Woman who ate 5 McDonald’s a day unrecognisable after 9st weight reduction
A secret eater who used to eat five McDonald’s a day is now unrecognisable after losing 9st.
Jillian Champ, 24, developed a binge eating disorder aged 15 and would devour multiple McDonald’s breakfasts, a box of doughnuts and takeaways nearly every day for years.
READ MORE: ‘I was 21st and gorged on McDonald’s – but I’ve now lost half my body weight’
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Her weight rocketed as she spent up to $500 (£400) a month on Doordash and started hiding empty wrappers from her fiancé, Houmin Khanehzarrin, 25, out of shame.
(Image: Lauren Champ / SWNS)
By the time she was 20, her weight had doubled – reaching 20st and a size XXXXL – which she hid from all cameras. But one night reality hit when she glanced at herself in the mirror and vowed to change.
She cut her portion sizes, started learning about nutrition and took up exercise.
By June 2023, Jillian slimmed down to 11st 2lbs – after losing almost half her body weight – and shedded a final 10lbs by getting $22,000 (£18,000) excess skin removal surgery that month.
(Image: Jillian Champ / SWNS)
(Image: Jillian Champ / SWNS)
Now she is “always snapping new pictures” of herself because her confidence is sky-high – and even works as a weight consultant to help others feel the same.
Jillian, from Virginia, US, said: “Growing up, I thought I was fat even when I wasn’t because I had a bad relationship with food.
“When I developed the binge eating disorder, I literally couldn’t stop eating. I felt terrible about it and I hated being obese but I didn’t know how to stop.
“One night I saw my stomach hanging over my shirt – and I thought ‘I can’t believe I’ve done this to myself’.
“I began losing weight but it wasn’t always easy – I remember sitting and crying that it’s ‘too hard’. But seeing the number on the scale drop showed me I could do it, so I kept going.
(Image: Lauren Champ / SWNS)
(Image: Jillian Champ / SWNS)
“Looking back, I never thought I could stick to it but I’m so happy I did.”
Jillian confessed she struggled with overeating since her teen years, leading to a significant weight gain.
She would indulge in McDonald’s, demolish a whole box of doughnuts, or devour two main meals from IHOP in a single day, racking up a whopping 5,000 calories while her hubby Houmin was out working as a mechanic, sneakily hiding the evidence before he got home.
As the pounds piled on, Jillian’s confidence plummeted and she started shying away from cameras and dodged being in family snaps. Jillian admitted: “I couldn’t stand for longer than 30 minutes when I was at my heaviest – and I was so overweight I could barely move.
(Image: Jillian Champ / SWNS)
Jillian’s change in diet
Her diet before
- Breakfast – 5 breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds, 5 hashbrowns, 1 large caramel coffee
- Lunch – 5-6 donuts
- Dinner – 20 pc chicken nugget, large fry, large Coke
- Snacks – cupcakes
- Drinks – sugary coffees, sodas, juice
Her diet now
- Breakfast – large iced coffee with soy milk, cinnamon, and sugar free syrup
- Lunch – Salad with chicken, strawberries, nuts, and sugar free salad dressing. Greek yogurt, and a Coke zero
- Dinner – low calorie high volume chicken or shrimp tacos
- Snacks – sugar-free pudding, non-fat Greek yogurt, or fruit.
- Drinks – sugar free sodas, sugar free teas, sugar free lattes.
“I had back problems and constant foot pain – I would even dread getting up off the couch just to go to the toilet.”
But everything changed after one eye-opening trip to the loo in November 2021. She revealed: “I went to the restroom in the night and saw my stomach hanging over my shirt. I thought ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I’ve done this to myself’.
“I had tried off-and-on to lose weight, but I couldn’t stick to it. I told myself then I’d give weight loss one more try.”
In the same month, Jillian discovered the simple truth that eating fewer calories than she burned was the key to shedding the pounds.
She focused on preparing meals high in protein and volume to keep her satiated, but low in calories – discovering she could recreate many of her favourite dishes in a healthier way.
(Image: Jillian Champ / SWNS)
In the initial two weeks, she dropped 13lbs – and within a year, she had lost an impressive 7st 2lbs.
She confessed: “The first four months was an extremely hard adjustment, I remember sitting and crying. But I just kept going.”
As she became more active, she started incorporating exercises like aqua aerobics and mountain hiking into her daily routines. She then shed another 1st 6lbs – but didn’t feel confident due to the excess skin.
She admitted: “I still had a hanging stomach and arms, so I felt like I looked like a deflated version of myself.”
After saving up and receiving some money from her dad, David Champ, 56, and fiancé, she underwent a surgery to remove 10lbs of loose skin. Since then, she maintained her petite frame – and is happier than ever.
She shared: “Starting my weight loss journey, I knew I was getting married and I didn’t want to look back on my wedding photos and hate them.
“I might lose a bit more weight before the wedding in September 2024 yet but I’m pretty satisfied with where I am now.
“Now, I look in the mirror and I smile and think nice things about myself. I’ll never go back to the way I was before.”
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