Eight years ago, Jo Boutros decided to take control of her health after reaching 99.9kg. While food had always been linked to her Lebanese heritage, family, and positive memories, the loss of her sister-in-law changed everything, according to the advertiser.
“We lost our sister-in-law and I was put in a position of needing to support my family and support my four nieces,” Ms Boutros said. “I’ll never take it back, but it put me in a period of not looking after myself.”
Balancing family responsibilities, university, and three jobs, she developed unhealthy habits and struggled with binge eating in secret.
The turning point came when she vowed not to reach 100kg. Motivated by a desire to be a better role model for her nieces, Ms Boutros began a journey that she admits involved setbacks, saying she has “stopped and started 200 times”.
Now in her late twenties and more than 40kg lighter, the primary school teacher says the transformation has affected her “mind, body and soul”.
“People look at me now and think I’m a thin, healthy person but I’ve got all the memories and all the hardship,” she said.
Her success came through a “holistic approach” combining an 80 per cent wholefoods, 20 per cent soul foods diet, social sport, and mental wellbeing.
“I realised no one’s coming to save me,” she said.
In 2018, she launched an Instagram account to stay accountable, which has since grown to more than 65,000 followers. She recently released her first Eat With Jo e-book, sharing recipes, tips, and lessons from her eight-year health journey.
Source: The Advertiser
