- Leah Hope, 35, weighed 180 kilos and wore size 6XL clothes until her incredible weight loss transformation.
- She paid for two plane seats on flights, scared she wouldn’t fit in one.
- Theme park rides were terrifying for the wrong reasons – that she might be too big.
- A cleaner diet and exercising kicked off her weight loss journey
Here Leah shares her story in her own words
Pulling into my favourite fast food chain, I rolled down my window and gave my order.
‘One chicken burger meal with an extra serve of fries please,’ I said.
Working as a photographer, when I wasn’t taking pictures I was behind the scenes editing.
Sitting at my desk for up to eight hours at a time, I planned ahead and bought a stack of snacks such as gummy lollies, KitKats and potato chips, to chomp on during the day.
‘I’d often fill my plate with second and third helpings.’
For lunch, I rotated between my two favourite fast foods, burgers and fried chicken.
When I was a kid, my grandmother Agnes showed her love through food.
Running an Italian restaurant, she was an incredible cook, dishing up yummy feasts of saucy pasta, crusty pizza and homemade bread.
I’d often fill my plate with second and third helpings.
Food became a huge comfort for me, and the kilos piled on.
But determined to shift some weight, over the years I tried a whole heap of fad diets, including replacing meals with juices and protein shakes.
One time, I was thrilled to lose five kilos in just a few weeks, but piled it all back on with interest as I struggled to avoid binge snacking. But the real shock came in 2017, aged 28, when I was travelling interstate solo.
Terrified of not fitting in the seats on the plane, I paid for two to be safe.
‘As my bulk spilled over the seat, I burned red with shame.’
Weighing 158 kilos at that time, as my bulk spilled over the seat, I burned red with shame.
This is so embarrassing, I thought as I fastened my seatbelt extender.
During the long flight, I even struggled to fit inside the tiny bathroom.
I’m never doing that again, I decided.
From then on, whenever holidays came up,
I road-tripped in my car, or usually just made an excuse as to why I couldn’t go along.
That was until my sister Lindsay invited me to go on a trip to a theme park with her family.
‘Please come,’ my adorable nephew Lincoln, then aged three, said. ‘Will you go on all the rides with me?’ he begged.
‘What if I don’t fit on the rides?‘
By now it was March 2022, I was 32 and weighed80 kilos. Wearing size 6XL clothes, I would cover up as best as I could with long, flowing dresses.
But I’d get out of breath even on short walks, and my joints ached terribly when I stood for too long.
Not wanting to disappoint Lincoln, I really wanted to go on the holiday, but I was worried.
What if I don’t fit on the rides? I thought, terrified of the embarrassment.
But I don’t want to miss this, I thought.
Pushing the negative thoughts out of my head I went. But just walking the 10 minutes from the hotel to the theme park had me huffing and puffing.
‘You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up,’ I said, not wanting to cause a fuss.
After a quick sit on a bench outside, I met them inside the park.
Halfway through the day though, my whole body was aching, and I knew I was done.
‘ I was missing out on so much and knew I had to change.’
Sitting under a shady tree on my own for the rest of the afternoon, I was heartbroken to be missing all the fun.
I’d hit rock bottom.
This was the wake-up call I needed. I was missing out on so much and knew I had to change.
Back at home a few days later, I confided in my mum.
‘I can’t live like this anymore,’ I said.
‘Well let’s find something that works for you,’ she comforted.
Determined to shift the weight for good, I changed to a cleaner diet by introducing one new nutritious food at a time, and I started exercising too.
Three months later and 13 kilos lighter, I booked a six-week stay at a wellness retreat to help kick along my weight-loss goals.
By the end of the retreat, I was thrilled I’d lost close to five more kilos.
‘I only weighed myself every six weeks.’
Inspired, I swapped frozen convenience meals and fast food for homemade roast chicken, or lean steak and potatoes, and also swapped choccy bars for fresh fruit, plus I started doing regular sessions at the gym. I tracked my meals in a journal and, to avoid the disappointment of seeing my weight fluctuating, I only weighed myself every six weeks.
Incredibly, the weight dropped off and I felt terrific. Six months on, I’d lost 25 kilos.
‘You look amazing,’ family and friends encouraged.
Nearly three years since embarking on my weight-loss journey, I’ve lost a whopping 97.5 kilos and dropped six dress sizes.
Now I weigh a healthy 83 kilos, and I’m even back travelling on planes comfortably again!
‘Can you chase me, Aunt Leah?’ Lincoln, now six, and his little brother Leo, two, ask cheekily.
‘I’m the happiest and healthiest version of me!’
‘Get ready, here I come!’ I laugh in reply.
Before, I wasn’t able to run around for longer than a few minutes without being out of breath. But now I can run until my nephews need a break.
I’m the happiest and healthiest version of me!
