From Active Teenager to 147kg at 21


As a teenager I was active, sporty, and could eat anything without thinking twice about it. I was one of those kids who just stayed lean no matter what. I didn't think about food or exercise. It was just part of life.


Then I left school, started earning money, and real life showed up all at once. A job. Study. Bills. The kind of low-level stress that doesn't go away because it's just Tuesday. I didn't have great tools for dealing with any of it, so I did what a lot of people do. I turned to food. Not just eating a bit more, but genuinely using food to celebrate, to comfort, to decompress, to get through the day.


Between 18 and 21 I went from 82kg to 147kg.


I told myself I was fine. My knees hurt? Must be the job. My back was sore? Long days on my feet. Couldn't sleep well? Stress. I had an excuse for every symptom and I believed every one of them. Looking back, I was kidding myself completely.


The Wake-Up Call I Didn't See Coming


The thing that changed everything wasn't a doctor's appointment or a health scare. It was my soon-to-be wife getting in the car for a date, looking at me, and saying: "You've become really fat. It's unattractive and you need to do something about it."


Not exactly what you want to hear from the woman you're quietly making an engagement ring for.


But it was the most honest thing anyone had ever said to me. And somewhere underneath the sting of it, I knew she was right. Not just about how I looked, but about everything I'd been avoiding. I had an outward problem, the weight, but behind that was a whole set of attitudes, habits, and mental patterns that had quietly allowed me to get there. Fixing one without fixing the other wasn't going to work.


I tried to get a personal trainer. They handed me a generic plan that I'm pretty sure came off a bodybuilding forum. It wasn't built for me, my life, or my situation. So I decided to figure it out myself.


The Journey Was Messy. Here's What I Actually Learned.


I made a lot of mistakes. For my first six months I ate chicken, broccoli, and kumara. Three meals a day, every day. I lost weight, but I would never recommend that approach to anyone. It's not sustainable, it's not enjoyable, and it teaches you nothing about how to actually eat for the rest of your life.


But slowly, I figured things out. About training, about food, and about the stuff underneath it all that nobody really talks about.


Binge Eating


This wasn't just overeating. I would eat until I was physically sick, and then keep eating. I'd pick up a full KFC bucket on the way home on a Friday night, fries, a 1.5L drink, the lot. and be in the McDonald's drive-through at 10pm ordering a family box to eat by myself.


It took a lot of honest work to understand why I was constantly chasing comfort in food. That kind of eating isn't about hunger. It's about something else entirely. Understanding that, and working through it, was one of the hardest and most important things I've ever done.


Training


I didn't enjoy gym training. I still don't. So I had to figure out how to make it work for someone who isn't naturally motivated by lifting weights alone. The answer for me was making it social and making it efficient. To this day I don't train alone. If I have no one to train with, I won't go. Knowing that about yourself and building around it isn't a weakness, it's just being smart about how you're wired.


Self-Esteem


This one took the longest. I had to learn how to actually like myself, not based on what I looked like, but based on what I could do and the journey I'd been on.


At 18 I wasn't happy with myself. By 21 I was wishing I looked the way I did at 18. When I got healthy at 23 I still wasn't satisfied, constantly chasing leaner, thinking that if I just got a bit more defined I'd finally feel good about myself. Now at 30 I look back at 23 and think I looked and performed brilliantly.


That's the trap. The goal post keeps moving if you let it. What I've learned is that the goal can't be a look. It has to be about what your body can do, how you feel, and the habits you're building for the long run. I'm genuinely happy now with where I'm at, and more importantly, I know I've built the foundation that'll carry me through the rest of my life.


Why I Do This


Everything I went through, the weight gain, the binge eating, the bad advice, the slow and imperfect climb back, all of it shaped the coach I am today.


I'm not standing on the outside looking in. I've been through the health journey, the real one, with the false starts and the mental battles and the days where it felt pointless. I know what it takes, and I know what the mistakes look like, because I made most of them.


