Melbourne mum stuns after losing 22kg in coronavirus lockdown

A Melbourne mum who ditched her Coca Cola and Macca’s habit has stunned after dropping an incredible 22kg in coronavirus lockdown.

Jessica Hood, who is a mum to four children, told Yahoo Lifestyle that during the first wave of lockdown in March she found herself severely depressed and turned to junk food for comfort.

“I was drinking two litres of Coke a day, and relying on takeaways like McDonald's which I was having three to four times a week,” Jessica said.

She says her life revolved around food and it was how she coped with getting through the days.

Jessica has suffered from depression for years and during March, April and May, she says she was “ in the worst place mentally” so she decided to make a change not only for her mental health but because her weight had “spun out of control”.

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“I decided to start making small changes. Starting with sugar drinks and donuts, cakes, chocolate,” Jessica wrote in an Instagram post.

“It wasn't the fact I was eating those but those things were no longer treats the were things I lived off every single day.”

Jessica focused on calorie counting, reducing her portion size and eating a high protein, low carbohydrate diet.

She says the first few weeks were the hardest for her but after pushing through, she had lost 8kg by the end of June.

“The more weight I dropped the more energy I had. I knew this was my time to shine, to make myself a priority, to focus on my happiness,” she said.

Now, as we approach the end of August, Jessica has lost 22kg altogether, something she’s very proud of.

“I took a negative and changed it to a positive and I discovered how strong I really was. I now think if I can do this I can do anything,” she said.

“Although covid has left a big mark on all our hearts, the thing that will stand out the most when i look back on 2020 will be my strength and determination.”

When it comes to her mental health, Jessica says she “feels like a brand new woman” and backs herself in “situations that I'd usually hold myself back in”.

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