By Liana Jacob
THIS STUNNING mum who was FAT SHAMED by a car full of men while riding her bike now gets strangers yelling at how great she looks after losing nearly SEVEN-STONE in less than a year, and although it’s left her with excess skin, she’s proving to her 22K followers that it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Mum and business owner, Jenny Wagner (29) from Florida, USA, got so comfortable after her wedding and ended up consuming ‘anything and everything’ and used food as a source of comfort which increased her weight to 17st 2Ib and UK size 24.
Her heavier weight made her feel so ‘disgusting’ that she would avoid all mirrors, pictures and she would cry when trying on clothes in dressing rooms. In 2012, a car full of men in their twenties drove past her while she was riding her bike and one of them yelled ‘you’re too fat to fit on the seat,’ which made her feel worse.
In 2013, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that affects how a woman’s ovaries function and was warned that her chances of conceiving were low. But Jenny was adamant to have children, and despite the odds, she gave birth to her daughter, Rory (4) in 2014.
Over time, the challenges of being a mother motivated her to lose weight, so she began measuring her food and resisted the urge of overeating. She re-introduced sports back into her life and her change in routine helped her shrink to a healthy 10st 5Ib and UK size eight.
She no longer feels trapped in the wrong body and proudly flaunts her new body to show other women that it’s not shameful to carry excess skin.
“Before I lost the weight, I had become absolutely disgusted with myself. I was avoiding mirrors, photos, and cried in dressing rooms. I was so disappointed in how I had let myself go,” Jenny said.
“I remember the first time I was called fat by a complete stranger; I let it eat away at me for weeks. I was riding my bike when we lived in Hawaii and a car full of young twenty-somethings drove by.
“One of the ‘men’ yelled out, ‘You’re too fat to fit on the seat’ and they all giggled. At first, I was just shocked, because I could never ever imagine saying that to someone.
“But once I got home and texted my husband, Nathan, about it, I broke down. It was the first time I had ever been called fat to my face, and it hurt.
“Eventually I got over it, but from then on I was so much more aware of my weight and how out-of-hand it had become.
“It was even said in a ‘nicer’ way to me by close family and friends who meant well; subtle comments about losing weight would be made, and those I was able to take with a grain of salt because I knew they meant well.
“In 2013, I was diagnosed with PCOS; initially I was distraught, and I wallowed for a few weeks, then I pulled myself out of the funk and decided I would beat the odds of not being able to have a child.
“Once my daughter was born, I wanted her to have a better example of health, and I also really wanted to love myself again so one day I thought enough was enough.”
Jenny now fasts until noon due to a lack of appetite and drinks over a litre of water from 6am to noon, then she will snack on food like jerky or a fibre one brownie. Her dinner always consists of high protein meals and includes a vegetable and a small portion of carbohydrates.
Instead of being yelled negative comments, she now has strangers yelling that she looks amazing and she says that her new weight has helped with her marriage and her role as a mum.
With 22.6K followers on Instagram, Jenny now proudly shows off her excess skin in a bid to show women that they don’t have to feel ashamed of their own excess skin.
“I no longer feel trapped in a body that doesn’t feel like mine. I no longer have to take blood pressure and heart medication, and my marriage is the best it has been in years,” she said.
“It has totally revamped our affection towards each other. Having him celebrate every little victory along the way with me has meant so much. We’ve definitely grown closer throughout my journey.
“As far being a mum, everything is so much easier now; I can actually get on the floor and play with her, and my patience is so much better.
“I went from eating anything and everything I wanted and as much as I wanted, to measuring my food and learning how to stop eating before I’m too full. I also brought sports back in to my life; mainly tennis.
“For the first time in over nine years, I love myself again. I have gained my confidence back and am back to the athlete I was before gaining the weight. I am very proud of myself, which is saying a lot, as I am an over achiever.
“The question I get asked on Instagram more than anything is, ‘what about loose skin? I am so scared of it’ – I was shocked by how many women would literally avoiding losing weight because of the fear of having loose skin.
“So, I started documenting my loose skin to show that yes, I have it and no, I’m not ashamed. There is nothing unhealthy about loose skin, but there is a lot unhealthy about being overweight.
“The hardest part is always the beginning. If you can just say ‘no’ to things for the first thirty days, it gets so much easier after that.
“My advice would be to do your research; search different ways of eating, pick one you think you can do, and google away. Learn everything you can, make a grocery list and some meal ideas and get started and never stop learning.
“Google any question you have and just keep doing that over and over. I am almost one year in and I still google things multiple times a day. Knowledge is power.”
For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/jens100poundjourney/
