Mum diagnosed with osteoarthritis and perimenopause loses 42kg

After seeing a photo of herself at a wedding, this mum says she didn’t recognise the person staring in the mirror back at her.

“The photo reflected how I felt, tired, unhappy and squeezing myself into clothes that were too tight as I refused to go up to the next size (a size 20) I was in major denial!”

After seeing her sister-in-law liking The Healthy Mummy Facebook page, Jo thought she’d check it out! Turns out, it’s the best thing she could have done.

Jo has now lost a total of 42kg and over a 100cm on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.

How she does it

Jo says she had always struggled with her weight but this time knew she needed to get healthy for her children.

She set her goal weight to be 80kg, as that’s what she weighed on her wedding day. Once she got past that she aimed for 5kg increments and just thought she’d see how far she could get.

Reaching 60kg was pivotal for Jo as she was officially the smallest she had ever been and felt amazing. “I got down to between 55.5-56 kg,” she says. 

Jo was diagnosed with osteoarthritis (the most common form of degenerative joint disease) in mid 2016 in her right hip due to having hip dysplasia since birth.

“I have good and bad days, but I never let it stop me from exercising when I could, I would follow The Healthy Mummy DVD, go for walks and do the Challenge exercises all with my two young boys in tow,” she says.

Jo has now found out that her hip actually needs replacing and nevertheless she completed a Miss Muddy in November 2017 and felt so proud!

Jo has also been diagnosed with perimenopause (or menopause transition, begins several years before menopause. It’s when the ovaries make less oestrogen) and has gained a little bit of weight since starting new medication. She currently weighs 58.7kg.

Jo says, “I know from following the Detox and Shred 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge that I will achieve my goal by the end of January.”

Ditching sugar and saving money

Jo’s greatest achievements since joining The Healthy Mummy is ditching her sugar addiction!

She also now loves to include exercise in her life, playing with her kids instead of sitting back and not joining in and becoming the healthiest and the happiest in her own skin.

Due to meal planning, Jo has saved so much on her family weekly shop. She says, “We used to shop every day for our meals and it was quite costly, we now grow most of our vegetables and what we don’t produce, we get what we need at our local market.”

The family take a bike ride together most Sundays to their local market to get their fresh ingredients for the week that they don’t already have in the garden! A great way to get the whole family involved and interested.

Jo is a big fan of The Healthy Mummy smoothies for breakfast and also tends to make a Super Greens mid afternoon to help curb any snacking and to give herself some more energy to get through the busy time that is from 4:30pm onwards. 

Jo’s top tip: To help curb snacking while prepping your kids earlier dinner is to make a cup of herbal tea so you don’t feel tempted to eat theirs or their left overs. 

Take Jo’s inspiring transformation and make your own! Discover our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and reap the rewards and see the results!

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