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If you had seen me during my days as an athlete, you might have thought weight was never a concern for me. The years I spent training and competing at the highest levels might have suggested that I had everything under control.
Joanna Fargus, a former swimmer, gets ready for the women’s 200m backstroke heats at the 2007 Swimming World Championships in Melbourne. Credit: Patrick B Kraemer/MAGICPBK

However, the reality is that I have always faced challenges with my weight.
But the truth is, I have always struggled with my weight.
But no matter what I did, my body did not want to cooperate.
Even Olympians struggle with their weight
My weight also fluctuated tremendously, without me being able to identify why.

Joanna Fargus on the podium after winning gold in the women’s 200m backstroke final at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Source: Supplied / Vince Caligiuri VJC/Fairfax Media via Getty Images
As an athlete, your body is your tool. We were constantly poked, prodded, weighed and measured, all in the name of achieving those hundredths of a second that count, particularly in swimming.
My body didn’t always align with the expectations placed on me as a competitive swimmer.
If anything, it got louder.
The pressure to just try harder
I internalised that stigma for years. I blamed myself, and I tried every diet out there: the juice diet, paleo, Atkins. You name it, I tried it.

Joanna said she tried many diets, without success. Source: Supplied
But each time I would lose the weight, I would regain it just as quickly, and then some.
Suddenly it all made sense: my struggle wasn’t about willpower; it was about biology.
But the biggest shift has been in my mindset.
Regaining my pride
For too long, we have upheld this system where thinness is a mark of discipline, and fatness is seen as a failure. But for me, it was just the way my body worked.

Joanna says her breakthrough came after she consulted an endocrinologist. Source: Supplied
Weight loss injections work for me, but I realise they are just a tool, not a solution, and not for everyone. I still understand the importance of exercising and eating well.