Still haunted by my former self
Donation protected
Hi. My name's Jordan, I'm 22 and I've changed a bit over the last 18 months. To really understand my story, you should probably jump in to my shoes for a minute. Makes sense to start from the start, right?

'My god, have you seen the size of that?!’ I used to hear people say to their friends. It got to a point that I could phase comments like that out because I’d grown so used to them. I’d always been overweight. My mum always tried her best to keep my diet healthy but she didn't know about the junk food I'd scoff when she wasn't there. I found comfort in food because I was bullied by kids at school. I was the 'weird kid' that always used to eat his lunch in the corner on his own. I have Asperger's syndrome but I wasn't diagnosed until I was 13 so nobody, myself included, ever knew why I was different.
By the time I was 11, I weighed about 11 stone. I never used to have friends to play out with so I never got involved in any kind of sports which didn’t help. My mum used to try to encourage me to play outside and join local football clubs but I absolutely hated it and never stuck at it for very long.
My age equalled my weight in stones until I was 14, at which point I weighed 15 stone. My mum encouraged me to try and lose weight. She made the decision to sign me up to a local weight loss club called 'slimming world’ and I wasn't too impressed but I didn't really have a choice. She was worried about me and she didn't want to give up on me, even if I didn't care. My mum cooked the meals, but I just kept putting weight on. My consultant Caroline was lovely and really tried to help me. She couldn't understand why I wasn't losing weight. Maybe it was because I was still scoffing chocolates, cookies, loaves of white bread, you name it, and didn't tell anybody.. That is until my mum found all the wrappers stuffed in to little hidey-holes around the house. I couldn't have put them in the bin because then she would’ve seen them. When all the wrappers and packets were piled up, I realised that I had a problem with food.

I found short term success in a fad diet and found myself in my first grown up relationship. We moved in together.. and I became comfortable. I could eat what I wanted and I didn't have to worry about my mum breathing down my neck! I took full advantage of that and soon piled all the weight back on, and then some. The relationship ended and I moved in to my own place, but I started to eat even more. Mega sized hash brown cobs, 15" Donner meat pizzas with sides to myself, M&M’s, I ate constantly. I was 18 at this point and I had also discovered beer, which didn't help.
I worked in a call centre and so I ate at my desk, but it got to the point where I had to start shopping for clothes online because normal shops just didn't stock my size. In fact, it got to a point where even the online shops were limited. By the time I was 20, I weighed 25 stone. My BMI was 54, I was in a 5XL top and just squeezing in to a 56" waist jeans. I went to visit my doctor for a routine checkup and he told me something that I'll never forget. He told me that I’d die before my 30th birthday if I didn't lose weight.
I followed the Slimming World plan for a week or so before joining my local group. I'd been given a second chance and I knew that my life was on the line. When I stepped on the scales for the first time in a Slimming World group, I was 24 stone 2.5lbs. In my first week in group, I lost 10.5lbs.

I cleared out the cupboards. I didn't really have time to waste. I HAD to lose weight. I made a lot of healthy swaps, like white bread to wholemeal bread, McDonald's burgers to slimming world burgers and fried onions.. with melted mozzarella cheese of course. My favourite swap has definitely been Slimming World chips!
I felt so much healthier, even after just a few weeks. I could walk more than 20 feet without getting out of breath, I had more energy, and I was never hungry. I started eating fruit for breakfast, a jacket potato and beans for lunch and a slimming world meal for tea. I enjoy snacks in the day but I know my limits and I always measure what I eat. It's so important to weigh what you eat if you want the best losses possible.
I wanted to push myself and I'd already lost about 8 stone so I decided to go straight for Body Magic gold. I did half an hour on the cross trainer and half an hour on the treadmill 5 nights a week and did strength training for half an hour afterward every other session. It was more than I needed to do, but I wanted to be the best version of me that I could be.

My family are really proud of what I've done and that makes me so happy. My family don't worry about my health now and people I haven't heard from in years and people I've never met have contacted me and let me know that I've actually encouraged them to lose weight and it’s quite surreal.
I was with my first group for 57 weeks. I was really nervous at first because I think I was the only guy in the group so I felt a little bit embarrassed, but I was welcomed immediately. I felt silly to have even been embarrassed! The tips I picked up for other members really helped me and the emotional stories behind other people's journeys are really inspiring. They became almost like a second family. I had to change groups due to a career change, but my new group are just as lovely. I'd have flaked at the first hurdle without the support of Caroline, my consultant. She’s been with me throughout and it’s been a privilege to know her.
My new colleagues are already my friends and my new job is so much better. I really feel like I made the best choice and I'm so glad that I had the confidence to do it. They know about my journey, and a few of them follow slimming world, too.

