‘I know I ate too much but I sorted that out and don’t deserve this. My neck looks like a Christmas turkey...’
MUM WHO SHED 15ST WANTS TO LOSE THE ROLLS OF EXCESS SKIN THAT LEAVE HER WEARING UNFASHIONABLES CLOTHES TO HIDE HOW HER BODY LOOKS
A MOTHER of three who lost half her body weight still finds herself in tears when choosing what to wear after being left with rolls of excess skin.
Jemma Wood weighed nearly 30 stone at her heaviest and feared for her health, which gave her the push she needed to lose 15 stone.
Five years later, she is a different person, living a much healthier lifestyle. However, her weight loss has left her with rolls of excess skin, which weigh around two stone, and she is desperate to have them removed.
The 42-year-old still feels self-conscious about her body as she has to still wear baggy clothes to cover the excess skin, tucking her stomach into her trousers to hide it while she is out and about. She also recently had a minor operation that left her needing stitches in her stomach, adding to her pain and discomfort.
Jemma, who has a house in Uttoxeter, said: “I’ve been a single mum most of my life and raised my children on my own. I’m 42 now and getting my life into order now my children are older.
“I lost all the weight and I’m still having to put tops on that are loose and come down to my knees. Every single day I’m putting on clothes and I feel sad as the skin is still showing through my clothes. The majority of my weight is carried on my stomach and I’m now getting a bad back because of it.
“I want to be able to wear fitted clothes, not crop tops or bikinis, but I can’t because I need to hide it. I want to show pride in myself as I’ve been overweight all my life. Every day is a contention putting clothes on as my skin is showing. I’m wearing clothes to hide my body like I did before.
“I have loose skin from my neck down to my privates and I’m going to have to go abroad to remove it. I have pockets of loose skin, so I can’t wear vest tops.
“It’s like an empty pouch that’s stuck to my stomach. My back aches terribly because of all this weight continuously pulling forward. I’ve been getting really down and wearing men’s clothing to cover it. I just need some help.
“I know I ate too much and got too big, but I sorted that out and I don’t deserve this. My neck looks like a Christmas turkey.
“I’ve lost more confidence than I’ve gained due to the skin. It was firm and tough before I lost the weight – in some ways I feel worse.”
Jemma, a healthcare co-ordinator currently living on a boat moored in Lichfield, said she always had problems with her weight, which matched her age growing up – so when she was 11 she weighed 11 stone. She was raised on good food, but the portions were large and she was taught to always clear her plate.
As she got older, Jemma was bullied over her weight, which led to an unhealthy relationship with food, describing it as a “terrible addiction”. Back in 2008, she had a gastric band fitted, which led to her becoming desperately ill, including being malnourished, and she had to have it removed. When it went, the weight she had lost returned. But when a friend, who weighed less than she did at nearly 30 stone, had a heart attack five years ago, Jemma knew changes needed to be made as she feared for her own life.
She started walking more, gradually building up how far she went to now doing 70,000 steps in one day, and made changes over time to her eating habits. She now she weighs in at 15 stone, including the excess skin.
The weight loss has made a big difference to her life and the way she is seen by other people. She has vowed never to go back to how she was before.
Jemma says she now has much more energy, sometimes not being able to sit still and having to find things to do, and she is sleeping better.
She said: “I’ve got energy I’ve never had before. I sleep better, feel better and it’s had a massive knockon effect. People treat you differently when you’re obese – people look down on you. They think you must be smelly, stupid or lazy.
“I wasn’t any of them – I had a terrible food addiction where it became my best friend and worst enemy. People will say it’s my own fault as I’ve done this. I did but I don’t deserve to suffer for the rest of my life. People can be quick to judge.”
Jemma has set up a Gofundme page to help raise the money she needs to have the excess skin removed.
She says she will probably end up needing to go abroad to get it done, and has set a target of £10,000.
Anyone who can help her raise the money can do so by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/ yvbz8-help-give-me-back-my-body