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Nicola Field, 36, discovered powerlifting and not only lost weight, but gained a newfound sense of confidence.

"I didn't get much of a chance to play outside and run around with the other kids growing up. We lived on a farm in New Zealand and I was plagued by ear infections and other illnesses. Most of my childhood memories are of visits to the doctor and time in hospital for ear operations. Not that I minded. I'd rather be inside reading a book or watching a movie. My illness was an easy excuse.

"As I participated less and less, I ate more. Strangely, my poor diet and lack of exercise didn't have much impact on my weight. I guess I was using up a lot of energy fighting off infections, as well as growing, even if it was to only four foot, nine and a half inches tall.

"At puberty, it started affecting my waistline. Like many families, we had a few problems so I turned to food for comfort. It became something I thought about all the time. At my heaviest I weighed 85 kilograms and was a size 18 – scary when you consider my height, or lack thereof!

Then, nine years ago, my life changed. I was living in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales, after moving to Australia in 1993. The couple I was boarding with, Maurice and Sue, were into powerlifting and had a gym in their garage. I was still very unsocial and would rather be at home than out with friends. When they suggested I give it a go, I thought, 'Why not?' It wasn't about getting healthy; it was simply a conscious effort to get out there more.

"We worked out three days a week, for a few hours at a time. I had to start with the very basics, teaching my body where it was in space and making it do what I wanted it to. Starting with just a broomstick across my shoulders, Maurice taught me to squat, bench press and deadlift. I was making progress, but that was small comfort when I hobbled down the stairs the morning after a workout.

"My interest in food switched from being just about taste to considering what my body actually needed. I learned how my body used different types of food and what I needed to get the most out of my workouts. It wasn't super-healthy food; mainly meat and vegetables. And I could still have my favourite burgers, chocolate and beer, just not as often.

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"Maurice and Sue watched with interest as my knees began to emerge from beneath the layers of fat and my tummy shrank. I was able to squat deeper and lift more. When I dropped to 75 kilograms, I started thinking about what weight I wanted to achieve. Up until then, I had just enjoyed the workouts and the weight loss was an added bonus.

"I had no desire to be 'stick thin', I just wanted to be healthy. I decided to work towards 60 kilograms. For quite a while, I stayed at about 75, then 65 kilograms. I was exchanging fat for muscle, so although the scales didn't change, my shape did. I worked towards my goal – but I knew I would need to lose more. My new goal became 50 kilograms. As I lost weight in one way, I was gaining it in another; I was squatting around 85 kilos, the weight I'd been when I started with the broomstick.

"It took me around three years to go from 85 to 50 kilograms. That may seem like a long time, but I believe that's why the weight has pretty much stayed off. Since my goals were set in stages, I was never overwhelmed by how much I had to lose.

"People who knew me before often do a double take when they see me now. New people I meet take a step back and try to picture how big I must have been.

"My weight has settled at 60 kilograms, but I know I could lose those extra kilos if I wanted to. Life is so much more enjoyable now. I can go clothes shopping and know they'll have something in my size. I can get out there and do things I wasn't confident enough to do before, such as visit a public gym. I'm a lot more comfortable with who I am. Trust me; if I can do it, anyone can."

For more information about powerlifting, visit www.powerliftingaustralia.com.

Words: Kieren Charteris.  Photography: Scott Hawkins.  Hair & make-up: David Novak-Piper

 

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