That's what drives me. Helping people avoid the hard way where they can, and helping rebuild people who've been beaten up by life a bit and are ready to start again. Whatever stage you're at, you're not too far gone. I'm proof of that.



By Steve and Melody Johnstone April 16, 2026
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What Even Is Healthy? When we talk about being healthy, what does that actually mean? For some, it's about having energy, avoiding sickness, or feeling good. For others, it's about fitting into a certain clothing size or seeing a specific number on the scale. While all these factors matter, one of the most reliable ways to measure health is body fat percentage. 1. Why Focus on Body Fat Percentage? Body fat percentage is a more accurate and meaningful indicator of health than just tracking weight. Your weight can change from day to day based on how much water you drink, what you eat, or how active you've been. Body fat levels, on the other hand, change more slowly, giving a clearer picture of your health over time. Healthy body fat ranges can vary, but as a general guide: - Men: 15-20% body fat is healthy. - Women: 20-28% body fat is healthy. These ranges might surprise people. They're higher than what many expect but lower than what some feel comfortable with. However, these levels provide a balance, enough fat to support your body's needs while reducing risks associated with excess fat, like heart disease or diabetes. 2. What About Other Metrics? While body fat percentage is important, it's just one part of the bigger picture. Health includes other elements, such as: - Mental Health: Your ability to handle stress, stay positive, and enjoy life. - Physical Fitness: This includes strength, endurance, flexibility, and mobility. - Energy Levels: Consistently feeling energized is a key sign of good health. Body fat percentage stands out because it directly reflects your body composition and long-term health risks, but it's not the only thing that matters. 3. Ways to Measure Body Fat Percentage Tracking body fat doesn't have to be complicated. Here are three common methods: - Tape Measure Calculator: Use an online calculator with basic measurements like your waist, neck, and hips (for women) to get an estimate of your body fat percentage. - Fat Calipers: These tools pinch your skin to measure fat thickness. They're more accurate but require practice to use correctly. - Body Scans: Clinics or gyms offer scans that assess body fat. Some use basic bioelectrical impedance (less accurate), while others, like DEXA scans, measure fat distribution more precisely. It's worth checking the type of scan before booking. 4. Why Body Fat Is Better Than Weight Tracking body fat gives a clearer and more consistent picture of your health compared to weight. Your weight can vary for many reasons, water retention, muscle gain, or even the time of day you weigh yourself. Body fat, however, shifts gradually, making it easier to track real progress. 4.1 The History of BMI and Its Flaws In the 1830s, a Belgian mathematician named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet created what we now call the Body Mass Index (BMI). Quetelet wasn't a doctor, he was a statistician who wanted to study trends in large groups of people. His formula for comparing weight and height wasn't meant to measure individual health. BMI gained popularity in the 1970s when American physiologist Ancel Keys promoted it as a quick way to classify obesity. But BMI has some big flaws. It doesn't account for differences in muscle mass, bone density, or where fat is stored. For example, someone with a lot of muscle might be labeled "overweight" or "obese" by BMI, even though they're healthy. BMI also doesn't work as well for women or people of different ethnic backgrounds, since it was based on data from European men. While BMI is still widely used because it's simple, it's not very accurate for individuals. Body fat percentage is a much better choice for assessing health. 5. Healthy Changes Over Time Improving your body fat percentage takes time and consistent effort. The key is to make small, manageable changes. Extreme diets or quick fixes may give short-term results, but they're hard to stick with and often lead to burnout. Health is a long-term commitment, so focus on sustainable habits instead. 6. Redefining Healthy It's also important to redefine what "healthy" means for you. Being healthy doesn't mean aiming for perfection. It's about feeling good, staying active, and making choices that support your long-term well-being. Tracking body fat percentage can be a great tool, but it's only one part of the picture. By taking a balanced approach and focusing on slow, steady progress, you can create a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle that works for you.