A woman who once weighed 600lbs (42 stone) has opened up about what it will mean to her to have her loose skin surgically removed. Teresa Parent shed an astonishing 370lb (26.6 stone) over a period of four and a half years, and has been left with what she describes as 'hanging apron' of loose skin.
Prior to undergoing her abdominoplasty surgery, which has been scheduled for December 8th, 'weight loss warrior' Teresa shared a clip of her pre-operation body with her TikTok followers, in the hope of normalising a lesser discussed part of her weight loss journey. She has since been widely praised for being so candid with many hailing her as an 'inspiration'.
In a video shared to TikTok, where she goes by the username @transformingteresamarie, Teresa said: "I used to weigh 600 pounds and I have worked really hard over the last four and a half years of my life to lose 370 pounds.
"In four days, I am having an abdominoplasty surgery to remove my hanging apron stomach. You can see it hangs down to my knees. This is what it looks like when I sit down.
"It makes me look much bigger than I actually am. It's very painful, it's embarrassing, and it's shameful but I try to focus on the fact that I'm a weight loss warrior."
Shedding tears of emotion, Teresa continued: "I have worked really hard to save my own life and in a few days this is all going to be gone and my life is going to be forever changed for the better.
"I'm documenting this for myself and sharing this with all of you because I hope that it helps to normalize obesity and loose skin and all the things that go along with weight loss.
"This is what my hanging apron stomach looks like when I am standing up. As you can see, it hangs down a lot. It causes me so much physical and emotional pain you guys, and I cannot wait for the skin to be removed."
A number of Teresa's followers showed their support, having been left in awe at the amount of effort she'd put in over the years, and wished her all the best of luck ahead of her surgery.
One person wrote: "Loose skin is no joke. It is psychologically and physically painful. Thank you for being so raw and sharing what others are afraid to share."
Another applauded: "What a beautiful journey you are on - absolutely no shame in where you have been or where you are going. Thank you for inspiring strength in others."
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