Sam Was a Fiend For Sugar

Sam Kimber, 36, was sick and tired of looking and feeling terrible, and the time came when he just couldn’t keep saying things like … “it’s a bad angle” when he found a photo of himself embarrassing. His self-esteem was low, his fitness was poor, and he often had back, ankle, and knee pain from inactivity.

“My resting heart rate was always around 100bpm, and I was eating poorly – daily energy drinks, soft drinks, bad food regularly (I was a fiend for sugar),” Sam admits. There wasn’t one particular ‘moment’ where he decided he needed to change but having to buy 3XL shirts sure was the kick in the right direction.

“My whole life, I’ve always been ‘the fat guy’ and I knew I always had it in me to change, but I never committed. It was around July 2021 in the middle of lockdowns that I actively started trying to change, but I didn’t really kick into gear until September that year.”

Sam’s Journey To A Healthier Life

Since the gyms reopened at the end of October 2021, Sam hasn’t looked back. His goal was always to be around the 174lbs / 79kg mark.

“I live in a great part of Melbourne where there are plenty of places to walk, so I’ve been doing a lot of walking and now as I’m getting more fit, I’ve also been adding running into my training, which has increased from about 15 seconds to nearly 2 minutes!” he excitedly says.

“At the start, I’d do a couple of 6km walks per week as well as 2 gym sessions (weight training) and a bit of bike work. This has now increased to 6 days per week overall with 3 weight sessions and a lot more walking, I walk at least 3km a day now.”

Sam trains at Snap Fitness South Yarra, and he is grateful for all the motivation that has come with his training.

“Emma and the crew there have been incredible with how much they celebrate both mine and everyone else’s successes at the gym, it’s been a huge factor,” he said.

Combining walking and gym work with proper nutrition has also been a strong factor in Sam’s transformation. He’s ditched energy and soft drinks for water, and now meal preps to ensure he has full control of what he consumes.

“This has stopped me from falling into the temptation of just getting take-away food as the easy way out if I haven’t made lunch,” he says.