In total, I’ve now lost 13 stone and my BMI has gone down to 23 from 54, I'm in a small top instead of a 5XL and a 32" waist jeans from 56". I've increased my level of activity and I'm the fittest I've been physically in my entire life. I was invited to Slimming World’s head office in Derbyshire along with 37 other men nominated for Slimming World’s ‘Man of the year 2017’ competition. I've had my vision corrected which was a big change for me because I've been wearing glasses since I was a toddler. It was the icing on the cake as far as everyone was concerned, but in private, it's not quite over yet.

Despite my waist shrinking, I didn't even think that my skin wouldn't shrink with it. My average weight loss has been about 2.5lbs a week so I haven't been losing the weight particularly quickly from a medical point of view; it's taken me 18 months. On the 18th of January, I went to visit my GP and ask for help. I have a history of depression, largely due to my OCD. As you can imagine, I find it difficult to look in the mirror any more. I needed to take the first step, and I did, but It was a swift no. I was told that I had to meet a big long list of criteria to the letter, of which I met the vast majority but didn’t tick every box. I asked my GP if he could ask the panel to consider my case on it's own merit but unfortunately it came back as a firm no.

Downtrodden and desperate, I reached out to several reputable clinics who offered their services with far more lenient criteria, offering procedures each at around the price of £6,000. Bearing in mind I have an excess of skin on my abdomen, posterior and thighs, we’re talking £18,000 here. I reached out to a respected surgeon at a local private hospital and expressed my plight, and he heard me.
Depending on the approval of hospital directors and being able to pay the hospital fees, he said that they would remove my loose skin by way of a "fleur-de-lis" abdominoplasty procedure, along with a posterior lift and they would also be willing to remove the skin on my thighs and he would be willing to forego his own fees and just do it to help me.

I couldn’t believe what I was being offered! I was so excited! Something could be done! I’ve since heard back that all systems are go and the theatre has been booked for the 5th of December. I’m scrimping and saving myself where I can, I’ve tried loans, credit cards, but I’ve exhausted all of my options. I can’t hope to do this without help.
This limits my options to two. My first option, I live with the loose skin for the rest of my life. My second option, I pay for private treatment. Option 1 simply isn't an option at all. I can't live like this for another year, never mind the rest of my life. The anxiety is crippling. I hate asking for help but, unfortunately, I don't have a choice.

It's not a cosmetic procedure to me, it's a life changing procedure. It's the final chapter of my journey. If you can help me, I'd be forever grateful.

