A woman lost more than 140lbs in less than two years after her weight made her become a hermit as she couldn’t keep up with her friends and family when out and about.
Jess Adkins, 30, of Pikeville, Kentucky, would eat fast food multiple times a day which left her feeling miserable and embarrassed.
It wasn’t until she struggled to walk to her seat at a sporting event without a break that she decided to make a change.
Before and after: Jess Adkins, 30, weighed 285lbs and is now a happy and confident 146lbs
Unhappy: The administrative assistant said she felt ‘miserable’ and had become a hermit
Struggling: The decision to lose weight came after she was at a sporting event and had trouble walking back to her seat
Couldn’t keep up: Jess was constantly exhausted and couldn’t keep the same pace pace as her friends and family
She said: ‘I felt miserable. I had become a hermit because I was embarrassed about how I looked and I was also constantly exhausted and couldn’t keep up the same pace as my friends and family.’
Before her incredible transformation, the administrative assistant, weighed 285lbs and was a size 24.
Jess went on a low carb diet and lost 30lbs in four months before having vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery.
Since her surgery, Jess has stuck to a low carb keto diet and walks for three to five miles six days a week.
And now, she is a super healthy and confident 146lbs and a size four.
Healthy lifestyle: Since having her vertical sleeve gastrectomy, she walks for three to five miles six days a week
Confident: Jess said that losing weight has changed her life and that she has ‘more confidence’
Change: She would have to take a breath every few steps to get to her seat and that’s when she knew she needed a healthier lifestyle
Food choices: Jess no longer eats bread, pasta or rice and rarely has fast food
She said: ‘I was consuming fast food on a daily basis – sometimes multiple times a day.’
‘After a humiliating experience where I couldn’t get to my seat at a sporting event without taking a break every ten steps – I knew right then something had to change.’
‘I went from having fast food every day to very rarely ever having it. I no longer eat bread, rice, or pasta. I don’t eat sugar.’
‘Losing weight has changed my life. I have so much more confidence now.’
Jess said that now, she no longer turns down invites to events to avoid being seen and when she does go out, she feels better once she gets there because she can physically keep up with everyone else.
Feeling better: Now, she accepts invitations to go out with enthusiasm and feels better once she gets there
Not easy: Jess believes that having weight loss surgery is not an easy option as most of her struggle has been in the mind
Mental: Jess said that the mental struggle is so hard and that weight loss surgery is not the easy way out
Cravings: Jess thinks that even if you have weight loss surgery, it’s possible to still ‘want the foods you had before’
Proud: For those looking to lose weight, she recommends looking on social media for tips
Proud of her achievements, Jess believes that having weight loss surgery is not an easy option as most of her struggle with her weight has been in the mind.
She said: ‘The mental struggle is so hard. So many say that weight loss surgery is the easy way out. It’s not true.’
‘The surgery was on the stomach, not on the mind. So, you can still want the foods you had before but you have to convince yourself that you like your health better than you would like the taste of the food.’
For those wanting to lose weight, she recommends looking on social media sites for suggestions.
She said: ‘Look on social media for help on where to start. Instagram and YouTube are great. Search the sites and find tips from others. It’s honestly helped me so much.’