Four years and £11,000 later, Amy Coleman has shed more than EIGHT stone to finally get her dream body…. but weight loss left her with saggy skin
At size 24, Amy knew she had to act... but after weight loss she was devestated to be left with a thick fold of saggy skin
TRANSFORMING her figure from a size 24 to a slinky 12, Amy Coleman should have been proud.
But gazing at her reflection after losing an impressive 8st 8lb, she focused instead on the thick fold of sagging skin around her waist.
It had taken nearly four years to trim her 20st 4lb figure to a healthier 11st 10lb.
But what should have been a big boost to her confidence had the oppposite effect.
In desperation she spent £2,500 of her savings, plus another £5,000 from her family, to remove the 5lb of excess fat and skin with extreme surgery and complete the body of her dreams.
Amy, 28, says: “In total I spent more than £11,000 on surgery, fitness equipment, a personal trainer and gym memberships. It was a huge amount to spend and took a lot of soul-searching.
“I knew I would never be happy with the way I looked until the loose skin had gone.
“I’d worked so hard to lose the weight and felt I deserved to finally feel good about myself.”
Amy had struggled with her weight since childhood and lacked confidence growing up.
She says: “The motto in my house was, ‘If you’re hungry, eat’. I spent most nights gorging on crisps and sweets and I developed an unhealthy addiction to Diet Coke.
"At my worst, I was drinking four litres a day.”
Amy went to study media, culture and communications at Lincoln University and by the time she was 22, she weighed 19st.
DIET BEFORE
BREAKFAST: Toast with butter and cheese
LUNCH: Jacket potato topped with cheese
DINNER: Large Margherita pizza with extra cheese
SNACKS: Sausage rolls, crisps, cakes, chocolate and four litres of Diet Coke
Now a digital communications executive, Amy says: “At uni it was so easy to binge on food but it always left me feeling unhappy.
“Every night out I was the one taking the pictures so I wouldn’t be reminded of how big I was. And if a guy ever approached me I was adamant it was a joke.”
Amy moved back in with her parents after uni and the weight piled on, hitting an all-time high of 20st 4lb in May 2012.
She says: “I could never get enough food and yet I wasn’t happy with the way I looked. I felt self-conscious meeting new people.”
It was while looking at a picture of her graduation that Amy — who is 5ft 6in tall and was then a size 24 — realised she had to act.
She says: “My mouth dropped open and I shouted, ‘Oh my God’. I looked huge — like I had three stomachs. My massive body took up the whole photograph.
“Then I realised I’d gained at least another stone since the photo was taken. I decided to embark on a mission to get fit.
"I cut down on carbs, stopped bingeing on junk food and spent £2,000 attending fitness classes three times a week.
DIET AFTER
BREAKFAST: Porridge with skimmed milk and blueberries
LUNCH: Tuna with salad
DINNER: Turkey cottage pie with cauliflower mash, green beans and vegetables
SNACKS: Watermelon and apples with peanut butter
“It was a lot of money but I could see the changes exercise and dieting were doing to my body, and I loved them.”
By August 2015, Amy had lost 8st 8lb. She says: “For the first time ever I could fit into size-12 clothes, which was an amazing victory.”
But then Amy faced the apron of saggy skin around her stomach.
She says: “I always expected a bit of sagging due to how large I was. But the more weight I lost, the worse it was.
“I assumed exercise would tone me but nothing would shift the skin. My confidence was low again.
“I knew it would be expensive but my only option was surgery.”
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Amy, who is from Coalville, Leics, wanted an abdominoplasty — to remove excess flesh from the abdomen — and liposuction.
She says: “I still lived with my parents and all my savings were for a house. To my surprise, my family gifted me £5,000.
“They’d seen me struggle over the years with my weight. I will for ever be so grateful to them.”
On Christmas Day last year, Amy was given her surgery confirmation letter. It had arrived in the post days earlier but her mum Wendy, 71, had kept it as a festive surprise.
Amy says: “I jumped up and down, screaming that it was the best Christmas ever.”
The surgery was carried out in April and Amy says: “I felt scared but excited. It was an eight-hour op but when I woke up I instantly felt different.”
Six months later, Amy’s life has been transformed. She says: “In total I’ve now lost 9st 2lb. I lost 5lb of fat from the surgery alone.
"I now weigh 11st 2lb and can finally wear glamorous size-12 dresses without being self-conscious.
“I spent all my savings on my perfect body but every penny was worth it.”