Dieter's nude self-portraits reveal emotional and physical toll of struggle to lose half her body weight



A woman who weighed 338lbs and was terrified of both cameras and her 'morbidly obese' title, decided to face her insecurities head on, chronicling the loss of half her body weight in a series of self-portraits.

Artist Julia Kozerski, 28, who lost 160lbs over one year, faces mirrors, scales, and a refrigerator stocked with food while completely naked in an attempt to show how dramatic weight loss really effects the everyday woman.

Her raw self-portraits, a series titled Half , 'serve as reflections of my experience and address and explore my physically and emotionally painful, private struggles with food, obsession, self-control, and self-image.'

Self portraits: Artist Julia Kozerski, 28, faces mirrors, scales, and a refrigerator stocked with food while completely naked in an attempt to show how dramatic weight loss really effects the everyday woman

Mrs Kozerski's weight was a constant source of insecurity. She came from a family with a history of weight problems and grew up on fast food.



While her family made halfhearted attempts to lose weight, turning to Slim Fast shakes and Weight Watchers, by the time she reached the age of 25, she had tipped the scales at 338 pounds.



She explains: 'With a body mass index (BMI) of 49.9per cent, literally half of my body consisted of fat, and I was classified as “morbidly obese.”



'Throughout childhood and adolescence, my weight led me through spells of depression caused by associated physical and emotional issues.'

Raw emotion: The raw self-portraits, a series titled Half, serve as reflections of Mrs Kozerski's experience, exploring her physically and emotionally painful, private struggles with food, self-control, and self-image



Curiously anonymous: She began to bring close-up shots of her back, and her abdomen into her photography class, and 'people were really curious,' she said. 'So I thought, "Let's have a conversation about this, then"'

She continued: 'I wished nothing more than to physically be someone other than myself, believing that doing so would make me happier.



'In December 2009 I decided to take charge of my life and embarked upon my own self-directed, healthy-living journey.'



As well as taking snapshots of herself in various fitting rooms to document her weight loss between 2010 and 2011, documenting her changing identity as her weight rapidly dropped, she was also working towards her BFA in photography at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design at the time.

She began to bring close-up shots of her back, and her abdomen into class, and 'people were really curious,' she said. 'So I thought, "Let's have a conversation about this, then."'

Losing weight: Through calorie counting, a focus on nutrition, portion control, and increased exercise, Mrs Kozerski lost over 160lbs

Baring all: At times confrontational, Mrs Kozerski's brutally honest photographs help to shed light on the truth of what it is like for someone to live life as half of themselves



'It was shocking in a way that provoked conversation. This is a story people can relate to and talk about, where it becomes less about my experience and more about this greater story.'

Through calorie counting, a focus on nutrition, portion control, and increased exercise, her efforts resulted in a loss of over 160lbs.

However, she had believed that all her hard work and dedication would transform her into the 'perfect' person she had always dreamed about, but the reality of what resulted was 'quite the opposite,' she says.

Before and after: Mrs Kozerski also photographed herself in various changing rooms between 2010 (left) and 2011 (right), with the aim of exploring her changing identity as her weight rapidly dropped

She said: 'My experience contradicts what the media tends to portray. While it is easy to celebrate and appreciate the dramatic physical results of such an endeavor, underneath the layers of clothing and behind closed doors, quite a different reality exists.'



At times confrontational, her brutally honest photographs help to shed light on the truth of what it is like for someone to live life as half of herself.