A super slimmer who lost a staggering 12 stone is hoping to raise £30,000 through crowdfunding – to remove her two stone of SAGGY SKIN.
Shirley Hoffman, 30, was dubbed the ‘big bloated whale’ by cruel kids when she was growing up.
Her weight continued to spiral through adulthood as she scoffed 6,000 calories a day and she eventually peaked at more than 24 stone – the same as a baby killer whale.
At this point the desperate mum was told by doctors she was morbidly obese, forcing her into action.
Shirley decided to have her stomach stapled and she managed to lose 12 stone – halving her bodyweight.
But she was left with two stone of saggy skin and now wants a tummy tuck as well as a thigh, bum, boob and arm lift to make her look normal.
Shirley, from Lakenheath, Suffolk, has launched a crowdfunding project to raise £30,000 to pay for the medical procedures.
She said: “I hate my skin, it is horrible and embarrassing. I worked so hard to escape my 24 stone prison only to be stuck in another body I can’t stand.
“My skin gets in the way of everything, I can’t be intimate with my husband or exercise because there is too much skin.
“I even have to wear a full body suit to keep the excess skin in place under my clothes.
“I have more health problems now with my skin ripping and infections than I did when I was 24 stone.”
Before Shirley could undergo a gastric bypass, she had to lose two stone for the operation to be performed safely.
In an attempt to ditch the pounds the mum swapped her sugary breakfast cereal and fried lunches for protein shakes, then wholemeal pasta with turkey for dinner.
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She also began walking, and in five months she had managed to drop two stone for the gastric bypass operation – which would shrink her stomach to the size of an egg.
She said: “I was in lots of pain after the operation and could only take in an ounce of water every hour. My stomach was tiny so I couldn’t risk tearing it.
“Instead of eating my usual 6,000 calories a day, I was restricted to just 500 calories.
“It was tough at first, I really missed the greasy foods but as the weight fell away I became more motivated to continue.”
Shirley, married to Joseph, has now turned to the goodwill of others and set up a GoFundMe page appealing for people to fund her cosmetic surgery.
The mum-of-three has raised #200 for the procedures so far – a way off the £30,000 it will cost.
She added: “I hate the bodysuit I have to wear. The suit sits under my breasts holding in my stomach, back and thighs. I only take it off when I sleep and shower.
“I can’t face looking at myself naked and only get intimate with Joseph with the lights out.
“I’m desperate to have surgery to remove the skin, so I’m saving every penny but I can’t afford to fund it all myself. It’s too expensive.
“On bad days, I wonder if I would have been better just staying at 24 stone, as I seem to have more health problems now at half that weight.”
“Hopefully one day I’ll get to enjoy my new body.”
To help Shirley by making a donation, visit: http://www.gofundme.com/5wnayw
