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Julie was overweight her whole life, but found herself morbidly obese after having four kids. She underwent gastric bypass surgery which jumpstarted her weight loss, but she is now hiding under pounds of excess skin, causing her to shy away from intimacy with her husband and not allowing her to fully bond with her children. She dreams of being a better mom and wife, but feels like it will never happen unless the skin is surgically removed. 31-year old Andrew spent a year losing an amazing 230 of his almost 500 pounds through diet an exercise alone. But as much as he tried filling out his skin with muscles, he has been left with a "sack" of skin around his torso. He dreams of being able to do outdoor activities with his wife and daughter without fear of people staring at his skin, and ultimately wants to have the physique to participate in a natural body-building competition.
At 34 and after losing 245 pounds, Megan still fights the demons of being bullied when she was morbidly obese in highschool every time she looks in the mirror to see her excess skin. She has turned down jobs because the uniforms would show her arms. She plans every day how to minimize the bulging of her extra skin on her stomach. She refuses to go to public places on dates with her boyfriend. And she has been dealing with this skin for 13 years. But as she goes through her skin removal surgeries, the lap band procedure that helped her lose the weight could complicate this final step in her weigh loss journey.
Ashley has lost 220 pounds but her excess skin is beginning to take toll on her body because bounces and pulls on her joints during exercise. Though she is loved by her long-time boyfriend, she cannot handle her arms and legs being seen in public, an issue that causes her problems in her job as a social worker.
Holly gained massive amounts of weight after being abused by her father-in-law and first husband. Several hundred pounds and a few kids later, she turned to gastric bypass surgery which allowed her to drop 200 pounds. She thought her skin would snap right back into place, but it instead stretched loose to the point of no return. She has been engaged for years and she can't move forward with the wedding until she sheds the excess skin.
Mark was an ex-athlete who gained massive weight after high school until he started having heart problems. After a scare that sent him to the hospital, he used diet and exercise to drop over 250 pounds so he could live to see his kids grow up. But once the skin started drooping down he was stuck with overflowing skin that now keeps him from spending time with his kids and pushes him from an intimate relationship with his wife.
Brenda was a hard working school teacher with a husband that loved her. However, childhood wounds and emotional eating caused her weight to rage out of control. She eventually reached 429 pounds. Together with her husband Carl, they both underwent gastric bypass surgery to shed the weight. Now because of their excess skin, Brenda is suffering from tragically-low self-esteem and the insecurities have pushed their marriage to the edge of divorce. If she doesn't get the skin removed, she'll never be able feel good about herself and give her marriage a fighting chance.
Mellisa's weight was getting out of control and affecting not only her health, but her ability to parent. It came to a breaking point when she tried to take her daughter down a slide at the local park and got stuck in front of all her neighbors. She decided to try gastric surgery in the hopes of getting her life back. Mellisa lost a ton of weight and felt great, but soon realized that her husband was no longer attracted to her because she was slim. She found herself divorced and covered in the excess skin associated with extreme weight loss. Currently, she's doing the best she can raising two daughters and hoping to pursue her dream of singing on stage. But the excess skin makes her feel horribly insecure and she's worried that her anxiety will affect her kids.
After her husband suddenly passed away, Jenae reached 512-lbs, but now her excess skin hides her dramatic weight loss. Even though Julie lost 191-lbs, her excess skin is a constant reminder her of her obesity and how it damaged her marriage.","detailed":"As a teenage single mom, Jenae relied on fast, inexpensive meals to feed her family. Unhealthy eating lead to weight gain, then the pounds piled on during two more pregnancies. When her three sons were young, Jenae lost her husband in a tragic car accident. She became depressed, turned to food for comfort, and gained 200 pounds within one year. Within a few short years, a near fatal respiratory condition landed Jenae in the ICU. She realized she needed to lose weight to save her life, and dedicated herself to losing 350 pounds. But as her weight plummeted, skin started sagging dramatically all over her body. The excess skin not only embarrasses her and causes her pain, it limits her ability to properly care for the most important people in her world, her granddaughters. Jenae desperately wants to be rid of her skin. Otherwise, she's fears she'll never be the supportive mom and grandma that she truly longs to be.
