‘Ugly duckling’ who used to eat five plates of rice at one meal defies bullies by losing 50kgs and becoming a beauty queen
JOANNA Joseph was once called the ‘fattest’ kid in school. Then she decided to undergo a rapid transformation - and it paid off.
JOANNA Joseph tipped the scaled at 101 kgs when she was just 13 and was teased mercilessly at school.
Now 21, Joanna confessed she would gorge on up to five plates of rice at each meal which saw her weight creep up — but she’s now turned her life around, reports The Sun .
Joanna, who has Indian heritage, was teased by classmates at her school in Malaysia, and incredibly even the teachers taunted her.
Branded overweight and an ugly duckling, she claims her relatives even joined in the jibes.
The teasing caused her to spiral into depression and she comfort ate.
Joanna said: “I grew up eating. I could eat five plates of rice in one go.
“I was 60kg when I was seven-years-old and the fattest child in preschool. My teachers would taunt me and so would my own friends.
“I fell into depression because of that and I had no friends to talk to. I only had my diary and music to keep me sane in school.’’
She withdrew into the music of Linkin Park and Justin Bieber, but when her 16th birthday came around, Joanna decided it was time for a change.
She swapped her unhealthy eating habits for fruits and vegetables.
And instead of joining a gym, she took up running an went on two-hour nightly runs in the fields surrounding her home.
As her weight began to drop off, and she slimmed down to a svelte 50kgs.
But even then the jibes didn’t stop, Joanna explained: “Even when I lost so much of weight, everyone used to taunt me saying I took drugs and I was a ‘drug addict’ and more, which is why I decided to just let it go.
“I used to be bullied every single day, even by my own friends because I was overweight and probably looked ugly in their eyes. My own relatives made my life miserable.
“I went through hell from the age of 12 till 16 until I decided to take matters into my own hands because I realised that if I wasn’t going to act, I’d be the same forever.
“I had to push myself and sacrifice a lot of things in life to get to where I stand today.
“When I saw changes, I began to like what I see.
“It was pure hard earned work without the gym, good diets and no medication at all. And here I am today.”
She went on to be an in-demand model, and came second in Miss India Worldwide this year after winning the Miss Selangor Earth beauty pageant two years ago.
And her transformation is so incredible people find it hard to believe she’s the same girl in the photos.
Giving encouragement to others, Joanna said: “If I can do it, give me a reason on why you can’t?
“It’s all about the mindset. Your goals. Go for it. Prove everyone around you that you are more than what they imply you to be.’’
This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished here with permission.