How this 120kg teen lost half her body weight in a year

Josie before and after she took on the challenge to lose weight. Photos / YouTube, NoLongerFatJosie

This Queensland teen proved her doubters wrong when she lost 60kg in 12 months. She's shared how she dropped half her body weight.

There's one motto Josephine Desgrand lives by and it's one of her own - "I'm in a war with sugar and I'm winning".

Just 12 months ago, the Hervey Bay 17-year-old weighed 120kg and was too self-conscious to join a gym.

Instead, she completely changed her diet and with a little bit of exercise at home, managed to drop to a healthy 60kg.

"I was too embarrassed to ever go to the gym when I was bigger," she told the Fraser Coast Chronicle.

Josie worked out at home rather than joining a gym. Photos / YouTube, NoLongerFatJosie

"I always planned to go to the gym when I lost a bit of weight first at home and now that I have, I'm looking to join a gym and get a personal trainer to tone up."
The first step for Josephine was cutting out sugar completely - including fruit.

"I treated fruits as a candy bar and only ate a certain amount each week," she said.

"I also cut out carbs so I haven't eaten bread or pasta or even chocolate in one year."

It didn't take long for Josephine to adapt to her new lifestyle, with her cravings coming to a halt within two weeks.

Josie is almost unrecognisable after losing 60kg. Photo / YouTube, NoLongerFatJosie

When it came to exercise, just three high-intensity work outs a week was all it took.

Josephine would dedicate 15 minutes of her time training using Youtube channel The Body Coach as inspiration.

Not only were her exercise habits healthy for her body, they were also kind to her purse.

"I never joined a gym so I managed to save some money there," she said.

"I worked out at home so I didn't have to buy gym clothes so I didn't have to worry about looking good.

"I've saved some money by not buying food when I go to the shops."

Despite eating relatively healthy while at her heaviest, Josephine said it all came down to portion control and only snacking on healthy foods which helped her shed the kilos.

"I'd have really big portions and always go back for seconds and thirds," she said.

"I had a lot of fruit smoothies because I thought they were healthy but now I know fruit is full of natural sugars so I don't drink them anymore."

For those wishing to drop a few pounds but struggling to find the motivation to get started or continuing, Josephine has one tip - don't step on the scales.

"With muscle and everything (scales) aren't going to have an accurate result," she said.

"Take before and after photos because that's where you see your progress and it makes you want to keep going."

Now on a mission to help others reach their weight loss goals, Josephine has kickstarted her own Instagram and Youtube channel called 'NoLongerFatJosie' where she will share her journey and recipes.