"I lost over half my body weight after changing my lifestyle - but I'm now left with loose skin"
- 11 months ago
A woman was left with one stone of loose skin after losing half her body weight - which she calls her "badge of honour".
Stephanie Smith, 35, struggled with her weight as a child and into her teens - and nothing seemed to help.
She tried every crash diet and gym programme but struggled with disordered eating when starting college aged 18.
After entering a relationship which caused her mental health to spiral, food became Stephanie's "drug of choice".
She would gorge all day long on sweet snacks such as candy and chocolate between meals as a comfort mechanism and ballooned to over 27 stone and a size 28 - XXXXL - by the age of 27.
After the relationship ended, she decided to take control of her size and had gastric sleeve surgery - removing a large part of her stomach - in January 2017.
The surgery saw her appetite decrease and she lost 9st by December the same year.
She began by drinking a lot of protein shakes and eating plain chicken and vegetables, and avoiding starches such as potatoes or pasta for the first few months.
Over time, when she was fully recovered from surgery, she was able to slowly incorporate more foods back into her diet.
Stephanie has since lost 15 and a half stone - and can now slip into a size medium with ease.
But she has been left with 15lbs of excess skin all over her body - more than a stone.
She is hoping to raise the £80k needed to undergo skin removal surgery - which would be done over five surgeries because of how much excess skin she has.
Stephanie, a trainee estate agent, from Boca Raton, Florida, US, said: "When I went to college, I started gaining weight when I was going through some personal things.
"I was dealing with depression and food was my drug of choice.
This went on for years, and at 27, Stephanie first began to notice the issue when plus-size shops hardly stocked clothes large enough for her XXXXL frame.
To hide her shame, she even bought her own seatbelt extender to avoid having to ask for one publicly when travelling.
She realised some health issues she thought were random were a result of her weight - such as chronic heartburn, sleep trouble, and issues with her joints.
So in January 2017, when she was at her heaviest weight of 27st 12lbs, she had bariatric surgery - where doctors removed around 80 per cent of her stomach.
She spent the rest of 2017 focusing on changing her diet to accommodate her new tiny stomach, and by the end of the year she had already dropped 9st 4lbs.
She began to introduce more exercise into her daily life as well - and enjoyed regular gym sessions after meeting personal trainer boyfriend, Daniel Barrantes, 23, in June 2022.
But despite now being a healthy weight of 11st, Stephanie says still feels she can't fully celebrate her weight loss - due to her excess skin.
Self-conscious, the last thing she wants to do to show off her weight loss is strip off into a bikini.
Stephanie Smith, 35, struggled with her weight as a child and into her teens - and nothing seemed to help.
She tried every crash diet and gym programme but struggled with disordered eating when starting college aged 18.
After entering a relationship which caused her mental health to spiral, food became Stephanie's "drug of choice".
She would gorge all day long on sweet snacks such as candy and chocolate between meals as a comfort mechanism and ballooned to over 27 stone and a size 28 - XXXXL - by the age of 27.
After the relationship ended, she decided to take control of her size and had gastric sleeve surgery - removing a large part of her stomach - in January 2017.
The surgery saw her appetite decrease and she lost 9st by December the same year.
She began by drinking a lot of protein shakes and eating plain chicken and vegetables, and avoiding starches such as potatoes or pasta for the first few months.
Over time, when she was fully recovered from surgery, she was able to slowly incorporate more foods back into her diet.
Stephanie has since lost 15 and a half stone - and can now slip into a size medium with ease.
But she has been left with 15lbs of excess skin all over her body - more than a stone.
She is hoping to raise the £80k needed to undergo skin removal surgery - which would be done over five surgeries because of how much excess skin she has.
Stephanie, a trainee estate agent, from Boca Raton, Florida, US, said: "When I went to college, I started gaining weight when I was going through some personal things.
"I was dealing with depression and food was my drug of choice.
This went on for years, and at 27, Stephanie first began to notice the issue when plus-size shops hardly stocked clothes large enough for her XXXXL frame.
To hide her shame, she even bought her own seatbelt extender to avoid having to ask for one publicly when travelling.
She realised some health issues she thought were random were a result of her weight - such as chronic heartburn, sleep trouble, and issues with her joints.
So in January 2017, when she was at her heaviest weight of 27st 12lbs, she had bariatric surgery - where doctors removed around 80 per cent of her stomach.
She spent the rest of 2017 focusing on changing her diet to accommodate her new tiny stomach, and by the end of the year she had already dropped 9st 4lbs.
She began to introduce more exercise into her daily life as well - and enjoyed regular gym sessions after meeting personal trainer boyfriend, Daniel Barrantes, 23, in June 2022.
But despite now being a healthy weight of 11st, Stephanie says still feels she can't fully celebrate her weight loss - due to her excess skin.
Self-conscious, the last thing she wants to do to show off her weight loss is strip off into a bikini.