in the face,’ but said it was the ‘wakeup call she needed.’
‘I didn’t need to ask which one was my son’s – I just knew. I realized at that moment, how could I possibly teach my children to be the very best versions of themselves and tell them that they can do whatever they dream of doing if I wasn’t doing it myself?’ she told News.com.au.
Wendy Candlish, 40, was motivated to lose more than 75 pounds after her young son drew a picture of her with a large belly and wrote, ‘It’s OK to be fat’
The Canberra, Australia, mother said her son was asked to draw her by his teachers – and he made a stick figure with a ‘ginormous belly’
Wendy recalled having an ‘unhealthy relationship’ with food growing up, which led to her weight gain.
‘Growing up, I would restrict myself by eating as little or as light as I could, avoiding fats and carbs,’ she recalled.
‘If I ever ate out I would lose control and spiral into days or weeks of binge eating, and as I got older that included binge drinking.
‘I would use particular foods as a punishment, eat for emotional comfort and at times use food as a reward.’
Wendy said her ‘all-or-nothing attitude’ made her disregard the ‘impacts’ of what she was doing to her body.
The mom-of-four added that during her pregnancies, she would take ‘eating for two literally’ and ‘pile on’ the pounds.
Wendy, who weighed 224 pounds at her heaviest, described the moment as ‘a slap in the face.’ She is pictured before (left) and after (right) her weight loss
But the mother-of-four said it was the ‘wake up call she needed’ – and it has since inspired her to lose more than 75 pounds. She is pictured before (left) and after (right) her weight loss
Now, Wendy – who shares her weight loss journey online – is training to compete in the World Beauty Fitness & Fashion show in Sydney, which will take place this spring
She recalled wondering: ‘How could I teach my children to be the very best versions of themselves if I wasn’t doing it myself?’ She is pictured before (left) and after (right)
However, the fact that people ‘couldn’t really tell’ that she was pregnant with her fourth child – combined with seeing her son’s drawing – made her realized it was time to make a change.
In 2019, she joined a gym before eventually hiring a personal trainer, and she quickly ‘started to see changes’ to her body.
Now, Wendy – who often shares her weight loss journey online under the username @miss_wendy_fitness – walks between 10,000 to 12,000 steps each day and is training to compete in the World Beauty Fitness & Fashion show in Sydney, which will take place this spring.
She has also teamed up with sports nutritionist and three-time WBFF champion Alicia Gowans, who has helped her overcome ‘years of mental self-abuse and self-neglect.’
‘I learnt more about myself in those first few months [working with Alicia] than I ever had,’ she said.
Wendy said she had an ‘unhealthy relationship’ with food growing up, which led to her weight gain. She is pictured before (left) and after (right) her weight loss
She said she would ‘restrict herself’ with food and then ‘lose control’ and ‘spiral into days or weeks of binge eating.’ She is pictured in 2020 (left) and 2021 (right)
The mother-of-four explained that during her pregnancies, she would take ‘eating for two literally’ and ‘pile on’ the pounds. She is pictured before (left) and after (right) her weight loss
In 2019, she joined a gym before eventually hiring a personal trainer, and she quickly ‘started to see changes’ to her body. She is pictured before (left) and after (right) her weight loss
‘I finally understood what barriers I faced, what lies I told myself and what truly needed to change in order for me to become the best version of myself.
‘We worked hard on increasing my maintenance calories and removing misconceptions I had in regards to particular foods.’
Wendy noted that she lost the weight to not only ‘improve her health,’ but to also be a ‘role model for her children.’
‘The woman who stands before you today is a woman who is proud of who she has become. She is proud of her body and her achievements,’ she concluded.
‘I’m excited to push the boundaries and celebrate my accomplishments on the WBFF stage.’