A Newnham mother and daughter tackled their weight loss journey side-by-side as the pair lost a combined 80 kilograms.
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In May of last year, Andrea McElwee was faced with the need to lose weight in order to safely undergo major spinal surgery.
She decided to take on the situation head first, saying she was determined to avoid medical weight loss solutions.
"At the beginning of last year I was experiencing back and leg problems and I saw a neurosurgeon, the same one that operated on my neck back in 2011," Mrs McElwee said.
"He told me I was going to need major spinal surgery ... being such a major operation he suggested could I lose about 30 kilos because it could cause problems during surgery."
Alongside her daughter Lauren, the pair turned to the 1:1 Diet with the additional support of Mrs McElwee's sister-in-law.
Five months later, Mrs McElwee was introduced as a "miracle lady" by her surgeon as she underwent the surgery which required incisions to both her stomach and back to insert a cage to support her spine.
By late October Mrs McElwee had lost 40kg. She said her diet had guided them through stages on how to maintain the lost weight and portion control.
Mrs McElwee said the combination of the surgery and support from her daughter aided her ability to stick with her weight loss regime.
Miss McElwee also lost more than 35kg over the past 12 months.
"I found it really good to be doing this together, because if you're having a bad day where you just felt like a little bit of chocolate or something, you had the other person there," Miss McElwee said.
She said a major benefit of losing weight had been an increase of confidence and happiness.
"You even feel happier mentally as well, than say when you're overweight you kind of feel a bit down, and for instance you can't go to the shop and buy off the rack," she said.
"Now it's the fun of shopping."
The National Obesity Strategy found weight related discrimination can lead to feelings of shame and failure.
Miss McElwee described feelings of embarrassment when she was at school from interactions with a classmate teasing her in sports class.
As well as barriers to finding school dresses that fit correctly, saying she went to a tailor to have her uniform properly fit.
Mrs McElwee jumped at the opportunity to encourage anyone in similar positions to what they were in to do it.
"I never, ever thought I'd ever be able to lose so much weight, not in my wildest dreams," Mrs McElwee said.
"So really it's been amazing.
"So I'd highly recommend it to other people, just find out about and give it a go."
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Molly Appleton
Molly Appleton is a senior journalist at The Examiner, having formerly worked at The Advocate as a news and sports reporter. She brings a passion for storytelling and knowledge of Tasmania across the three major regions. For any story ideas contact her on 0448 184 160.
Molly Appleton is a senior journalist at The Examiner, having formerly worked at The Advocate as a news and sports reporter. She brings a passion for storytelling and knowledge of Tasmania across the three major regions. For any story ideas contact her on 0448 184 160.
