The heartbreaking reason for this 23-year-old's transformation

A former obese woman has revealed how she’s lost an incredible 52kgs and transformed her life after nearly dying from her addiction to junk food.

Zoe Johnson, 23, from Newcastle, NSW, weighed 125kgs at her heaviest and loved junk food so much she’d secretly gorge on Macca’s in her car – then would hide the packets in her neighbours bin!

But underneath the excess weight, she was deeply tormented by her size 24 physique and says she felt “ashamed” of her unhealthy eating habits.

“Most days I would eat junk food all day,” she told Be exclusively. “I’d never eat brekky and would grab a Subway or pie around midday, then I’d eat junk for lunch and dinner.”

“I’d usually also eat two Macca’s meals in my car on my way home and then hide the evidence by putting the rubbish in my neighbours bin.”

The marketing student would also binge on chips and chocolate all day, saying she “had no self-control.”

“I had never felt so low. Every time I looked in the mirror, I felt like I was trapped inside someone else’s body,” Zoe said. “It was extremely distressing.”

After being told by a doctor she was pre-diabetic, Zoe felt like she couldn’t cope and tried to take her own life.

“I’d always had a dream version of myself and I was so far away from it. I just felt completely hopeless – so I decided to give up,” she explained, describing the heartbreaking moment she tried to take her own life.

Thankfully, her lowest point was also her saviour, as it was being rushed to hospital that made her realise she had to change.

“I realised that my addiction to food had taken over,” she said. “I had literally nearly died because of my love of food. It was crazy!”

“I was just a spectator in my own life and I had to do something. Ending it all wasn’t an option.”

Eight months later, Zoe underwent gastric sleeve surgery – an operation that assists weight loss by removing a part of your stomach – and turned her life around, learning all about exercise and nutrition.

“For the first time, I started to cook for myself and it was eye-opening,” she explained. “Once I was off my liquid diet, I’d make small meals of chicken breast with vegies or noodle salads. I was determined to be kind to my body.”

Her hard work paid off, with Zoe losing an average of 2 to 3kgs a week in the first six months after the surgery.

A year on and she’s slimmed to a size 10 after shedding 52kgs, and has also switched to a vegetarian diet in a bid to stay healthy.

“Sometimes people say, ‘Oh you had surgery, that makes sense,’ like it’s this magical thing that did all the weight loss for me,” she said. “But having a bit of my stomach removed doesn’t get me out of bed in the morning to exercise.”

“Now I train for 2 to 3 hours a day to maintain my body,” she said, explaining she does a combination of running and weight training. “It’s been a tough journey but I’ve never been happier.”

Incredibly, Zoe’s transformation has also inspired her mum, Megan, to make some changes to her lifestyle, with the 52-year-old losing 25kgs herself.

“When Mum called me to tell me the weight loss meant she didn’t have to use her sleep apnea machine anymore, I cried,” Zoe said proudly.

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She added: “I wake up each day so happy and thankful to be alive and so excited by life.”

“I’ve become the dream version of myself I always knew I could be and it’s better than I ever imagined.”

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