‘I’ve lost half my body weight’: Woman loses 106kgs without having any surgery

Annamarie Rivera was medically obese when she was 23, weighing in over 186kgs but says while she knew it wasn’t healthy, she “didn’t want to give up food”.

But one day in 2010, thanks to a spur of the moment decision, she began to overhaul her life and is now half the woman she once was - all without undergoing surgery.

“I never had any intentions on losing weight prior to that,” Annamarie tells 9Honey of the day she signed up to her local gym after first driving past it, then doing a u-turn to go in.

“In fact starting a weight loss journey was the farthest thing from my mind,” she adds.

“It builds your confidence to know your hard work is paying off even when you can't see it yourself.”

Annamarie combined her trips to the gym with light cardio - starting a simple walk around her local park and working her way up as her fitness grew.

“I started with one lap which was a quarter of a mile [400m]. I was so ecstatic the day I got to 1 mile [1.6kms]. I couldn't believe that as big as I was I was able to walk a full mile.

“I just kept going day after day. Until I got to 4 miles [6.4kms]. I enjoyed it. It was like an escape...I just put on my music and just let go of everything going on my life while I was there.”

As Annamarie’s appetite for exercise grew, she decided to overhaul her diet.

“I started looking at the healthy recipes online and learning to cook myself,” she tells 9Honey.

“Looking at how I was eating before I started my journey is completely horrible. I don't think anyone, including myself now, really had a handle on how out of control my eating was. 

“I was eating fast food numerous times a day. I would go to McDonald's and get a 20 piece nuggets, two double cheeseburgers, a large fries, and apple pies just for lunch. To some they think that's tonnes of food, but at the time I wasn't even full. 

“That's not even including the bad food I ate for breakfast, that vending machine snacks during the day and countless cans of soda. 

“At night, I would eat dinner at home, then go to my best friend’s house and eat dinner, and then pick up fast food on the way home. 

“I was never fully satisfied, because I was emotionally eating. I was using food as a way to be happy to compensate for other things in my life I was unhappy with,” she adds, referencing an abusive relationship she had been in.

Then, 18 months down the track Annamarie had lost 45 kilos and revised her weight loss goals.

Her advice to anyone thinking of taking the step to get healthier is: “You have to get so consumed into your journey with a dedicated mindset that you let nothing else stop you.

“You can either spend your time focusing on your own journey and goals, or you can spend your time on social media looking at the before and after pictures of others.

“Love yourself enough to make that step.”