Jordan.
'My god, have you seen the size of that?!’ I used to hear people say to their friends. It got to a point that I could phase comments like that out because I’d grown so used to them. I’d always been overweight. My mum always tried her best to keep my diet healthy but she didn't know about the junk food I'd scoff when she wasn't there. I found comfort in food because I was bullied by kids at school. I was the 'weird kid' that always used to eat his lunch in the corner on his own. I have Asperger's syndrome but I wasn't diagnosed until I was 13 so nobody, myself included, ever knew why I was different.
By the time I was 11, I weighed about 11 stone. I never used to have friends to play out with so I never got involved in any kind of sports which didn’t help. My mum used to try to encourage me to play outside and join local football clubs but I absolutely hated it and never stuck at it for very long.
My age equalled my weight in stones until I was 14, at which point I weighed 15 stone. My mum encouraged me to try and lose weight. She made the decision to sign me up to a local weight loss club called 'slimming world’ and I wasn't too impressed but I didn't really have a choice. She was worried about me and she didn't want to give up on me, even if I didn't care. My mum cooked the meals, but I just kept putting weight on. My consultant Caroline was lovely and really tried to help me. She couldn't understand why I wasn't losing weight. Maybe it was because I was still scoffing chocolates, cookies, loaves of white bread, you name it, and didn't tell anybody.. That is until my mum found all the wrappers stuffed in to little hidey-holes around the house. I couldn't have put them in the bin because then she would’ve seen them. When all the wrappers and packets were piled up, I realised that I had a problem with food.
I found short term success in a fad diet and found myself in my first grown up relationship. We moved in together.. and I became comfortable. I could eat what I wanted and I didn't have to worry about my mum breathing down my neck! I took full advantage of that and soon piled all the weight back on, and then some. The relationship ended and I moved in to my own place, but I started to eat even more. Mega sized hash brown cobs, 15" Donner meat pizzas with sides to myself, M&M’s, I ate constantly. I was 18 at this point and I had also discovered beer, which didn't help.
I worked in a call centre and so I ate at my desk, but it got to the point where I had to start shopping for clothes online because normal shops just didn't stock my size. In fact, it got to a point where even the online shops were limited. By the time I was 20, I weighed 25 stone. My BMI was 54, I was in a 5XL top and just squeezing in to a 56" waist jeans. I went to visit my doctor for a routine checkup and he told me something that I'll never forget. He told me that I’d die before my 30th birthday if I didn't lose weight.
I followed the Slimming World plan for a week or so before joining my local group. I'd been given a second chance and I knew that my life was on the line. When I stepped on the scales for the first time in a Slimming World group, I was 24 stone 2.5lbs. In my first week in group, I lost 10.5lbs.
I cleared out the cupboards. I didn't really have time to waste. I HAD to lose weight. I made a lot of healthy swaps, like white bread to wholemeal bread, McDonald's burgers to slimming world burgers and fried onions.. with melted mozzarella cheese of course. My favourite swap has definitely been Slimming World chips!
I felt so much healthier, even after just a few weeks. I could walk more than 20 feet without getting out of breath, I had more energy, and I was never hungry. I started eating fruit for breakfast, a jacket potato and beans for lunch and a slimming world meal for tea. I enjoy snacks in the day but I know my limits and I always measure what I eat. It's so important to weigh what you eat if you want the best losses possible.
I wanted to push myself and I'd already lost about 8 stone so I decided to go straight for Body Magic gold. I did half an hour on the cross trainer and half an hour on the treadmill 5 nights a week and did strength training for half an hour afterward every other session. It was more than I needed to do, but I wanted to be the best version of me that I could be.
My family are really proud of what I've done and that makes me so happy. My family don't worry about my health now and people I haven't heard from in years and people I've never met have contacted me and let me know that I've actually encouraged them to lose weight and it’s quite surreal.
I was with my first group for 57 weeks. I was really nervous at first because I think I was the only guy in the group so I felt a little bit embarrassed, but I was welcomed immediately. I felt silly to have even been embarrassed! The tips I picked up for other members really helped me and the emotional stories behind other people's journeys are really inspiring. They became almost like a second family. I had to change groups due to a career change, but my new group are just as lovely. I'd have flaked at the first hurdle without the support of Caroline, my consultant. She’s been with me throughout and it’s been a privilege to know her.
My new colleagues are already my friends and my new job is so much better. I really feel like I made the best choice and I'm so glad that I had the confidence to do it. They know about my journey, and a few of them follow slimming world, too.
In total, I’ve now lost 13 stone and my BMI has gone down to 23 from 54, I'm in a small top instead of a 5XL and a 32" waist jeans from 56". I've increased my level of activity and I'm the fittest I've been physically in my entire life. I was invited to Slimming World’s head office in Derbyshire along with 37 other men nominated for Slimming World’s ‘Man of the year 2017’ competition. I've had my vision corrected which was a big change for me because I've been wearing glasses since I was a toddler. It was the icing on the cake as far as everyone was concerned, but in private, it's not quite over yet.
Despite my waist shrinking, I didn't even think that my skin wouldn't shrink with it. My average weight loss has been about 2.5lbs a week so I haven't been losing the weight particularly quickly from a medical point of view; it's taken me 18 months. On the 18th of January, I went to visit my GP and ask for help. I have a history of depression, largely due to my OCD. As you can imagine, I find it difficult to look in the mirror any more. I needed to take the first step, and I did, but It was a swift no. I was told that I had to meet a big long list of criteria to the letter, of which I met the vast majority but didn’t tick every box. I asked my GP if he could ask the panel to consider my case on it's own merit but unfortunately it came back as a firm no.
Downtrodden and desperate, I reached out to several reputable clinics who offered their services with far more lenient criteria, offering procedures each at around the price of £6,000. Bearing in mind I have an excess of skin on my abdomen, posterior and thighs, we’re talking £18,000 here. I reached out to a respected surgeon at a local private hospital and expressed my plight, and he heard me.
Depending on the approval of hospital directors and being able to pay the hospital fees, he said that they would remove my loose skin by way of a "fleur-de-lis" abdominoplasty procedure, along with a posterior lift and they would also be willing to remove the skin on my thighs and he would be willing to forego his own fees and just do it to help me.
I couldn’t believe what I was being offered! I was so excited! Something could be done! I’ve since heard back that all systems are go and the theatre has been booked for the 5th of December. I’m scrimping and saving myself where I can, I’ve tried loans, credit cards, but I’ve exhausted all of my options. I can’t hope to do this without help.
This limits my options to two. My first option, I live with the loose skin for the rest of my life. My second option, I pay for private treatment. Option 1 simply isn't an option at all. I can't live like this for another year, never mind the rest of my life. The anxiety is crippling. I hate asking for help but, unfortunately, I don't have a choice.
It's not a cosmetic procedure to me, it's a life changing procedure. It's the final chapter of my journey. If you can help me, I'd be forever grateful.
Jordan.
Organizer
Jordan Martínez
Organizer
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