Julie M was bullied as a child and ate from the stress it caused. She gained weight until her husband returned from deployment and was shocked to see how heavy she had become. She decided to get gastric bypass surgery to shed the weight. She lost a great deal of weight, but quickly noticed there was a lot of skin starting to sag and it wasn't going anywhere. The skin was so disgusting to her that it began to keep her from living her life, both with her husband in the military and her daughter. She hides inside her home as she and her husband, who is in the military and often deployed abroad, drift further and further apart and she misses her daughter growing up, even right in front of her eyes. She hopes to get her skin removed to end the discomfort and anxiety that keep her from her life.
Kylie, who reached 321-lbs by age 18, had weight loss surgery leaving her with a life-threatening infection. Now she's 21 & 150-lbs lighter, but she's covered in excess skin. Kylie was diagnosed with a slow metabolism as a child and did everything she could to try and keep the weight off. Sadly, nothing worked. By the time she was in high school, Kylie was well over 300 lbs and totally hopeless. She feared that life would pass her by, so as soon as she turned 18, she signed up for gastric bypass surgery. Her parents were skeptical, but reluctantly supported her. Tragically, the surgery that was supposed to save her almost killed her. After a 16 month fight for her life, she lost the weight. But now she's covered in excess skin and feeling worse than ever. She's in her early 20s and basically has no life because of how much she has to cover herself. Kylie is willing to risk more surgeries to get the skin removed. However, the thought of their daughter going under the knife again is terrifying for her parents.
Anna lost 250-lbs, but fears her extra skin makes her look unprofessional. Anna's Dominican family grew up eating lots of carbs, but her weight gain came from her reclusive lifestyle. She hadn't stepped on a scale for years until she went to college and finally realized she had ballooned to 320 pounds at 21 years old. After weight loss surgery, she had fallen down to 175 pounds, but quickly realized her skin was sagging heavily and it wasn't going away. She found she was just as uncomfortable to be in public as when she was at her heaviest, and she worries that the anxiety will affect her graduating from law school. She can't concentrate at school, her relationship with her sister is deteriorating, and she feels like her youth is wasting away behind closed doors. If she doesn't get the skin removed, she'll never be comfortable in life or achieve her dream of becoming a respectable lawyer.
Sarah turned to food for comfort during her damaging childhood, but her 220-lb weight loss left her with painful sagging skin. At 500-lbs, Sarah was a happy child until the ravages of drug addiction tore her family apart leaving her alone and vulnerable. Sadly, she suffered some traumatic sexual abuse. This tragedy caused her to gain weight excessively and use her obesity as a shield to keep potential abusers from finding her attractive. Later in life, she met a man with wounds of his own, a ex-Marine with PTSD. They found understanding, love and hope in each other which prompted her to have gastric bypass surgery. The weight came off quickly, but she was left with horrific amounts of excess skin that serve as a constant tangible reminder of the traumatic abuse she suffered. Sarah wants to get rid of the skin, close the door on the past and start working towards a degree as a trauma counselor.
Roger overcame a challenging life to raise his children but his 300-lb weight loss gave him excess skin. Because of Roger's huge weight, the only job he could hold from his abnormal size was being a nightclub bouncer. Being around that crowd led him to a life of drugs which, at his weight, spun his life out of control. His life turned around when he found out he'd be a father, influencing him to atone for his life of crime and get a gastric sleeve to lose weight rapidly. But he quickly found out that as he lost weight, his body turned into a massive collection of skin. Now, the skin keeps him from getting a job to support his family, or from even enjoying his time with his two kids. If he doesn't get the skin removed, he'll never be able to be the father he meant to become when he first turned his life around.
