Jo McPharlin has undergone a major transformation since her time on MAFS Australia in 2018, when she won hearts with her bright smile, bubbly personality and unfiltered authenticity.
Now, the 47-year-old has lost over 20 kg after embarking on a health journey beginning in 2019 and enduring through the pandemic and beyond.
Jo's health journey
Speaking to her fans via Instagram, the lovingly nicknamed 'Foxy JoJo' revealed that she had lost weight by cutting out junk food and alcohol, keeping a consistent exercise routine, and using an electromagnetic muscle stimulation device.
"I am just a mum to two beautiful children. What works for me may not work for you. I have been dedicated, strict and everything mentally I wanted to be," she shared. "Every single day I want certain food, but I look at my two beautiful children and I want a better quality of life for everybody."
She continued: "I've stopped junk food, all of my carbs and the majority of alcohol. It's a lifestyle change. I've been blessed with losing weight, but maintaining it is the hard part."
© InstagramIn a 2019 video posted to social media, Jo shared that after helping her mother through her illness, she wanted to be more present and active in her children's lives.
"After seeing my own mum being sick, I didn't want that for myself," she explained. "I wanted to make sure I was around for my kids, that I could run around with them and be the best mum to them that I could be."
"All I've done different is meal plan. I've stopped the junk food, stopped the soft drinks, stopped the Mother energy drinks."
Learning self-love
© InstagramJo was paired with Sean Donnelly on the fifth season of MAFS Australia, and although their relationship ultimately failed, she learned how to fall in love with herself in the process. "I was my own worst enemy," she said. "When I stopped and looked in the mirror - I mean really looked in the mirror and said 'Stop being so harsh on yourself, you are gorgeous inside and out' - that was the day that changed my life forever."
The TV personality was later forced to clarify to her fans that she had achieved her incredible transformation through hard work and determination, not through weight loss surgery, as some had speculated.
"I don't give a toss about what people think I look like - I am just me," she declared on Instagram. "Love me or hate me, I'm just me. I have been dedicated, strict and everything mentally I wanted to be."
© Instagram"That's how I'm achieving my goals. No surgery, no major story to it. It's been bloody hard work, mentally and emotionally."
Speaking to 9Now, Jo revealed that the secret to her success was not putting an end date on her health journey. "You know what, every single day is a mental challenge," she admitted. "But I got there in the end."
"I think the biggest thing is I never had an end date. So I'm not going to fail because I didn't go, 'Oh, I'm going to be done by this date.' So that's a big mental thing for me. It's a lifestyle change, not anything else."
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