As a young teen, Raegan Katene's school days were spent being bullied.
Despite changing schools, the bullying persisted with Raegan feeling completely isolated by her classmates.
"I wouldn't come out of my room. I'd eat junk food, I never ate full meals. I excluded myself. I wanted to give up. I had no determination to do anything."
Raegan's lifestyle saw her spending a lot of time alone, eating whenever she was bored or to make herself feel better. She wore dark, baggy clothes in a size 18 to 20. By the time she was 15 she weighed 104 kilograms.
The turning point came when she took a medical exam to become a fire service volunteer.
"They told me I was morbidly obese. That's not something you want to hear at 16. I didn't want to be known as morbidly obese. Or even obese.
"I decided I wanted to change."
Raegan bought new running shoes and new clothes she hoped she could eventually fit into, and completed three boot camp sessions and two personal training sessions a week.
She also made changes to her diet. From skipping meals and eating mainly junk food, Raegan now eats three meals a day, avoids processed foods as much as possible and enjoys eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.
A year later, Raegan was almost unrecognisable, dropping 36 kilograms in 12 months.
Source: www.instagram.com and www.nzherald.co.nz
