AUGUST 2017AWW.COM.AU 85
“I became my own guinea pig,”
Bernadette says of her diet
plan, at home in her kitchen.Bernadette’s
top 5 diet rules
1
I don’t eat sugar, even fructose.
Why? It can make you fat, it’s
that simple.2
I don’t eat processed foods.
Unfortunately, about 80 per cent
of supermarket food is processed.3
I don’t drink fizzy drinks or fruit
drinks at all.4
I don’t buy diet or low-fat foods
(they often contain more sugar
and salt to compensate for the taste).5
I seriously cut back on carbs –
processed and refined – and
I mean seriously!she decided to self-publish it as a
mini-book. After the local paper ran
an article on her success, the first print
run sold out and major publishers
from around the world came
knocking on her door.
The Little Book Of Big Weightloss,
with its personal, often hilarious,
anecdotes and straight-talking format,
has been a huge hit and is now being
sold in 21 countries. Bern receives
emails or Instagram messages every
day from women who are using her
book as a guide so they can follow
in her footsteps.
“There’s a million diet books
out there, but there was nothing
condensed and to the point that spoke
to me. I needed something that was
easy and real. No counting calories or
anything like that. It had to be a plan
I could live with. It’s an honest book
- no bulldust!” Bern says, laughing.
While exercise wasn’t a priority –
getting her diet right was – Bern found
ways of incorporating more activity
into her everyday life. She set herself
a target of 10,000 steps per day. When
she went to work, she would park
further away so she would walk more,
or she would head out for a stroll with
Lilli on her scooter, or do more at
home, such as vacuuming vigorously
and cleaning, to boost up her steps.
“It was all about just moving my
body more,” Bern explains. “I didn’t
put pressure on myself to pop on
the lycra and head to the gym for
an hour. I just used my time a little
better and found incremental ways of
incorporating movement into my day.
“If we were going out for breakfast
or coffee, I’d walk to the cafe. And
walking to and from school with
Lilli. If by the end of the day I hadn’t
reached 10,000 steps, I’d walk around
the block. I love being outside in
nature, I find it very calming. Often,
Lilli will come with me and we are
all happier and healthier for it.”As she slips into a stunning off-the-
shoulder top, slim-fitting jeans and
heels for our photo shoot, the fruits
of Bern’s efforts are clear: the woman
who used to refuse to look at herself
in the mirror is brimming with
confidence and clearly comfortable
in front of the camera.
“For a long time, Lilli couldn’t fit
her arms around me when she tried
to cuddle me,” Bern says. “Now, her
arms go all the way around me and
she can squish me. That makes it all
worthwhile.”AW W