A Melbourne bride has revealed the one thing she changed that saw her transform her body just in time for her wedding. Photos / Instagram
A Melbourne bride has revealed the one thing she changed that saw her transform her body just in time for her wedding. Photos / Instagram
A Melbourne bride has revealed her incredible weight loss journey and shared the one thing she changed that transformed her body in the lead up to her wedding day, reports news.com.au.
Back in July 2021, Brooke Reffo’s confidence had taken a turn for the worse after her weight peaked at 92kg.
Working as a hairdresser, Reffo found she would constantly be critiquing herself in the mirror while at work, which caused her self-esteem to hit an all-time low.
The severe 2020 and 2021 lockdowns saw Reffo eat more and generally become more and more inactive while staying at home, thus resulting in her weight slowly creeping up.
“I reached my heaviest weight a few lockdowns in. It was a hard time for everyone, and I think I used food as a way to cope with the stress of it all,” she said.
Reffo promised herself that when her partner proposed, she would do everything and anything to be able to fit into her dream wedding dress when the big day came.
The bride-to-be changed one thing in the lead-up to tying the knot and that was to focus on her diet and ensuring she was eating healthier.
By December, Reffo had already lost 17kgs and, by the next year, she had nearly lost 30kg.
She also began exercising throughout the week by simply walking more and ensuring she increased her daily step count. At one point, during lockdown, she was walking 10km a day.
“This dropped to about 4 – 6km once we were allowed back at work.”
However, one of the biggest obstacles Reffo faced during her body transformation was actually nothing to do with what she was eating or how much she was working out.
As a hairdresser, she recalled how she would constantly be looking at herself in the mirror while at work each day, which only caused her self-esteem to plummet further. Photo / Instagram
The biggest challenge was how other people began treating her.
“It took me a while to get used to the constant comments about my appearance”, she said. “I had people say things like ‘you look so much better’, which was a hard pill to swallow.
“I much more appreciated the questions like ‘are you feeling good?’. But then it turned into ‘stop losing weight, you’re looking too thin’. I actually developed anxiety and started having panic attacks when getting ready or arriving at a social event.”
Brooke was able to fit into the wedding dress of her dreams and walked down the aisle a happy and confident bride in November 2022. Photo / Instagram
However, once she had overcome the speed bumps, Reffo finally achieved her goal: she was able to fit into the wedding dress of her dreams. In November 2022, the bride walked down the aisle feeling happy and confident.
Her number one piece of advice to anyone looking to make a positive change is simple: take that first step.
“We all have the power to take control of our own health. Everything in life is so much better when you feel good about yourself,” she says. “My mental health, energy levels and sense of style excelled once I had lost weight. If I can do it, anyone can.”
