Overweight Teenager Surprises Everyone By Losing 139 Lbs To Fit Into Her Formal Dress
People want to lose weight for a variety of reasons. From the obvious health benefits it brings, to simply looking good in a certain outfit, the motivation to drop the junk food and shed those excess pounds is a step in the right direction.
For Aussie teenager Josie Desgrand it was Instagram. At 16 years old and already tipping the scales at 127kg, she knew that something had to change. She felt particularly glum when scrolling through her feed to see pictures of slim models smiling back at her, and after a few failed attempts at weight loss dieting, she was eating more and more in a vicious cycle of feeling sorry for herself and binging on junk food. She was also the victim of bullying, which had destroyed her self-esteem. She decided that something had to be done. “I went into my room and stripped down to my underwear.” She told Bored Panda. Then she made a pact with herself. “No longer fat Josie.”
“I took pictures of myself at different angles, excited for my next weight loss journey. I used a tape measure and wrote down my dimensions knowing I had a long way to go from being so overweight, but I wanted to track every change, no matter how small.”
Setting herself small goals, sticking to her fitness plan, and keeping track of her progress, Josie started to notice the changes her methods were making. She adopted a low-carb, no-sugar diet and upped her water intake. Her dad, Mark, joined in with his own weight loss goals and the pair supported and encouraged each other. “Being competitive with him pushed us both to go the extra mile, it was great to have my dad along for the ride.” Having slimmed down to 90kg through eating healthy meals alone, she gained the confidence to take the next step and join the gym. “No longer fat Josie,” she said with determination. “Sticking with the exercise program gave me the extra push to reach my goal weight.”
Instagram, instead of being a source of envy, became an inspirational support network that continued to push Josie toward her healthy lifestyle goals. “I shared my meals and progress on my Instagram account @nolongerfatjosie. My followers quickly grew, and each was more supportive than the last. ‘You look great!’ They wrote. ‘Mmm, do you have the recipe?’”
“With people from all around the world along for my journey, I never thought about quitting. Putting aside an hour each night, I responded to every person. Being in their position before, I now wanted to help as many people as I could. ‘Keep going,’ I would write back when someone thought they couldn’t do it anymore.”
Now a svelte 63kg, half of her previous weight, Josie couldn’t be happier. Her transformation into a new healthy lifestyle is complete, what began as a diet has become a life-changing experience for the 18-year-old. Her final triumph came at her high school formal, where she wowed her friends and family in a figure-hugging dress that showed off her new figure. Now writing a book about her experience, Josie hopes to help others in their own weight loss journeys. “Now I want to be the push to help people get back up,” she said. “Because everyone deserves to feel as happy as I now do.”
Scroll down to check out Josie’s transformation for yourself below, and let us know what you think in the comments!
More info: Instagram | Facebook
This is Australian teen Josie Desgrand before, when she was 16
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
She weighed 127kg at her heaviest, but she decided to take important steps and change her life
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
Josie suffered from some bullying for her weight, which destroyed her self-esteem
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
But the girl surprised everyone when she showed up with a form-fitting gown, having lost 60+kg in only 12 months
Image credits: Josephine Desgrand
Image credits: Josephine Desgrand
Instagram was a source of inspiration for Josie, becoming a support network that continued to push her toward her goals
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
“I shared my meals and progress on my Instagram account,” she told Bored Panda
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
My followers quickly grew, and each was more supportive than the last. ‘You look great!’ They wrote. ‘Yum, do you have the recipe?’”
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
“With people from all around the world along for my journey, I never thought about turning back”
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
“Spending an hour each night, I responded to every person. Being in their position before, I now wanted to help as many people as I could”
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
“’Keep going,’ I would write back when someone thought they couldn’t do it anymore”
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
Now a svelte 63kg, half of her previous weight, Josie couldn’t be happier
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
Her transformation into a new lifestyle is complete, what began as a diet has become a life-changing experience for the 18-year-old
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
“Now I want to be the push to help people get back up”
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
“Because everyone deserves to feel as happy as I now do”
Image credits: nolongerfatjosie
Here’s what people had to say
158Kviews
Share on FacebookThis is awesome what she was able to accomplish... My only question is how did she surprise everyone at her prom? Did they not see her changing over the course of the year at school?
Lol Aunt Messy I'm not buying that... Teenagers know everything that's going on with everyone in school.... Is a gossip and rumour mill, so everyone would have most definitely been aware
Load More Replies...Good for her!! She didn't just change her body, she changed her whole attitude and the way she sees and appreciates herself!
She seems like a genuinely nice person who will stay grounded in her beautiful new body. Sometimes bullying just makes more bullies, but she seems to truly appreciate the journey and won't become a stuck-up hottie.
Load More Replies...she's so cute... looking at these pics I feel so ashamed of myself. I've been able to get rid of many kilos not once but twice... and I gained them back them all plus others... i know people judge me for this and they are right.... it's a shame...
You shouldn't ever be ashamed of yourself. Good on you for working on a goal twice! That takes a lot of effort. There's nothing wrong with putting on some weight. Be proud of your body.
