Aussie woman loses 50kg by sharing sweaty red-faced selfies every day to stay on track

An obese woman who was so overweight she had to sew two skirts together, has lost 50 kilograms and transformed her body, by sharing embarrassing red-faced selfies every day to keep herself on track.

Brooke Saxby, 32, from Goondiwindi in Queensland, was so embarrassed by her huge appetite for food, she’d order greasy bacon and egg rolls from multiple cafes on her way to work to make sure no one saw how much she was eating.

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But when she ballooned to a whopping 120kgs (18st 9)and was squeezing herself into a size 24, she was so embarrassed by her size that she decided to take action.

As part of a year-long challenge that started in January, Brooke vowed to post a photo of her flushed cheeks every day with the the hashtag #threehunderedandsixtyfiveredfaces – only this time her red-face wasn’t caused by the humiliation of eating so much, they were sweaty selfies of satisfaction after she ditched binge eating in favour of the gym.

Now weighing 70 kilos and over halfway through her challenge, Brooke is hoping her unflattering selfies will help motivate other women too.

Brooke said: “I was used to my cheeks turning red for all the wrong reasons.

“Usually it was because I was ordering enough food for two people or I was too large to fit into normal clothes.

“But on the first day of my new fitness regime, I realised my red face was now something of achievement and decided to share it.

“The first photo I took wasn’t very nice but I was super proud of the hard work I’d done, I decided to share it.”

Since posting her first photo on January 1 this year, Brooke has received a lot of unexpected support.

“I’ve just reached my halfway mark and people tell me that I’m inspiring them. I get messages every day from people sending me their red faces.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know I’m helping other people who have struggled with their weight, just like me.”

Brooke confessed she hasn’t always in this frame of mind, a self-confessed food lover she often struggled to say ‘no.’

She said: “I’ve been on a roller coaster of weight gain and weight loss my whole life.

“In high school, I started Year 11 at 60kgs and graduated weighing 87kgs.

“I loved food so much that some days I’d go into Macca’s and devour two cheese burgers, a double quarter pounder, 20 chicken nuggets, lemonade, and fries.

“It was eye-watering to be honest.”

As the weight piled on though, Brooke was always aware of her size and was often left red-faced by the amount of food she ate.

She added: “I was so embarrassed by what I was putting in my mouth, I’d go to great lengths to hide it.

“I liked having bacon and egg rolls for brekkie, but would only eat one in a café. Then I’d walk to another and eat there too.

“I also made sure I never ordered takeout from the same place too often for fear of being recognised.

“Most days, I’d get takeout on the way home then would eat another dinner again when I got in.”

The turning point came for Brooke when she had to sew two hula skirts together for a fancy dress party, because there wasn’t a single thing in the costume shop that would fit her.

Brooke said: “Having to sew two hula skirts together to fit around my waist was a real light bulb moment that me me seriously consider my lifestyle choices.

“I looked at myself in the mirror, pretty much naked and I saw that I had a nice big flap on my belly.

“I gave myself a talking to. I asked, ‘are you going to change it? The answer was ‘Yes!’”

As well as swapping her calorie laden takeaways for healthier alternatives, Brooke also decided to take up exercise and hired a personal trainer.

It was after her first gruelling session in the New Year that Brooke realised her sweaty face was red for all the right reasons.

She said: “I was dripping with sweat and looked gross, but I was so proud of myself. I’d done it. I’d taken the first step towards changing my life.

“That’s why I decided to share my selfie with all my friends.

“I created the year long challenge of posting my crimson workout selfie every day to keep myself on track. I had no idea how many people would get behind it.”

She’s now over halfway through her Red Face challenge, and it definitely keeps her on track and then some.

“I’m on my 186th day but my 187th workout. I like to be one day ahead in case I can’t work out one day. After 365 days I want to have completed 366 workouts.

“My whole life has changed completely.

“People yell, ‘hey, Red Face!’ at me on the street. I love it!”

A former lap band candidate, Brooke is now a healthy size 10, but she doesn’t deprive herself completely.

“I eat what I love of the foods that are good and I haven’t gone on any diets or programs. I don’t measure my food and I just eat what I feel like.

“I’ve been learning about nutrition, slowly but surely eliminating bad practices.

“The easiest and most effective change would have to be ditching the four sugars I used to have in my coffee.

“But I’ll still have an M&M McFlurry about once a month.

“I don’t try to be perfect. I just try to be the best version of myself.”

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