Australian woman who weighs 129kg told she was ‘too big’ by her ex
THIS woman weighed 129kg when told by her ex she was too fat. Instead of letting it get to her, she is now on a mission to empower other women.
A PLUS-SIZE woman who weighs 129kg is on a mission to empower women of all shapes and sizes after being fat shamed by an ex-partner for being too fat.
Leila Palma, 32, from Melbourne, Australia, had never felt embarrassed by her curves before, but after her then boyfriend told the size 26 model she was too big, she felt pressured to change.
She walked away from the three-year relationship and had to teach herself to re-love her body.
Now the confident mum of two looks in the mirror every day naked and tells herself how beautiful she is, and wants to inspire other women by sharing the secret to her success.
“I’ve never had an issue with my weight,” she said, “but to be put down and told to lose weight so just to look like the other women was enough to give me a complex.
“One day though, I woke up and looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Leila, you’re better than this! You’re beautiful and if this man can’t see that then he doesn’t deserve a place in your life’.
“So I left and have never looked back. I taught myself to love what I saw when I looked in the mirror. It didn’t happen overnight, but the more I did it, the more I believed the words.
“Now I want other women to know it’s OK to love your body, no matter what size it is.”
Leila — who has been overweight most of her adult life — eats healthily, but can’t resist sugary soft drinks.
She said: “I drink about three cans of Sprite a day which doctors say is quite bad for me.
“But other than that, I’m healthy. I have cereal or a banana smoothie for brekkie and lunch is usually a fresh sandwich.
“At night I’ll make my family steak or spaghetti for dinner and I try to avoid chocolate and biscuits. I know that I’m not in the average BMI range, but I’m happy and that’s all that matters.”
As well as looking at herself naked in the mirror every day, Leila also embraces her body with figure-hugging outfits which can sometimes lead to negative comments from strangers.
“I go to the gym wearing a crop top and leggings,” she said. “Why shouldn’t I flaunt my figure?
“People look at me, but we’re all there for the same thing. I don’t let anyone’s opinions get me down. Of course, it’s not nice to be called ‘fat’, or ‘ugly’, but I don’t let other people get inside my head.
“I never look at anyone and wish I had their body. I’m blessed with what I have.”
As well as inspiring other women to embrace their body, Leila is in the process of opening her own plus-size clothes shop, Body Beautiful, as she’s concerned by how few options there are for bigger ladies in Australia.
“When I was on holiday in the UK recently, I went to a plus-sized nightclub,” she said. “Everyone there was bigger and it was a great, judgment free atmosphere.
“I’d love to bring a similar event to Australia, but for now, I’m concentrating on my shop which will offer fashionable clothes in sizes 16 and above.”
She’s also part of an ongoing campaign called “I’m Big and I’m Proud,” which helps men and women to say no to body shaming.
Leila said: “There aren’t many proud size 26 women here in Australia, or the world. We’re all taught that big is wrong, when in fact it’s beautiful.
“But we’re not going to get anywhere by putting each other down. The number on the scales does not define your ability to do what you need to do or how you should live your life.
“I’m always out doing things with my two daughters and my size won’t hold me back. If I ever thought I was getting too big and putting my health at risk, I would of course, take action.
“But until then I’m going to celebrate my body and think everyone else should too.
“Whether you’re a size 10 or 26, I want to show people that you don’t always have to listen to society. You can be proud of your body no matter how it looks.”