NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Hastings man loses 100kg in 15 months

By Amy Shanks
Hawkes Bay Today·
18 Nov, 2013 01:34 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Hastings man Richard Kupa dropped 100kg with good diet and exercise. He is now full of life and loves spending time with his six children including Maraea, 8 (pictured). Photo/Duncan Brown.

Hastings man Richard Kupa dropped 100kg with good diet and exercise. He is now full of life and loves spending time with his six children including Maraea, 8 (pictured). Photo/Duncan Brown.

Since dropping a staggering 100kg in 15 months, Hastings man Richard Kupa is living life to the full - hunting, fishing, boxing and playing rugby with his sons for the first time in 20 years.

There was no miraculous operation or drug. This is a tale of blood, sweat and determination.

The reality was life or death for Mr Kupa, 52, who tipped the scales at 240kg, took 12 different pills for skyrocketing blood pressure and was fighting diabetes.

He also suffered debilitating back pain which left him "paralysed" for 18 months. A scan in Auckland's Mercy Hospital revealed three of the disks in his back had "dissolved".

"I went to the doctor - my weight was really high and my blood pressure was really high - it was 200, 190, 180 - he gave me lots of different meds to get it down and basically said: 'you are either going to have a stroke, a heart attack or both'.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"That's when I thought, 'jeez I need to do something about this'. I was at the takeaway shop and an old mate called me across the road saying he was looking to get a group of 'big boys' together."

Every member had the same goal: To shed some kilograms and get fit.

The first thing they addressed was diet, calling on a nutritionist to pass on good eating habits and show them how to make low fat meals.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Then came the hard part - exercise - every day with a passionate trainer, who pushed them to the limit with new and interesting workout plans. Together, the group overcame hurdles and encouraged each other along the way.

"We started up the Big Boy's Club, but as more women joined it became the Patu Club. It was good because we had these really inspiring young trainers - Levi Armstrong has this gift, he genuinely cares about us, he's not just a gym owner or trainer, he really feels for us."

Since dropping the weight he is down to four pills for blood pressure, has kicked diabetes, is more mobile and has more energy. "I think what I really noticed was being able to do more things - I went to rugby and I was able to run - for five minutes the first week, ten the next, then it was half an hour and finally I could play a full game."

While he removed bread and fizzy drinks from the menu early on, Mr Kupa still allows himself the odd treat, as long as it's in moderation. "I drink water, eat salads and introduced a lot more protein; diet is the hardest part, sacrificing and saying, 'no, I'm not going to eat that', or, 'I'm not going to drink that'.

"Now I have lost a bit more weight I can have a bit of chockie or pudding, but just a little bit."

Some of the best benefits have been simple things, walking up Te Mata Peak, participating on hunting and diving trips with his sons instead of being stuck in the car, or even just going shopping.

Along with everyday achievements he also stepped up to take his brother's place at the recent Battle For Life charity boxing match.

"He pulled a hamstring so I said I would do it - I lost a whole heap of weight training for that."

But the journey is not over yet, just yesterday he rode a bike from Napier to Westshore, swam Pandora Pond and signed up to compete in a triathalon.

"I want to get down to 120kg, 115kg, that's the dream."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Serious crash closes SH1 between Taupō and Tūrangi, delays expected

04 Jul 09:01 AM
New Zealand|christchurch

Two pedestrians injured in serious Canterbury crash, road closed

04 Jul 08:40 AM
New Zealand|crime

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

04 Jul 08:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Serious crash closes SH1 between Taupō and Tūrangi, delays expected

Serious crash closes SH1 between Taupō and Tūrangi, delays expected

04 Jul 09:01 AM

The crash involved two vehicles on SH1 near Jellicoe Pt around 7.45pm.

Two pedestrians injured in serious Canterbury crash, road closed

Two pedestrians injured in serious Canterbury crash, road closed

04 Jul 08:40 AM
'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

04 Jul 08:00 AM
'Couldn't even walk': Hospo staff foil legless drunk driver who blew six times legal limit

'Couldn't even walk': Hospo staff foil legless drunk driver who blew six times legal limit

04 Jul 07:20 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP