Tipping the scales at 142kg, Queensland mum-of-two Reesha Lewis gasped for breath as she tried to place one foot in front of the other.
A hike on Mt Ngungun in the Glass House Mountains on Australia Day 2016 was what prompted Reesha to start her incredible transformation.
“It was really hard – I had to keep stopping to catch my breath but when I got to the top it was so worth it,” she says.
“I burst into tears when I got home – I was so overwhelmed by what I’d done to myself.”
Reesha started at 142kg and now weighs just 63kg after a huge lifestyle change.
(Image: Supplied)
Now, six years on, Reesha, 35, has lost more than half her body weight.
Determined to change her ways, the mum-of-two, from Beerwah in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, and her mother Sue, 62, began waking up at 3am three times a week to tackle the 2.8km mountain summit hike.
Soon Reesha began going on the hike twice a day, slowly adding in PT sessions and bike rides, and swapping her carb-heavy diet of buttery toast, fast food and pizzas for lean meats and salads.
Quickly the weight began falling off and within four months she was 20kg lighter.
“They saved my life, those mountains,” she smiles.
“I wasn’t enjoying my life – it was a struggle walking to the mailbox without getting puffed. Now I jump out of bed, I have so much energy… I feel like I’m alive now.”
Reesha, who now weighs in at 63kg, has taken things even further, winning titles and outclassing elite athletes in three sports – boxing, mountain running and ultramarathon running.
She took up ultramarathons, boxing and mountain running.
(Image: Supplied)While she’s proud of how far she’s come, she believes none of her achievements would have been possible without the love and support of her family – partner Adam Barnes, 41, son Archie, 10, and daughter Nevayah, seven.
“Adam is so understanding – he wants the best for me and for me to be happy,” she says.
“And Mum’s been my rock, she’s been there every step of the way – and my sisters would join me on a climb or a bike ride – they’re just amazing.”
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
Reesha is so grateful for her family’s support.
(Image: Supplied)Reesha’s weekly workout in numbers:
• 80km to 100km running
• 40km rowing
• 30km to 60km cycling
• 5 x climbing Glass House Mountains
• 4 x personal trainer sessions
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