Joanna Fargus, a former Olympian swimmer, has recently opened up about her personal battles with weight throughout her athletic career. Fargus had already made waves in the competitive swimming arena, winning a gold medal at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games’s women’s 200m backstroke final. That suggests she did not genuinely compete on the highest possible level in her sport. Even with all her great accomplishments, she was still dealing with immense health problems due to her weight which made her feel ashamed and frustrated.
During her time as an athlete, Fargus would seriously train, spending over 30 hours a week competing in her sport. For her, the struggle with being overweight was an ever-present day-to-day concern, as if she were always on trial. “They think you just got it all worked out,” Fargus said, on the expectations of us that come with being an elite athlete. This faulty perception only served to deepen her sense of failure while constantly fighting to keep off the pounds.
As you might expect, Fargus’s story about trying to lose weight has been filled with failed attempts at diets of all types. She tried the juice cleanse diet, paleo, Atkins—you name it—believing each plan would lead her to the body of her dreams. No matter how much she tried, she kept hitting walls. At this point, she decided to see an endocrinologist. This decision would prove to be a pivotal moment in her path to improved wellness.
As valuable as she found the consultation to be, it had opened up a world of possibilities for Fargus before the trainer had begun teaching. Since beginning this treatment, she lost 40 kilograms with success. This AMAZING change has not only changed her physical form, but it improved her mental perspective! Relief spread through Fargus like a wildfire. She was finally freed from the heavy hand of shame and self-loathing that had loomed over her graphic design careers since childhood.
As an elite athlete, Fargus shared her lessons learned during those formative years. She pointed out the double standard of being poked, prodded, weighed, measured on such a frequent basis. These experiences have helped shape her current perspective, as she admits to feeling like she needed to insert a caveat whenever discussing her Olympic experience: “It was 20 years and 20 kilograms ago.” This statement captures the distance she has traveled and the incredible change she has made in her life since that time.
Fargus’s experience highlights a broader issue often faced by athletes: the pressure to meet certain physical standards while competing at high levels. It’s no surprise that the withering scrutiny athletes live under breeds angst and shame even among the most successful athletes. Fargus’s narrative is a powerful testament to the reality that all high performers are human and have personal challenges. The nature of these battles keeps them out of sight and out of mind.
These days, Joanna Fargus is living her new reality and lifestyle with a newfound self-assurance. She’s given up on considering herself a loser. Today, rather than run from it, she’s learned to channel that strength into fighting her own battles. Her transformation is more than physical. It represents resistance and resolve that lives outside the water.