Annette, once 650-lbs, lost over half of her body weight, but her excess skin is a painful reminder of years of an overeating addiction. As a young girl, Annette's siblings brought bags of junk food to keep her occupied in her room while they delved into drugs. Addictive behavior was a family norm, and by age nine Annette was habitually overeating. At 18, she weighed 500 pounds. Annette topped 650 at the time of her weight loss surgery. As the pounds came off, the stretched skin became excessive. It now drapes from her stomach, legs and arms - barring her from the active family life she dreams of.
Callisto lost 250-lbs & became a model but the shame of her loose skin put her passion & marriage on hold. Calisto was an active child growing up on her family farm, but contact with pesticides caused her to be bed ridden for most of her teens. As a result of this illness, she gained hundreds of pounds. At 420 lbs she was miserable and hopeless. The birth of her niece gave her the inspiration to seek out gastric bypass surgery, so that she could one day get married and have a family of her own. Unfortunately, the rapid extreme weight loss left her body looking like a melted candle. Currently, she's living a lie, hiding the pounds of excess skin from her fiance. He wants to get married soon, but she's put the wedding on hold until she can get rid of the skin. Surgery is the only way she can get rid of the skin and, ultimately, walk down the aisle.
Mary lost 161-lbs and hopes skin removal surgery will rid her of the painful memories of her once obese life. Before Mary turned two, both of her parents died of obscenity-related illnesses. Years later, her adoptive father passed away. She became depressed and ate to numb her pain. When she met her boyfriend Josh, she was 334lbs. He loved her unconditionally and for the first time, she could see a bright future. Following gastric bypass surgery, Mary lost over 150 pounds. But the excess skin that remains reminds her of a lifelong struggle with weight issues and emotional pain. She's desperate to steer her life in a positive direction, but remains at a standstill until she can rid herself of the excess skin.
After a car accident, Lora went through recovery, obesity, and gastric bypass surgery, but is now left with stretched skin & terrible scars. After a horrific car accident left her bed ridden as a teenager, Lora regained her mobility with use of a wheelchair and crutches. But years of inactivity lead to excessive weight gain. The former touring musician lost 161lbs after gastric bypass surgery but is now faces the trauma of abnormally hanging excess skin. Due to leftover scar tissue from her accident, Lora's legs have creases and folds that add to her body's unusual appearance. This makes it difficult for Lora, who has been widowed for 8 years, to even try to date. Her adult daughter is her closest friend, and she longs to enjoy an active lifestyle with her. Since her accident, Lora has never been able to feel comfortable and confident in her body. She needs skin removal surgery to finally live the life she dreams of.
Jessica & Melissa are left with massive excess hanging skin after growing up obese. Jessica and Melissa have been severely overweight their whole lives, from struggling as sisters growing up together all the way to their adult lives. Melissa found love which inspired her to lose weight, and Jessica followed in her footsteps. Instead of enjoying the fruits of their hard labor at the end of their weight-loss journey, they were both left with heaps of excess skin. Melissa's excess skin keeps her from being comfortable outside as her children play and makes her self-conscious about going on dates with her husband. Jessica's skin squanders her efforts to find a date herself, and instead is forced to live at home with her mom. Both of them want to leave the remnants of their old lives behind, and they'll have each other as they try to push through their journey to have normal lives.
Matt lost everything he cherished from being over 625-lbs, but after losing a lot of the weight, his excess skin is keeping him from returning to life. Matt is a man who has lost it all due to his weight. At his heaviest of 625 lbs., he lost his wife, he lost a job as a pastor, and his health was rapidly deteriorating. After being turned down for gastric bypass surgery, he decided to lose the weight on his own, but the massive amounts of excess skin were a hurdle he hadn't foreseen. Now it's keeping him from achieving steady work, finding love, and everything else that his weight had originally kept him from.
A look at the participants of season two as they step into their futures with fully transformed bodies.
