- After having son Charlie in 2021, Bec struggled with postpartum depression and binge eating
- When the 32-year-old stepped on the scales in June 2023 and discovered she weighed 151kg, she knew she needed to make a change
- She underwent gastric sleeve surgery, followed by further health challenges, exercise and major changes to her diet she lost 77 kilos
Here, Bec Christensen, 32, Carbrook, Qld, tells her story in her own words
It was the moment I’d dreamed of.
Holding my baby boy, Charlie, in my arms for the very first time, I felt like the luckiest woman alive.
‘Welcome to the world, little one,’ I cooed, my hubby Matt, then 28, beside me, beaming with absolute joy.
It was September 2021, and I was so relieved the pregnancy was over.
It hadn’t been the smoothest journey.
Standing at 173cm tall, I’d weighed 125 kilos when I discovered I was expecting.
My weight had fluctuated after a fall on a walk home from school when I was 17. I’d suffered a twisted ankle and kneecap which left me unable to exercise, and put an end to my fledgling professional swimming career.
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Before that I’d been carb-loading to help boost my stamina in the pool. But when I stopped swimming, my diet didn’t change and the kilos crept up. Sausages, mash, gravy, cakes, hot chips and cheese toasties were my weaknesses.
But now with a sedentary lifestyle, by the time I was 20 the scales showed I was 114 kilos.
For a while I dug deep, enlisting the help of a personal trainer who helped me shed 10 kilos.
But then I embarked on a three-month solo trip around Europe, and the weight all piled back on – plus some.
By the time I was 22, I weighed 120 kilos.
But when I started dating Matt, then 22, in 2017, he made me feel like a million dollars.
‘You’re perfect,’ he’d tell me, planting a kiss on my lips.
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When we bought a place together, I started hosting dinner parties – but I’d snack while cooking, so the scales went up even more.
While I’d only put on seven kilos while pregnant with Charlie – reaching 132 kilos – I battled gestational diabetes.
I was relieved when Charlie came into the world a big but healthy 4.6 kilos. But something not so pleasant had also arrived – post-partum depression. I loved my baby boy deeply, but it hit me so hard.
Feeling like I was in survival mode, that’s when the big binges really began.
Throughout the day, I’d cook and gorge on family-size packs of ravioli and instant mash potato.
And I rarely ate fresh fruit or vegies.
READ MORE: Obese mum feared she would DIE before losing 55kgs by eating carbs
My biggest addiction was iced coffee.
In a single day I’d have six tall glasses of the stuff, consisting of two tablespoons of instant coffee, two tablespoons of white sugar, topped with full-cream milk filled to the brim of my metal milkshake cup.
I was drinking about nine litres of milk a week.
Struggling to cope as a new mum, every day was a challenge.
Stuck at home, and with the kitchen right there, it was my escape.
I desperately wanted to play with my baby boy, but it felt impossible.
I was so uncomfortable mentally and physically.
As Charlie grew, I found I was wheezing as I pushed him around the streets in his pram.
I spoke to Matt – who is a mental health nurse – and he gave me loads of support.
By the time Charlie was one, I was feeling a little more positive.
In June 2023, after my size 24 jeans were feeling a little baggier despite my habits not changing, I decided to step on the scales.
I’m sure I’ve lost some weight, I thought, hopeful.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Standing there, shame washed over me as I looked at the number flashing on the screen – 151 kilos.
It seemed I’d actually just stretched my jeans more with the excessive weight… they weren’t actually baggy at all.
This was the wake-up call I needed. That’s it, I decided. I need a plan.
The following week, I met with my GP who agreed gastric sleeve surgery was my best option for losing weight.
I dipped into my super funds to pay for the op.
For the next month I prepped at home, eating low-carb meals.
In mid-August, I underwent the two-hour op where 80 per cent of my stomach was removed.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ Matt whispered as I came out of theatre, groggy and feeling sore.
Back home, my appetite shrank. I was eating a clear food diet, and no longer drinking my iced coffees.
However, there was a health scare to come.
The top staple in my stomach wasn’t properly attached and I developed an infection.
I had surgery to drain fluid from my stomach two weeks later, and spent a week in hospital.
But back home the weight started falling off.
By January 2024, I was down to 104 kilos, but then everything stalled.
Even worse, by winter I’d gained 10 kilos, even though I’d turned my garage into a gym to exercise!
Wanting to get back on track, I went to my doctor for help. I was also dishing up healthy meals such as small, nutritious bowls with either chicken, mince meat or salmon, and enlisting Matt and Charlie to join me for weight sessions and cardio challenges in our garage gym.
The hard work paid off, and by June this year I was down to a svelte 75.5 kilos.
The following month, I also booked surgery where doctors removed three kilos of loose skin on my tummy and arms.
Now, after ditching more than 77 kilos, I’m 73.6 kilos. Going from a size 24 to a size 12, I’ve lost more than half my body weight and am finally the mum I’ve always wanted to be.
I can play ball with Charlie, now four, and I’m wearing the gorgeous workout gear I’d admired on others for so long. I’ve also had my wedding band adjusted to be four sizes smaller!
Now I’m a personal trainer. I want to help other women who are post-partum, as well as other gastric sleeve patients, overcome their weight challenges.
I’ve been just where they’ve been, so who better for the job?
