Aussie mum who was given 5 years to live unrecognisable after losing 134kg

Queensland mum Brenda Langford looks unrecognisable after dropping a whopping 134kg and 11 dress sizes.

Back in August 2018, the 45-year-old was left in shock when her doctor broke the horrifying news that she would be dead within five years if she did not lose weight.

"When I was 222kg, my back was so bad that I couldn’t even walk 10 metres," Brenda recalls.

"I couldn’t walk my dog, I couldn’t even go to the beach, and I live near some of the best beaches in the world.

"I couldn’t even go grocery shopping anymore because not only did my feet hurt but my back would just give out on me, and I couldn’t even hold myself up."

The mum-of-two – who says she was cruelly fat-shamed by strangers nearly every day of her life – knew she had to turn her life around if she wanted to be there for her kids Brandon, 23, and Kyle, 16.

"It was horrible, people would yell at me, I had this one group of young men, drove past me at the grocery store, they decided to come back around and yell things at me like ‘hey, fatty’," Brenda says.

"I was in a crowded lift one time and the doors wouldn’t close because there were too many people. An old lady at the back yelled at me, saying ‘it won’t close because you’re too fat, you need to get off’."

Brenda says she was bullied all through school and things got so bad in public that she "never wanted to leave the house".

"Every time I’d go out in public people would either stare, point, laugh, make comments, especially if I was at a restaurant or food court," she says.

"It got to the point where I didn’t ever want to leave the house. It gave me social anxiety, which I struggle with today but it’s getting better. I’m starting to gain more confidence and that’s helping."

Brenda’s wakeup call came after her doctor broke the devastating news that she would not live another five years if she did not lose weight.

"My doctor told me I had five years to live because my liver enzymes were very high, I had a severe fatty liver and six days prior, my Dad died from liver cirrhosis," she explains.

“I was in shock, thinking that I too, was going to die from it and I felt numb.

“I was in denial about my weight and thought I could lose it myself, but I just couldn’t exercise anymore because of the pain."

Given the dire situation, Brenda underwent a gastric sleeve in August 2018 to help her accomplish her goals.

By September 2021 Brenda had lost a huge amount of weight after having to completely overhaul her diet, and then underwent her first round of plastic surgery, having a full lower body lift which removed 8kg of excess skin.

Before her surgery, Brenda would regularly skip breakfast and eat mostly fast food, cheese, crackers, chips, chocolate and plenty double and tripple servings of meals.

But now she enjoys a high protein diet that includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, and doesn't skip breakfast anymore.

Since losing the weight, Brenda has been able to score her first job in 15 years, as her size made it impossible for her to work.

"My quality of life is amazing," she says. "I can do anything. I train at the gym six days a week, I can walk for 10 kilometres if I wanted to where before 10 metres was a problem.

“I’m a much happier person now."

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