Load More Replies...Can I just please ask how did you get rid of the excess skin? Please do not think I am trolling or being nasty I'm not, I think you're amazing and I have such a huge amount of admiration for you. It's just I have seen pictures of other people's weight loss before and read their stories and a lot of them talk about needing surgery to get rid of the excess skin and I have also seen this on TV too. Did the Gym help with that? I have a lot of weight to loose too and I am going to try to but this was one aspect I was worrying about.
Age and diet change the elasticity of the skin, younger people rarely develop excess skin, also the rapidity with which you lose weight is a big factor, it is very common if you had a gastric band or liposuction done, it's less common with a good diet and exercise.
Load More Replies...Amazing and so beautiful. I wonder what she cut out, and what exercise she did ,to kick start the fat burning. She has no excess fat at all..Amazing ❤️
From personal experience keeping a good diet and a training routine becomes very easy after the first month, the hard thing is convincing yourself that you can succede.
Load More Replies...so there is advantage of being bullying? because of that you start doing something good for you.
She's a teenager, skin adapts better to body changes when you're young (your body is meant to undergo a variety of changes at that age anyway). Also, 12 months is a year, and that's a pace good enough for your skin to follow up at a young age.
Load More Replies...Kind of uncomfortable with the way so many people seem to think her being bullied was "good motivation." People literally commit suicide over bullying. It's not a motivation technique, it's cruel, and it's pretty effed up to try and justify it by saying it "motivates" overweight people to lose weight. We put way too much stock in "getting revenge" on "haters" when, if I may get up on my soapbox for a moment (what else is the internet for?), a focus on health, confidence, and feeling good can be just as if not more motivating. And a lot more emotionally healthy to boot. You have to find a way to be passionate about and enjoy your new lifestyle or it won't be sustainable. Anger and pain will only fuel you for so long. If you don't truly enjoy it (eating healthy, exercising, etc.) it won't be sustainable for you.
Who did her plastic surgery? because, no matter how young you are, when you lose that much weight, you will have extra skin hanging around!
So, some good can actually come even out of bullying. That and her motivation prolonged her life.
This is awesome what she was able to accomplish... My only question is how did she surprise everyone at her prom? Did they not see her changing over the course of the year at school?
Lol Aunt Messy I'm not buying that... Teenagers know everything that's going on with everyone in school.... Is a gossip and rumour mill, so everyone would have most definitely been aware
Load More Replies...Good for her!! She didn't just change her body, she changed her whole attitude and the way she sees and appreciates herself!
She seems like a genuinely nice person who will stay grounded in her beautiful new body. Sometimes bullying just makes more bullies, but she seems to truly appreciate the journey and won't become a stuck-up hottie.
Load More Replies...she's so cute... looking at these pics I feel so ashamed of myself. I've been able to get rid of many kilos not once but twice... and I gained them back them all plus others... i know people judge me for this and they are right.... it's a shame...
You shouldn't ever be ashamed of yourself. Good on you for working on a goal twice! That takes a lot of effort. There's nothing wrong with putting on some weight. Be proud of your body.
Load More Replies...Can I just please ask how did you get rid of the excess skin? Please do not think I am trolling or being nasty I'm not, I think you're amazing and I have such a huge amount of admiration for you. It's just I have seen pictures of other people's weight loss before and read their stories and a lot of them talk about needing surgery to get rid of the excess skin and I have also seen this on TV too. Did the Gym help with that? I have a lot of weight to loose too and I am going to try to but this was one aspect I was worrying about.
Age and diet change the elasticity of the skin, younger people rarely develop excess skin, also the rapidity with which you lose weight is a big factor, it is very common if you had a gastric band or liposuction done, it's less common with a good diet and exercise.
Load More Replies...Amazing and so beautiful. I wonder what she cut out, and what exercise she did ,to kick start the fat burning. She has no excess fat at all..Amazing ❤️
From personal experience keeping a good diet and a training routine becomes very easy after the first month, the hard thing is convincing yourself that you can succede.
Load More Replies...so there is advantage of being bullying? because of that you start doing something good for you.
She's a teenager, skin adapts better to body changes when you're young (your body is meant to undergo a variety of changes at that age anyway). Also, 12 months is a year, and that's a pace good enough for your skin to follow up at a young age.
Load More Replies...Kind of uncomfortable with the way so many people seem to think her being bullied was "good motivation." People literally commit suicide over bullying. It's not a motivation technique, it's cruel, and it's pretty effed up to try and justify it by saying it "motivates" overweight people to lose weight. We put way too much stock in "getting revenge" on "haters" when, if I may get up on my soapbox for a moment (what else is the internet for?), a focus on health, confidence, and feeling good can be just as if not more motivating. And a lot more emotionally healthy to boot. You have to find a way to be passionate about and enjoy your new lifestyle or it won't be sustainable. Anger and pain will only fuel you for so long. If you don't truly enjoy it (eating healthy, exercising, etc.) it won't be sustainable for you.
Who did her plastic surgery? because, no matter how young you are, when you lose that much weight, you will have extra skin hanging around!
So, some good can actually come even out of bullying. That and her motivation prolonged her life.
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