Sydney mum was 110kg and a self-confessed ‘takeaway addict’ before one embarrassing incident made her clean up her health – here’s how she shed more than 50kg
A mother-of-two is unrecognizable after losing 51kg by ditching her daily takeaway habit and deciding to undergo surgery to finally get the body of her dreams.
Tara Pace, 34, ballooned to 110kg due to a takeaway addiction that saw her dining at fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and KFC every day.
Tara described her eating habits as disgusting, spending $200 a week on takeaways and not thinking twice about eating fast food several meals a day.
But after catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Tara said she realized she had to quit because she could no longer keep up with her children.
She was also shocked to discover that her eldest son, Tyler, now 15, had kids at school who teased him about having a “fat mom.”
Before and after: Sydney mother-of-two Tara Pace lost a whopping 51kg after kicking her expensive takeaway habit, having weight-loss surgery and improving her health
Tara, from Sydney, decided to undergo weight loss surgery in an attempt to change her life and help her lose weight dramatically.
βGrowing up I was very fit and healthy, but as I got older I started having bad relationships, which also caused me to have a bad relationship with food,β she said.
βI finally met my husband, David, and that’s when I felt super comfortable. I ate so much and the pounds piled up. I was a total takeaway addict.β
Tara ate fast food every day, sometimes more than once, for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and spent money on KFC, McDonald’s and pizza.
βMy food was disgusting, as was the money I wasted,β she said.
‘I lived near a lot of takeaways, so it was convenient to go and get the food. A particular favorite of mine was a quarter pounder meal and six nuggets from McDonald’s.
Tara spent $200 a week on fast food like KFC, McDonald’s or pizza every day, sometimes more than once (pictured with her husband David, 31, and sons Tyler, 15, and Elijah, nine)
In September 2022, Tara underwent a $6,000 stomach surgery and said she was already spending money to fund her takeout habit, so the procedure was a much better use of her money.
One day, Tara saw a mean message scribbled on the white board at her child’s school and decided that “enough was enough.”
‘My eldest had children at school write on the board about how fat his mother was. βI felt terrible, and I was also so unhappy with the way I looked,β she said.
‘I threw my life away, so I decided to go to my doctor. I was given a few weeks to try to lose some weight before they would refer me for weight loss surgery.β
In September 2022, Tara underwent stomach surgery through her private health insurance, which cost her approximately $6,000.
βIf I had not had the surgery through private healthcare, it would have cost me around $27,000,β she added.
Tara’s husband was anti-surgery at first because he saw it as throwing money away.
However, Tara says she was already throwing money away to fund her takeaway habit and this was a much better use of her money.
By December of that year I had lost over 20 pounds and people started asking questions. They thought I was sick,β she recalled
Tara reached her target weight of 57kg, but quickly realized that this was not a healthy weight for her to maintain. ‘I’ll stay at 60 kg. I feel and look so much healthier.β
‘I just told my husband I was going to have the operation. By December of that year I had lost over 20 pounds and people started asking questions. They thought I was sick,β she recalled.
‘When I lost 30kg, I decided to tell people I had had weight-loss surgery.’
Within nine months, Tara reached her target weight of 57kg, but quickly realized that this was not a healthy weight for her to maintain.
‘I’ll stay at 60 kg. I feel and look so much healthier. My confidence is through the roof and I feel incredible,β she said.
“I also have so much more energy, and I can do that a lot more with my sons, Tyler and Elijah, who is nine.”
A huge win for Tara was being able to not only play basketball with her son, but actually beat him. She said they both had a “great time.”
A huge victory for Tara was that she was not only able to play basketball with her son, but actually beat him. She said they both had a “great time.”
“My husband has always made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, but my weight loss has benefited the whole family,” she said.
‘I no longer stand on the sidelines watching because I can participate in everything and we can do so much as a family.’
Tara said she went from being a “timid, shy people pleaser” to a way of standing up for herself by confidently saying no and dictating how she wanted things to happen.
βSo many more doors have been opened for me that I wouldn’t have even knocked on before,β she said.
‘It’s great to look at yourself and not hate what you see. I finally feel worthy and happy with myself inside.’
Tara says her takeout addiction has turned into a clothing addiction because she can now wear things she never dreamed she could wear.
“The amount of clothes I’ve bought since my weight loss is somewhat embarrassing,” she admitted.
‘I went from wearing super baggy clothes to being able to actually walk into a store and try on beautiful, stylish clothes.
‘The first time I did a big job and bought a whole new wardrobe was amazing. Clothes fit me the way they fit the models now.β