- As a teenager, Renee was fit, active and had a healthy relationship with food
- But, by the time she was in her 20s, she’d grown self-concious about her looks, triggering a cycle of dieting, binge-eating and bulimia
- By her 40s, weighing 122kg, she was rejected as a kidney donor for her mum due to her obesity. It was the wake-up call that motivated her to transform her life
Here Renee Gaughran, 49, tells her own story in her own words.
Leaving the gym, I jogged home, welcomed by the smell of dinner cooking.
‘How was the class?’ my mum, Nina, asked.
‘Amazing,’ I replied.
It was 1991 and I was 15. Mum was my hero.
Fit and healthy, she always encouraged me to be the best version of myself.
Whether it was going to a gym, running, or swimming I never sat still for long.
Our family loved food and at Grandma’s house we’d enjoy mountains of delicious meatballs and tasty spaghetti.
Despite the big family feasts, at 165cm and 65 kilos I was of average size.
‘If you focus on fitness, you can eat what you want,’ Mum said.
And I stuck to that in my teen years.
But towards the end of high school I’d started to grow insecure and, like a lot of teen girls, was conscious about my size, obsessing over exercise to stay trim.
But I loved food, too, and after a phase of taking diet pills, I’d binge eat and make myself throw up.
By the time I moved out of home, aged 20, and started work, I was trapped in the shackles of bulimia.
After therapy to treat the debilitating disorder, I was doing well and maintaining my weight.
But the binge-eating demons possessed me again and, not exercising as I used too, I piled on the kilos.
I hated seeing the scales creep up, but whenever I felt down or stressed, I cheered myself up with a slab of chocolate cake or a huge bag of chips.
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Chowing down on a Whopper Burger, for a moment I’d forget how down I was. But the more I chased the food fix, the bigger I got.
By my early 40s I was an XL and weighed 100kg. Despite being happily married to my supportive wife, I kept overeating.
Etched with guilt and shame I became a sneaky eater.
In the morning, I’d munch a slice of cake and four cookies. Brekkie was sugary cereal served with full-fat milk.
Mid-morning I’d snack on pop tarts before gorging on a super size Macca’s meal for lunch.
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My wife would prepare us healthy dishes of meat and veg, but I’d stop at Hungry Jack’s before heading home for the home-cooked meal.
When my wife slept, I’d wolf down a bag of chips and a tub of ice cream before bed.
Aged 47 and 122 kilos in 2022, I barely squeezed into size 20 clothes.
While Mum and my wife never commented on my size, they worried when they saw me struggle to walk a few metres without gasping and with sweat dribbling off my brow.
One day, Mum went for a check-up at her GP, and called me with shock news.
‘I need a kidney transplant,’ she said.
Five years earlier she’d been lethargic and bloated, and specialists discovered she had small kidneys with deteriorating function. Now, it was serious.
‘They said a family member could be a match,’ Mum said.
‘I’ll give you my kidney,’ I offered without hesitation.
Grateful, Mum broke down in tears.
‘You fall into the obese category and it’s deemed unsafe for you to undergo surgery and be an organ donor,’ he said
For me, it was a no brainer. Mum was my world.
But there was more bad news.
‘I’m sorry but you’re not an eligible donor,’ a doctor told me.
‘Why?’ I asked.
‘You fall into the obese category and it’s deemed unsafe for you to undergo surgery and be an organ donor,’ he said.
I was crushed. Mum had always been there for me. Now I couldn’t save her.
I recoiled in shame.
‘If you die because I couldn’t save you due to my own greed, I’d never forgive myself,’ I sobbed.
‘Don’t feel bad Renee, I want you to get healthy for yourself,’ Mum said.
There and then, I vowed to change.
Selflessly, my wife offered to be tested as the kidney donor and, in a miracle, she was a match.
Mum was so grateful.
And I started going for a 15-minute walk each evening, increasing it week by week.
And I was determined to turn my health around, for me and for her.
As they prepared for transplant day, I dropped from eating up to 7500 calories a day to 1200, logging everything that I consumed.
Eating fresh ingredients and smaller portions, for breakfast I’d have avocado on multi-grain bread and a piece of fruit. Lunch would be a salad and dinner would be vegie curry and rice.
And I started going for a 15-minute walk each evening, increasing it week by week.
After three months, I’d lost nine kilos.
Thinking about how I wasn’t able to be there for Mum when she needed help spurred me on.
With a healthy diet and my fitness improving, after six months I set up a home gym and started exercising with an online trainer four times a week.
By the time Mum had her kidney transplant in September 2023, I’d lost 30 kilos.
The transplant was a complete success, and Mum and my wife both recovered well.
Further inspired by them, after that I continued kicking the kilos. I got fitter, lifted heavier, and my self-confidence grew too.
In November 2024, I was down to 72 kilos.
I was thrilled I’d lost an amazing 50 kilos.
‘You look fabulous,’ Mum told me proudly.
Wanting to help others, I’m now a personal trainer and nutritionist for a wellness company, and love empowering women to improve their fitness.
I’ve realised that while I can’t change my past, I can change my future.
I was eating myself into an early grave but now I value my health.
Knowing Mum is well now too, I couldn’t be happier.
For more visit @lifeasrenee on Instagram
