Mum drops an incredible 55kg before turning 50

An obese mum who feared she would not live to see her 50th birthday has lost an incredible 55kg.

Back in 2017, Tracey Forsythe tipped the scales at 123kg having struggled with her weight for over two decades.

But now the 48-year-old from Victoria has kissed goodbye to her size 24 clothes after completely overhauling her diet and lifestyle.

“I reached a point where my physical and mental health were continuing to decline,” Tracey said.

“I was in my mid 40s and had spent the last 25 years battling obesity, hating the way I looked and feeling miserable.”

As she approached her fifties, she started becoming plagued by a host of health issues due to her size.

“I went through some hard times in my late teens, and I started using food as a coping strategy,” she said.

“During all of this time I would yo-yo diet. I was always either on a diet or falling off one.

“I also had a growing list of health concerns which were only getting worse. I had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance and I was pre diabetic.

“I realised that the older I was getting the more my weight was impacting my quality of life.”

After trying ‘every diet under the sun’ with little success, Tracey she decided to give plant-based eating a try, after watching a documentary that highlighted the health benefits of a vegan high-carb, low-fat diet.

The mum to Max, 19, said she was anxious about eating a high-carb diet due to their ‘terrible reputation’ in diet culture and the ‘misconception’ that carbohydrates will make you fat.

Tracey said she used to binge on junk foods such as pizza, burgers, fries, biscuits, ice cream and potato chips.

But by instead filling up on vegetables, fruit, legumes and grains, the mum said she felt better than ever and was over the moon as the weight started dropping off at a rate she never experienced before.

“I truly thought I wouldn’t live to see my 50th birthday. I decided that I would turn my life around before then no matter what it took,” she said.

“I started slowly losing weight. But more incredibly I started to feel better than ever.

“All my health issues started subsiding, which had never happened before even when I’d lost weight using other methods.”

Tracey also introduced intermittent fasting, which means I won’t eat until 3pm most days and I also started tracking my calories just to make sure I don’t go too much over.

She’s now lost an amazing 55kg and five dress sizes in just 14 months – and is happier than ever at 68kg, wearing a size 12.

“High-carb, plant-based eating saved my life,” she said.

While Tracey was elated about her massive weight loss, the mum said she was disheartened about the huge amount of loose skin that remained on her body.

And in April 2019, Tracey went under the knife to have 4kg of excess skin removed with an arm lift, breast lift and tummy tuck – while she plans to have skin removed from her thighs next year.

“The skin removal surgery was a huge relief. I’m healing very well and feel amazing,” she added.

“I feel like a completely different person in so many ways. I love living my life and am finally looking forward to my future.”

With additional reporting by Caters News.

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