Teenager Who Was Fat-Shamed All Through High School Shows Up At Prom After Stunning Weight Loss

May 29, 2023

There's no denying the fact that kids can be incredibly cruel. Most of us have stories from our adolescent years about being the victim of painful bullying. Over the past decade, society has progressed, and more schools have cracked down on bullying and mistreatment. However, we still have a long way to go when it comes to eliminating the problem entirely.

Meet Josephine Desgrand of Queensland, Australia. As she closed in on her final years at high school in 2016, weighing her highest at 280 pounds, Desgrand knew clearly that she was far too heavy and that her health was suffering due to her weight. 

Desgrand decided to take matters into her own hands and was determined to make a positive transformation before her prom.

“I went into my room and stripped down to my underwear,” Desgrand told Bored Panda. “I took pictures of myself at different angles, excited for my next weight loss journey. I used a tape measure and wrote down my dimensions knowing I had a long way to go from being so overweight, but I wanted to track every change, no matter how small.”

Desgrand set out on a weight loss journey that would span the course of two life-changing years. She did not resort to surgery, pills or medical intervention. Instead, she did things completely naturally. 

“I had tried dieting many times previously but was never successful. I started to think that I would be overweight for the rest of my life as I was too lazy to change so I always just gave up. People doubting me is what drove me to transform. No one believed I could do it and I wanted to prove them wrong.. so I did,” she shared on Instagram once her mission was completed.

In the beginning, Desgrand sped along the weight loss process by cutting sugar and drastically lowering her carbohydrate intake. Although this helped to jumpstart Desgrand's progress, she decided it was too limiting to be sustainable. Six months into her journey, she started to re-introduce natural sugars. Having her father join in on a weight-loss journey helped Desgrand stay on track as “being competitive with him pushed us both to go the extra mile, it was great to have my dad along for the ride,” she told Bored Panda.

After two years, Desgrand was triumphant and had lost an astounding 139 pounds through sheer determination alone! At an inspiring 138 pounds, she showed up to prom confidently.

“I will never forget the day I turned up wearing a figure-hugging size 8 dress, and people who had ignored me for years congratulated me,” she told news.com.au.

Today, Desgrand is no longer an insecure high school student. Instead, she's a confident young woman who runs a popular Instagram account called @nolongerfatjosie. Mom of three, Desgrand turned 23 in 2023 and, through the years, has consistently maintained her trim figure.

Desgrand recounted that at no point during her weight loss journey did she hate herself. Instead, she always kept a positive mindset and chose to love herself regardless of where she currently was in her progress. She also credited her positive attitude for her staggering success.

“It’s possible to change, its hard but it’s worth it. If you take care of your body it will take care of you,” the beautiful blonde posted to her followers. She reminded her admirers that taking care of themselves was the only way that they could ever truly reclaim their power and greatness.

What are your thoughts on Josephine Desgrand’s incredible transformation? If you enjoyed reading about her journey, be sure to pass this on to family and friends as well!