Former McDonalds addict is unrecognizable after losing 126lbs

• Jillian Champ, 24, developed a binge eating disorder as a teen
• She chowed down on greasy food and sugary snacks for years
• But regular exercise and nutritious meals helped her lose half her body weight

A Virginia woman who suffered from a binge eating disorder decided to turn her life around by shedding 126 pounds and undergoing a $22,000 operation.

Jillian Champ, 24, developed disordered eating habits at 15 years old. In the years that followed, she would eat multiple McDonald’s breakfast orders, a half-dozen doughnuts and a 20-piece chicken nugget daily.

The young woman shelled out $500 each month for DoorDash deliveries and snacked on cupcakes, sugary coffee and soda in addition to downing five fast food meals per day.

‘Growing up, I thought I was fat even when I wasn’t because I had a bad relationship with food,’ Champ explained.

‘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.’

Jillian Champ, 24, shed 126 pounds and spent $22,000 on weight loss surgery after battling a binge eating disorder since her teenage years

Champ would down multiple McDonald’s breakfast orders, sugary donuts and chicken nuggets daily

By the time she was 20 years old, her weight had doubled, reaching 280 pounds and a size XXXXL.

One night, as Champ stood in front of the bathroom mirror, she vowed to change.

‘I saw my stomach hanging over my shirt – and I thought, “I can’t believe I’ve done this to myself,”‘ she said.

So she cut her portion sizes, took up exercise and opted for low-calorie meals like salad and chicken tacos.

By June 2023, Champ had shed 126 pounds – nearly half her body weight. She lost an additional 10 pounds by opting for a $22,000 surgery to remove excess skin that month.

Once ashamed to appear in photographs, Champ is now ‘always snapping new pictures’ of herself and even works as a consultant to help others lose weight.

‘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,’ she explained.

‘Looking back, I never thought I could stick to it but I’m so happy I did.’

Champ made the decision to turn her life around as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror one night

By June 2023, Champ had lost nearly half her body weight, but was unhappy with the excess skin left over from her weight loss

With the financial support of her father and fiancé Houmin Khanehzarrin (pictured), Champ saved up enough money for a procedure to remove 10 pounds of skin

She added aqua aerobics and mountain hiking into her exercise routine and learned to recreate many of her favorite meals in a healthier way

She opted for meals that were high in protein and volume, but low in calories, like chicken tacos and salads

Prior to dropping the weight, Champ would hide empty wrappers from her fiancé, Houmin Khanehzarrin, before he returned home from work.

In addition to her shrinking self-confidence, the 24-year-old admitted that her health was deteriorating.

‘I couldn’t stand for longer than 30 minutes when I was at my heaviest – and I was so overweight I could barely move,’ Champ said.

‘I had back problems and constant foot pain – I would even dread getting up off the couch just to go to the toilet.’

Before taking the plunge, she tried ‘off-and-on’ to lose weight, but was unable to stay focused.

She ultimately discovered that eating fewer calories than she burned was the key to shedding pounds.

Champ focused on preparing meals high in protein and volume, but low in calories. She realized she could recreate many of her favorite dishes in a healthier way. In the first two weeks, she dropped a whopping 13 pounds.

‘The first four months was an extremely hard adjustment, I remember sitting and crying. But I just kept going,’ the 24-year-old said.

Champ tried ‘off-and-on’ to lose weight for years, but was unable to stay committed

Before shedding the pounds, the 24-year-old was unable to stay standing for more than 30 minutes at a time

She would hide empty wrappers from Khanehzarrin before he returned home from work

Champ says she may lose some more weight ahead of her September 2024 wedding date, but is ‘pretty satisfied’ with her current appearance

Champ began incorporating exercises like aqua aerobics and mountain hiking into her daily routine.

She shed another 20 pounds, but was unhappy about the excess skin on her stomach arms, which made her look like ‘a deflated version of myself’.

With the financial support of her father and fiancé, Champ saved up enough money for a procedure to remove the remaining 10 pounds.

‘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,’ she said.

Champ disclosed she may lose some more weight ahead of her September 2024 wedding date, but is ‘pretty satisfied with where I am now’.

‘Now, I look in the mirror and I smile and think nice things about myself,’ she said.

‘I’ll never go back to the way I was before.’

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