When Kimmie Fox tipped the scales at 125kg, she looked in the mirror and had only one question on her mind.
‘Who is this person?’
The mother-of-three, from Albury, Victoria, had struggled to maintain a healthy work-life balance for years and her weight fluctuated from a young age due to severe bullying at school.
The busy 30-year-old, who founded Bombshell Beauty Academy in 2019, had a terrible relationship with food and in her twenties was consuming 3,500 calories a day. The recommended amount is between 1,600 and 2,400.
Every week he gorged on KFC Zinger cheeseburgers and fries, blocks of chocolate, bowls of risotto, cookies and ate huge portions of food.
“I was so motivated to succeed in business, take care of my children and be a good wife that I completely left myself out of the equation,” Kimmie told FEMAIL.
‘Food was my comfort. I would eat my feelings if I was going through something.
Kimmie admits that the bullying she experienced growing up led to her dependence on food and deep-rooted trauma.
Kimmie Fox, a mother of three, weighed 125kg last January, but knew she had to change her life. The 30-year-old woman tried to lose weight herself, but nothing worked and she gained weight again.
Every week he gorged on KFC Zinger cheeseburgers and fries, blocks of chocolate, bowls of risotto, cookies and ate huge portions of food.
‘In high school I was severely bullied, it wasn’t cool. I was the child who had no friends. I understand that everyone’s childhood is different and lasts at some point, because you are a child, right? She said.
“Children can be very bad, but even though those experiences have traumatized me, I have learned from them.”
Motivated by her desire to regain her pre-marriage status, she tried to lose weight in early 2023 by exercising more and taking prescription medications, but nothing worked.
So, she took a more serious approach which led to a drastic 58kg weight loss and a slight 67kg frame.
Motivated by her desire to regain her pre-marriage self, she went sobbing to the doctor who recommended gastric sleeve surgery. This forced her to eat less and began to exercise more. It now looks unrecognizable and in its lightest form weighed 67kg.
“When I was overweight, I felt like I wasn’t doing the best thing for my kids because I always feared I would die of a heart attack at age 35,” Kimmie said.
The physical and mental toll of being overweight had become unbearable when Kimmie experienced chronic back pain, brain fog, and even tinnitus.
“When I was overweight, I felt like I wasn’t doing the best for my kids because I always feared I would die of a heart attack at age 35,” she said.
After trying to lose weight herself without results, she went to the doctor and cried during the appointment.
“I said, ‘I’m really sad about who I am now and I need to be better,'” she recalled.
“I had been to doctors before who always told me I would be fine and to take Duromine (a weight loss supplement).”
Her doctor was supportive and recommended a surgeon for gastric sleeve surgery, which she considered a “last resort.”
“When I was overweight, I felt like I wasn’t doing the best for my kids because I always feared I would die of a heart attack at age 35,” she said.
But that’s not all: she also underwent a $30,000 makeover. Before undergoing the life-changing surgery, Kimmie decided to change her appearance.
But that’s not all: she also underwent a $30,000 makeover.
Before undergoing the life-changing surgery, Kimmie decided to change her appearance in August 2023 and was debating whether to get breast implants or veneers, then decided on the latter.
It’s something he “always wanted to do” and it cost him $10,000, but he has no regrets.
“I feel so much happier and more confident; they say money can’t buy happiness, but it actually does,” Kimmie said.
For the past two years she has had filler inserted in her lips and, more recently, she has had filler applied to her jaw and chin. In the last 12 months he has spent about $6,000 on padding.
Every week she gets her eyelashes done for $100, her eyebrows for $85, and her nails once a fortnight.
At that time, Kimmie and her husband also decided to divorce and go their separate ways.
It wasn’t until September that she finally underwent the life-changing surgery, although the recovery was worse than she ever imagined. “The pain was worse than childbirth,” she said.
After the operation, he focused on recovery and slowly increasing his step count. At the end of January he joined a gym and started going three or four times a week to do cardiovascular and strength training, then he noticed that his weight was starting to drop.
Before surgery, she dyed her hair down to her brunette roots before going a darker shade. She also got bangs.
It wasn’t until September that he finally underwent the life-changing surgery due to the long waiting period. The procedure itself reduced the size of his stomach.
The recovery was worse than I ever imagined.
‘The pain was worse than that of childbirth. I remember waking up and thinking, ‘What have I done?’ Kimmie remembered.
‘I went from comfort food to not eating anything. Now food is my worst enemy. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.
‘In the first 24 hours I tried to sleep to relieve the stomach pain. The nurse helped me get up and walk and it was the most pain I have ever felt, but I know I needed to keep going. This is what I wanted.’
He was discharged from the hospital two days later, but the pain continued for six weeks. Kimmie was on a liquid diet for months and then slowly increased the texture.
After 20 weeks she started to regain her energy and felt a bit like herself again, although she hadn’t lost much weight.
‘Three months after the operation, I took the kids to KFC to treat them and ate my son’s Zinger burger and I was in a lot of pain because the bun expands in my stomach.
Even now, after 12 months, he still can’t eat bread because the pain is too intense.
Only in the last three months has he been able to drink soft drinks again, but only from a can, not a bottle, because the gas is too intense for his stomach to handle.
It also takes him hours to finish a meal, meaning he often eats the food cold and can’t eat or drink at the same time.
With her new body and newfound confidence, Kimmie is ready to embrace life on her own terms (pictured with her oldest son).
From September to December she was still recovering, but she tried to increase the number of steps as much as possible and focused on nutrition, which helped her lose the first few kilos.
At the end of January, he joined a gym and started going three or four times a week to do cardio and strength training, and then he noticed that his weight was starting to drop.
‘I lost 15kg in three days and I couldn’t believe it. At first I went with friends who taught me how to use the equipment, then little by little I started to gain confidence and I left on my own after three months,” she said.
The drastic lifestyle change also means you save hundreds of dollars on food each week. She used to spend $700 every week to feed herself and the children, but now she only spends $350.
Previously a size 22, Kimmie now comfortably fits clothing sizes 8 to 10.
‘People often stop me on the street and tell me I look radiant. They don’t know my journey, so it shows that I have truly transformed myself both inside and out. “I’ve never felt so amazing,” she said.
With her new body and newfound confidence, Kimmie is ready to embrace life on her own terms. She plans to undergo a $15,000 breast surgery in Thailand in a few weeks to complete her transformation journey.
‘For a long time, I was just trying to survive as a mother, wife and business owner. “Now is my time,” Kimmie said.