A woman who has lost 190 pounds has revealed how going prom dress shopping with her younger sister was a ‘bittersweet’ experience.
Ellie Rodriguez, 24, a customer service specialist from Tennessee, tipped the scales at 345 pounds after a series of personal tragedies saw her turn to food for comfort.
In 2011, Ellie’s high school sweetheart died in a hurricane and in 2015, she lost her father.
Painful: Ellie Rodriguez , 24, from Tennessee, has shared how going prom dress shopping (right) with her sister brought back ‘bittersweet’ memories of her own experience (left)
New woman: Ellie has lost 190 pounds since undergoing weight loss surgery and a low carb diet in 2016
Baggage: Ellie tipped the scaled at 345 pounds, left, and says she comfort ate following the death of her high school sweetheart in 2011 and her father in 2016, right at 155 pounds
‘Being a child of divorce, having a stroke at age 16, then losing my high school boyfriend just a year later in a tornado in 2011 and my alcoholic father that passed away four years after that – all contributed to significant weight gain.
‘My health was beginning to decline. I was diagnosed with fatty liver and was told my liver enzymes were so high that if I didn’t lose weight I could possibly have to have a liver transplant later in life,’ she revealed to FEMAIL.
However in 2016 she resolved to make a change and embarked on a low carb diet before she underwent vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery.
Describing herself as ‘addicted’ to carbs and sugar, she cut them out completely, and focused on a high fat, high protein eating plan.
She also started doing 20-30 minutes of exercise on an elliptical trainer and worked her way up to an hour of exercise at a time.
Taking to Instagram to explain why prom dress shopping was so painful for her, Ellie revealed that although she loved the experience of going to her own prom, she dreaded dress shopping for it.
‘I used to LOVE getting all glammed up for prom, but absolutely DREADED the time it came to find a dress.
Proud: Although she loved getting ‘glammed up’ for prom, Ellie didn’t enjoy the shopping experience, left before surgery and right in January 2018
Overhaul: Before surgery, left, Ellie was told she may need a liver transplant later in life if she didn’t lose weight, pictured right in January 2018
Shopaholic: Following her surgery, Ellie, pictured left before and right, after, now loves shopping
Confused: Ellie, pictured with her husband Jose before surgery, left and right in January 2018, also shared that people now ask her husband if he’s married to a new woman
‘My mom and I would spend hours in dressing rooms going through dozens of dresses and we would both just cry. Cute plus size dresses were hard to find, and when you finally would find one, it was EXPENSIVE!’
Now a size 4 to 6, at her largest, Ellie was a size 24, and she also described how it felt slightly surreal to be picking out small dresses to try on herself while on the trip with her sister, instead of reaching for bigger ones like she did in the past.
‘I really can’t describe how amazing it felt to go into multiple boutiques with my sister and grab size 4/6 dresses (although my fat brain said grab the 24s) and have them fit perfectly.’
She also revealed that as she now fits into smaller dresses, she was ‘tempted’ to go back to one of the stores and buy a dress ‘just because I can’.
Now happily married to husband Jose, Ellie has previously revealed that people now ask him if he’s married to another woman.
Although he technically isn’t, their relationship has changed ten-fold.
‘I have gained a second chance at a life I’ve always dreamed of. I can run without getting out of breath, ride rollercoasters, go horseback riding with my husband, anything I want to do, I can now,’ she revealed.