A single mom of three is revealing her battle with loose skin after losing nearly 150 pounds.
Amanda Jean, a dental hygienist from Toronto, Canada, who goes by the Instagram handle @amandajean_ryn, underwent gastric bypass surgery in January 2017.
Her starting weight was 330 pounds and she has since lost 149 pounds.
Motivated: The dental hygienist weighed 330lbs before surgery in January 2017 but has since lost 149lbs
Before and after: Amanda Jean pictured left in January 2017 before surgery and right, in November 2017
Charting her weight loss on Instagram, the social media fan has decided to lift the lid on what extreme weight loss looks like by revealing what it takes to conceal her loose skin in pictures.
Posting three full-length pictures of herself – one showing her body fully clothed, one with her top lifted up slighting and the third exposing her belly – Amanda Jean explained her reason for doing so in the accompanying caption.
She wrote: ‘So I often hear “wow you have no loose skin”. Since I have shared my before picture I have had countless number of people asking me how I don’t have loose skin – well I DO! ALOT OF IT!’
She continued: ‘I am very grateful that I don’t have much loose skin anywhere else other than my stomach area and I know I don’t owe anyone these pictures but I want to be as honest as possible on this acct so here it is – this is me, in the raw.’
The Canadian added that she was ‘terrified’ about sharing her before and after photos but that she now sees her excess skin as her ‘badge of honor’.
‘My stomach is the way it is because I birthed 4 children from my body in 3.5yrs, with one of the pregnancies being twins! I have also lost 150lbs! I won’t have my stomach for long because plastics are going to be in my near future but I will embrace it for now as a testament to the amazing things I have done,’ she concluded.
Terrified: Amanda Jean (left before surgery) says she was scared to show her loose skin online
Fit fam: The single mom says she used to struggle putting her socks on in the morning before undergoing weight loss surgery and couldn’t even play with her kids
‘Living life’: Amanda pictured in January 2017 before her weight loss surgery (left) and in September (right) says now loves playing with her children outdoors
Sharing her story on the Weight Loss Stories Instagram account, Amanda Jean also revealed the moment she realized she had to make a change.
‘As a single mom of three I knew I had to make a change. Everyday life felt like an impossible feat. I had a hard time putting on my socks in the morning, I couldn’t turn my steering wheel because my belly was pushing against it and the worst part was I couldn’t play with my children.
‘We had to drive to the park across the street and I could barely make it the park bench where I sat and watched all the other parents playing with their children.’
She added that it was at that point she made the decision to change her life for her three kids: ‘I made a decision to better my life not only for myself but for my three children.
‘Now instead of watching I’m playing goalie and riding bikes and finally living life!’