Australian Olympic swimming legend Leisel Jones has spoken publicly about her weight loss, revealing on Sunrise that she used medical assistance to drop 25kg.
The nine-time Olympic medallist, who has built an online community by sharing her experiences openly, said seeking medical assistance was a hard decision but one that proved life-changing.
“It was a very hard, difficult decision to make in the first point because I did feel like it was cheating,” Jones said.
“I’ve used a medical-assisted weight loss, which has been fantastic for me, and I’ve been working with (women’s weight-loss program) Juniper.”
Jones said body image had been a challenge for her throughout her career, adding that after 40 she struggled with weight gain despite her expertise in nutrition and fitness.
“I’ve been in the gym my entire life, I’ve eaten really well, but once I turned 40 something changed and I was really struggling in the gym,” she explained.
“I would try to burn 500 calories while I was at the gym. I would skip for half an hour, and I was just putting on so much weight.”
Jones revealed she had been managing several medical conditions that made weight loss particularly challenging, including high liver enzymes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and subclinical hypothyroidism.
“PCOS in particular makes it very difficult to lose weight so, it didn’t really matter what I did, I just couldn’t get around it,” she said.
Jones entered the public eye at just 14 when she joined the Australian swim team, a moment she said intensified scrutiny of her body image.
“We are in the tiniest bathers. In 2000, when I made the team when I was 14, I had these massively high-rise bathers. You could see absolutely everything,” Jones said.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been really conscious of what I look like, what my weight is, how heavy I was.”
Jones said she is now focused on reducing stigma around medically assisted weight loss, pushing back against claims that it is an easy option.
“There’s so much stigma and there still is,” she said.
“We see so many people, and there’s so many judgements. … people are losing weight and they think, ‘Oh, you’ve taken a shortcut.’
“No, no, no, no. It’s not a shortcut. This is just giving you that little bit of assistance to get into that good routine and those good habits.
“It’s OK if you need medication to be able to assist you to do that. There’s no judgement around it.”
Admired for her authenticity, Jones said it was essential she be open and honest about her journey with her fans and social media followers.
Images: Sunrise
