When Tanya Rybakova decided to lose weight she became the star in her own “Cinderella” story.
Three years ago the Russian lifestyle blogger weighed 107kg, and was constantly bullied because of her size.
“Children were mean, so I didn’t socialise — I had no friends and I spent a lot of time just reading.
“It was so bad I would come home from school crying and I didn’t want to go back. Being overweight took my confidence,” she told News.com.au.
The turning point came on Tanya’s prom night, an evening she describes as the worst of her life.
“I was alone and crying. Even my friends didn’t talk to me, so I decided then to lose the weight,” she added.
Tanya blames her initial weight gain on poor diet: “I didn’t come from a rich family and we ate a lot of cheap food that wasn’t healthy.
“We didn’t know it wasn’t right, as it was tasty. My weight became big and I was having breathing problems and I couldn’t walk,” she says.
After trying various “crap” diets that were “popular but not healthy”, Tanya contacted a nutritionist and trainer. “I wanted to learn everything about fitness training.”
Determined to succeed Tanya cut trans-fat and sugar from her diet and trained at home. She also swam in a local lake three times a week.
After losing an incredible 55kg, Tanya decided to have surgery to remove the excess skin.
“I was trying to accept the saggy skin and doing everything I can but it was too much skin.
“The surgery is not a secret and I am always honest about this.
“I also hope it warns other people from getting fat. I never thought about that before when I was big,” she says.
Now, three years later, Tanya runs an online program to aimed at passing on her knowledge and experience to others.
She eats well and plans her meals for the day, her philosophy is that it’s not a diet but a lifestyle.
“I work with people losing weight to show them you have to change your mind first,” she said.
“It’s not just about losing weight, that’s just the first step, it’s about having confidence and being healthy physically and mentally.
“The biggest change is confidence as losing weight shows you can do it if you want,” she says.
“You can change your life if you believe in yourself.”
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