A Perth mum has revealed her epic weight loss transformation after kicking a bad habit.
Just a year ago, Jodie Marah reached her peak weight of 176 pounds, wearing size 16 clothing for the first time in her life.
With her petite 5ft 3in frame, this pushed her into the “obese” category on the BMI scale, and she didn’t feel as fit as she used to be due to the changes her body had gone through.
Being a busy mother, Jodie no longer had time to prioritize her health and says she had also picked up some bad habits over the years.
But after making a simple change in February this year, the 36-year-old told news.com.au she is delighted to be back to her pre-baby weight after losing an incredible 46lbs and four dress sizes.
Jodie is now happier than ever with her new 130-pound, size 8 body, and wants to share her story to help inspire and motivate others who might be on the same path.
“I wasn’t overweight until I got pregnant,” she explained.
“After three pregnancies and having a hectic lifestyle raising my children, I gained all the weight up and down for 11 years.
“I started watching a lot of videos on TikTok from other moms and people like me who had lost weight and gone on health journeys.
“It was really inspiring. I had worked a lot on myself before appreciating my body and I had to teach myself to be kind to it, even when there were things I needed and wanted to change.
“My turning point was when I started researching, watching videos and podcasts about weight loss, calorie deficits and fitness. Anything in that field really piqued my interest.
“That’s when I was inspired to start my fitness journey as well.”
When she was at her heaviest, Jodie said that while she still felt beautiful, she didn’t feel like herself.
Always loving fashion and putting together fun outfits, she explained that she felt like she could no longer enjoy that aspect of her life in the same way as before.
The mother also revealed that she picked up a “toxic” habit of eating sweets late at night and could easily consume a block of chocolate in one sitting.
“The worst part about being overweight for so long was that I felt like I was losing myself,” she revealed.
“That can also happen when you become a parent, regardless of your weight. but it’s definitely a factor. I have always loved fashion and I still liked it when I was overweight.
“But I had to rediscover my style because what worked for me before no longer worked for me then.
“You become almost like a different person on the outside, but inside you feel the same.
“I also got into the toxic habit of craving chocolate late at night and could easily eat an entire block of Cadbury chocolate.”
To start her weight loss journey, Jodie decided to give up late-night sugary snacks for good, before slowly eliminating them at other times of the day too.
She then researched how many calories she would need to consume each day to lose weight and managed to follow a healthy diet plan that fit within that range.
Jodie has adopted the “80/20 way of eating,” where she eats the best she can 80 percent of the time and allows herself to eat what she likes the rest of the time.
In addition to the amount he ate, he was also changing the type of foods he would consume to ensure he had adequate energy.
“I first gave up late night snacking and progressively eliminated all other snacks just to overcome my sugar cravings,” Jodie said.
“Then when I was ready, I started tracking my maintenance calories, which are the calories needed to maintain my current weight.
“Once I met them, I calculated my calorie deficit, which is the amount of calories your body needs to sustain you. but also to lose weight.
“I also started weighing my food and tracking it on an app for added convenience, as well as starting to eat more protein and vegetables.”
In less than a year, Jodie managed to lose an astonishing 46 pounds and dropped four dress sizes.
Now he shares his best weight loss tips and tricks online through his Tik Tok account, where he helps and inspires others who are on the same path.
His advice is simple: slow and steady wins the race.
“I urge people to take it easy,” he said.
“We often jump into something new too quickly, but we try too hard or we simply haven’t mentally prepared ourselves for it.
“This often leads to failure. However, what breaks my heart the most is when people start trying to lose weight because they hate their bodies.
“You need to start a journey towards health because you love your body. This is very important”.
