Woman, 54, shows off dramatic transformation after weight loss

A Queensland woman said doesn’t recognise herself in old photos after she lost 25.9kg and completely transformed her lifestyle.

Welcome to You Got This, news.com.au’s weekly fitness series featuring stories and ideas from real women who’ve experienced it all.

A woman has revealed she now looks in the mirror and thinks “who is that?” after a dramatic transformation.

Helen, from Tamborine Mountain in Queensland, has always loved her body, no matter what it looked like, but when she started to experience health issues, she decided something needed to change.

“I had pain in my knees and hips which was actually painful to walk. I had high cholesterol and high blood pressure,” Helen told news.com.au.

“Food has been my emotional support, I would over eat. I have over eaten my whole life. I didn’t seem to have a full threshold.

“I did eat quite healthy, just over eating and there would be the little voice in me saying – I don’t like myself for over eating.”

Helen never had an issue with her appearance, but had health issues such as her joints and blood pressure. Picture: Supplied

Over the years, Helen had tried working with nutrionists and had tried diets that required her to cut out things, but nothing lasted in the long run.

But, when her sister Robyn came to visit and revealed she had been on the Fast 800 program, a program that teaches the principles of a moderately low-carb, Mediterranean-style diet, for three months, Helen immediately signed up.

Helen quickly fell in love with the program, and the results that came with it.

“I truly believe the online platform of the Fast 800 lifestyle has been a huge part of my success,” she said.

“It kept me on track, from the meal planner, to the recipes, to the education articles, to the online support from people on the same journey – it is an invaluable tool.”

She said her issue was overeating. Picture: Supplied

The other reason Helen loved it was the food, which she described as simple to make, adding the flavours are delicious.

“I actually started to feel full, I didn’t need to eat any more than the meal I had made, I didn’t need to over eat. I am happy eating three Fast 800 meals a day. I don’t need to snack or over eat, it is quite an incredible feeling, quite empowering,” she said.

Helen has lost 25.9kg while using the Fast 800, and said her body feels so much “freer”.

”I have no pain in my hips and knees. The blood pressure has come down and my cholesterol has come down. All the inflammation in my body has disappeared,” she said.

“I have so much more energy, which is truly amazing, as I work 12 hour days as a costume supervisor for months on end, I finished a film this year and didn’t feel totally shattered, only tired.

She chose to follow the Fast 800 program after seeing how it worked for her sister. Picture: Supplied

“Being able to walk with no pain is a life changer – the simple thing of walking is now simple again and I love going out walking.”

Helen said she really noticed a change when she had lost 20kg.

“I realised how much weight I had released and other people started to comment as wel,” she said.

“At this stage I would look in the mirror and think, ‘wow, who is this person’. Now I look at old photos and think, ‘wow, who was that person’.”

Helen’s big achievement was a 48km trek that took place over four days. Her sister celebrated her 60th birthday and wanted to do the Three Capes Walk together.

She said she doesn't recognise herself. Picture: Supplied

“There was no way I was going to do this with Robyn – until I stared the Fast 800 lifestyle in November 2022 and in February 2023 I booked the walk,” she said.

“The walk is a 48km journey with elevation of 480 and I was so pleasantly surprised how well I walked it, I had no pain at the end of the days or the next mornings.

“It was wonderful to walk and have the support of my sisters and my sisters husband, we just travelled at our speed. I had a huge fear about carrying a pack, which weighed around 11kg, then I realised, ‘well, its only 11kg, you still weigh less than what you were carrying around a year ago’.

“It is a huge achievement for me and I feel like a new person, in that I feel such an amazing calm within myself now. I am very proud of my achievement.

“All I can say here is, if someone is interested or asked me about what I have been doing, I say – The Fast 800 Lifestyle has worked for me and is still working for me, I love it.”