Woman goes from a size 26 to a 6 to lead a good example for her child

Inspiring weight loss stories are few and far between. But one mum’s tale will encourage any person wanting to lose weight.

32-year-old Johanna Eppley had been overweight her entire life. The Texas native ballooned to a size 26 thanks to a lifestyle of unhealthy eating and almost no exercise.

After giving birth to her daughter Emma in 2015, Johanna decided to drastically change her life to set a good example for her child.

“She was starting to walk, and I was always tired. She was starting to eat real food and what I was eating was not something I wanted to feed her,” she told People. “I had to change.”

Realising that she weighed over 20 stone, Joanna began a programme of healthy eating and exercise. She started hitting the treadmill, using a running app to keep her going.

“I started doing 5ks and then got hooked,” she says. “The community of overweight people trying to gain their life back through running was a huge motivation for me to keep pushing forward.”

A year later, Johanna was able to complete a 10K, 15K and eventually, a half marathon.

She also overhauled her diet, cutting out grains, dairy and sugar as well as fast food including burgers, chips and biscuits. The likes of steak, chicken, sweet potatoes and broccoli became Emma’s new favourite foods.

Two years on and Johanna had lost over half her weight, now weighing nine stone. She is able to fit into six 6 clothes and is proud to be a good role model for her now three-year-old daughter.

“To see myself as someone who’s visibly fit-looking is weird,” Johanna added. “But it’s also really cool. It’s neat to be that example for my daughter, which is why I did this.”

But she’s not finished yet. Her next goal? To run a full marathon. “The [20 stone] woman who couldn’t run more than 30 seconds a few years ago is running 26.2 miles.”

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