Samantha Santos is a mum-of-two from Wollondilly in NSW. Amazingly, she has lost 28kg by following the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge!
“I’d been following The Healthy Mummy for some time on social media but decided to take the plunge and become a lifetime member because I was sick of feeling sluggish, embarrassed to be in social settings and uncomfortable in all my clothes,” she says.
“I wanted to feel confident, happy and proud of my body. I never used to like being in photos, now I will prompt to make sure I get in on the memory making IN FRONT of the camera too.”
How Samantha lost 28kg in just under a year
In May 2021, Samantha decided to kickstart her weight loss journey.
“I’ve seen great overall health benefits in my physical and mental health and wellbeing,” she says.
“Becoming a mother has been the greatest and most purposeful blessing, but over those first few weeks which led to months it consumed me and I poured absolutely everything into my baby and slowly I lost myself further and further down the priority list and the weight kept creeping up.

Samantha’s day on a plate
A typical day on a plate for me is roughly 1500-1900 calories as still breastfeeding my 1y/o
Breakfast: Toast with cream cheese and a coffee (skim milk) for breakfast (311 calories)
Morning tea: Granola with Greek yoghurt and mixed berries (frozen blueberries and strawberries) (328 calories)
Afternoon tea: Tomato and onion tuna and rice crackers (182 calories)
Dinner with the family: Something from The Healthy Mummy app (roughly 500 calories)
Evening snack: Milk chocolate (141 calories)

Exercise: I love all the trainer’s on the app and how easy it is to do from home. When I first started I was using 3L milk bottles as weights and still found it to be very effective.

Samantha’s 3 tips for others mums
1. Log everything into the app
I find the more I’m entering into the app (food, water, movement) the more consistent I am. I was so surprised when I first started using the calorie counting part of the app.
They can add up so fast with packaged foods and portion control. Prior to joining, I would consume 2000+ calories more than I needed and that would have been on a “good day” .
2. Do not deprive yourself from anything you are craving or want
Just allow for it in your calories and stick to it. Do what is comfortable for you to begin. Start where you feel comfortable.
Breaking down the 45 minutes exercise was good because I started with a walk of 20 minutes and one app workout to make up my 45-50 minutes movement 5 times a week.
