I Lost 230lbs - But Can Surgery Fix My Excess Skin? | BRAND NEW ME
AFTER hitting breaking point and tipping the scales at 414lbs, a mother-of-five dropped an astonishing 234lbs in just 14 months. Following her dramatic transformation, Noelle was left with loose baggy skin on her arms and around her belly which the 38-year-old admits initially caused her some insecurities. Although proud of her physique the mother from Nashville, Tennessee chose to have transformative surgery that would remove the excess skin following her drastic weight loss. Describing the procedure as ‘life changing’, months after her surgery Noelle is now enjoying a fresh lease of life with her brand-new body. Follow her on Instagram @transforming_noelle
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00:00 Before I started my journey, I remember waking up every morning thinking,
00:04 "When's that day I'm not going to wake up?" due to how heavy I was.
00:08 I weighed in at 414 pounds.
00:11 And if I didn't make a change, there was going to be no more Noelle.
00:14 I wasn't going to be here anymore.
00:16 I've lost 234 pounds.
00:21 I have quite a bit of excess skin. I don't feel very normal.
00:25 In three weeks, I'll be having skin removal surgery.
00:28 I am very, very nervous. I'm about to go in.
00:31 Love you, babe. See you in a little bit.
00:33 Throughout my childhood, I was a gymnast, so I was very, very active.
00:47 My coaches were very strict with our eating habits.
00:52 Anytime I would indulge, they could see the next day in my performance.
00:58 And they would punish us.
01:00 When I quit gymnastics, I was able to enjoy all the foods that I wasn't able to enjoy during my training.
01:07 So I overindulged and continued to overindulge.
01:11 That then turned into 15, almost 20 years of me abusing food.
01:17 A little different.
01:20 We're a lot different.
01:23 When I met Chris in 2004, I was around 325 pounds at that time.
01:30 Someone had some moves, huh?
01:33 She had hair.
01:34 You had a little bit of moves back then.
01:38 Not the same person.
01:40 No.
01:41 I knew I wanted to become a mother.
01:43 We struggled quite a bit.
01:45 We tried for years and still could not become pregnant.
01:49 That caused, just for my weight to spiral even more, the weight just piled on.
01:55 I ended up over 350 pounds.
01:57 We had two failed adoptions.
02:00 I hit almost 400 pounds at that point.
02:03 And then we decided to go an alternate route, and that was through DCS and foster care to adopt our children.
02:11 We were successful and adopted four amazing children.
02:17 And then became pregnant two years after the adoption.
02:20 I was pretty proud in that moment. I was excited.
02:23 About six months before I started my journey, I remember waking up every morning thinking, "Oh my gosh, I woke up. I'm alive.
02:33 When's that day I'm not going to wake up due to how heavy I was?"
02:37 My weight held me back from everything.
02:40 I struggled walking. I struggled putting my shoes on. I struggled taking my kids anywhere.
02:47 Six months waking up every day thinking, "You're lucky to be alive."
02:52 And I thought, "I'm so lost though. I have to lose over 200 pounds here. How can I possibly do this?"
03:00 I decided to face the scale. Got home. Step on the scale. The scale read, "Error."
03:07 "Okay. Needs new batteries, right? Surely." Put in new batteries. Stepped on it again. It read, "Error" again.
03:13 I look up the scale. Max weight limit was 408 pounds.
03:18 "Oh my gosh. There's no way. There's no way I hit 400 pounds."
03:23 Back in my head, I knew because of how miserable. I'd never been this miserable before.
03:28 And sure enough, we ordered another scale, and I weighed in at 414 pounds.
03:35 And I was devastated. My heart sank.
03:37 And I knew if I didn't make a change in that moment, there was going to be no more Noelle. I wasn't going to be here anymore.
03:44 The beginning of my journey, I really focused on my nutrition for the first 11 months.
03:50 We used to not eat as well back then.
03:56 "Three or four times a week we were eating out."
03:58 But now we're eating better.
04:00 "Layla, would you like avocado?"
04:02 "Yeah, please."
04:04 And once I got to a 200 pound weight loss, I realized it was time to start working out.
04:12 I had all of this energy.
04:14 Becoming that active after years of, you know, sitting on the couch was, oh my gosh.
04:23 The high that I got from being at the gym was incredible.
04:27 She's just very determined. You know, she's always in here, always working, always trying to get a little bit better.
04:32 Every time I see her, she's a little bit more determined, a little bit more, she has more of a purpose. She's on a mission.
04:38 I went from being immobile to very mobile. And now the sky's the limit.
04:43 I've lost 234 pounds in 14 months.
04:59 I am very proud of myself. I am very body positive. However, of course, I have natural insecurities with the skin.
05:05 In three weeks, I'll be having skin removal surgery. Just to not have to tuck it in all the time.
05:12 You know, when I'm working out, the skin slides right out during my workouts out of my pants.
05:16 I'll be having an extended arm lift, so he'll be cutting me from here all the way down into my armpit.
05:23 And then an extended tummy tuck, which is going to go from hip to hip, where he'll pull down all of my loose skin here.
05:29 And then I'm having a breast reduction and a breast lift to kind of put them back where they belong.
05:34 And that is going to be life changing for me.
05:37 I am very, very nervous about this surgery.
05:40 I'm here with Dr. Galvez. He just marked me up and I'm all ready for tomorrow.
05:46 We are officially one day out from my surgery. I am so nervous.
05:52 I'm in the pre-OR. I'm about to go into the operating room. My surgery will be eight to nine hours.
05:57 Love you, babe. See you in a little bit.
06:18 You know, my wife's transformation, her outward appearance is amazing.
06:23 You can see the results that she's worked for.
06:25 I think the biggest thing for me is her mental transformation.
06:28 You know, it's like a new light has been turned on. It's even brighter and she shines.
06:33 [Music]
06:50 I'm able to see the true results now that the skin has been removed.
06:54 What it feels like now to be able to do all the things I couldn't do before is an indescribable feeling.
07:01 It's a feeling that I'll be forever grateful for and it continues to inspire me and motivate me to stay on the right track.
07:07 I'm able to live my life with my children, enjoy watching them grow up and be in on the action.
07:15 That's the best part of this journey.
07:17 I've learned so much about myself and my relationship with food, that I am worthy, that I am enough.
07:25 Boy, it feels so good to feel free from these chains that held me back from being happy.
07:33 I want others to take from this story that they are worthy, that they are enough,
07:43 and that no matter where you are in your journey, you have to love who you are.
07:47 are.
07:47 (upbeat music)