In August, Queensland couple Sharny and Julius Kieser announced they were embarking on an eight week weight loss challenge after spending a month “getting fat”.
They wanted to prove that the FitMum and FitDad fitness programs they endorse actually work, and now, they’ve shared their results.
Sharny, 36, and Julius, 35, posted their weekly weigh-ins via Facebook Live, sharing their final weigh-in on Friday October 7.
In a completely unexpected twist, the self-proclaimed “fitness couple” lost a substantial amount of weight. Combined, they lost almost 30 kilograms, with Sharny losing 12.3 kilos and Julius losing 17 kilos. In their final video, Sharny weighed in at 56.7 kilos, and Julius weighed in at 92.5 kilos.
The couple, who have six children, spoke to their audience about what their weight loss means to them.
"It's amazing because for me it was about feeling good as a mum. Magnus is almost nine months old and I've been breastfeeding the whole time," Sharny said.
"He's healthy and chubby and happy and I'm thin and amazing. So I know that he was totally fine the entire time."
Julius confessed, "I've cheated a couple of times," but said "most of the time it's just been about hanging with the kids, being healthy, being happy and being present with them, and getting fitter so that I can be a better dad."
Of course, being thin doesn't make you a better parent. Not by a long shot - which is probably why the couple, who have no discernible health qualifications, tend to attract a great deal of criticism. They've been accused of 'fat shaming' and 'bullying,' but say they come "from a place of caring and after years of hearing too many excuses."
"We know that many people don't agree with us, but somebody needed to say it," says Julius.
Also causing controversy is the couples' attitude towards the issue of being "too thin". In their most recent Facebook Live, they joked about the fact that they're not at risk for anorexia, because of how much they love food.
In fact, Sharny wants to become as thin as possible, so she has some leeway when it comes to what she eats.
"As you get leaner people will say to you 'oh you're not losing anymore weight are you?' and people have been saying that to me," she said.
"It's easy to get fat. So I want to go and get as lean as I can to see what my abs look like and what I can achieve and so does Julius because if I want to gain a kilo all I've got to do is have a piece of cake."
FACT: Eating a piece of cake does not make you gain a kilo. And saying that it does is a pretty irresponsible thing to do in front of an audience of almost 50,000 followers.
The couple have been in the spotlight for years, often for controversial comments that are criticised for "bullying and stigmatising overweight people." Most notably, Sharny was the subject of a particularly tense interview with Chrissie Swan, where the topic of Swan being "lazy" came up.
When the radio host asked the 'Fitmum' "Would you say that I am lazy?" Kieser responded: "You have been, but I have seen you change from being lazy to getting into exercise as well, so I’ve seen you change that mindset."
Swan pressed, "So you think raising three children and working sometimes 14 hours a day is lazy?”
Kieser said: "I think that not fitting in exercise and not being active with your kids and trying to teach them a healthy lifestyle is definitely not the right way to go, yeah." (Post continues after gallery.)
5 exercises for your living room floor.
After the couple gained weight in preparation for their eight week program, Sharny said, "We have noticed a difference in our kids while we have been junky junkies and we have become lazy and sort of brain dead."
"We are eating so much that it has become addictive. Today has been our last bender and it's been fun but it's got to stop because we are not here forever," said Julius.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Sharny said her and her husband just ate "whatever we felt like."
"Initially it was sickly, but it very quickly became fun, then addiction. We really wanted to go back into the FitMum and FitDad programs as realistically as possible for people."
On their site, Sharny writes that when she was 30 kilos heavier, she led a "hollow, empty existence." She says she lost 24 kilos and gained her power back.
Watch: Mamamia staff share their mortifying gym moments. (Post continues after video.)
"Actually, I gained more power," she writes. "I felt more power. I felt that I had finally transitioned into what I WANTED to have as a mother and what I wanted to BE as a mother. Not the apron wearing hag with tuckshop arms and whispy hair who spent most of the day hiding in the pantry guzzling chocolate.
"I was a WOMAN and I understood what my place in the world was."
She promises that with her FitMum program, you'll "be the queen of your family, not the slave," and will "love what you look like in a bikini." She even says, "your husband won't stop showering you with gifts."
Alas, the reality is that losing weight won't give you back your power, make you a better mother, or help you understand your "place in the world."
But being kind to yourself always helps.
Top Comments
All I could think while reading this was 'yikes'.
Sorry but to put it blankly, these people are judgemental morons. with no accreditation either, it makes it all even more laughable.
They're lucky they don't have medical issues that make losing weight difficult.