A MORBIDLY obese woman has stripped down to a bikini for the first time after losing 12 STONE - because her own children were calling her fat.
Lora Jones, 33, from Tennessee, USA, who tipped the scales at 22.5st, had a gastric band fitted after being nicknamed ‘pork chop’.
Medical assistant Lora continued to hide her body, believing the saggy skin that was left behind made her look like the burned face of Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street.
Lora, a mum to Faith, 14, and Angel, 10, went under the knife again, having laser surgery in her arms and a panniculectomy, which removed 8lbs of excess flesh from her stomach – and now weighs 10.5st.
Lora had been overweight since childhood and by the age of 10 she weighed more than 14st.
"I came from an overweight family, had an underactive thyroid and never ate healthily, I just didn't take care of myself before,” she said.
"Once I went to an amusement park and was told I couldn't ride the rollercoaster, which was so embarrassing as I had to leave the queue and walk away in shame.
"It felt like my weight was holding me back from everything, I didn't even want to ride a bike in case I broke it.”
Despite attempts to lose weight in the past, it took the embarrassment of her young girls commenting on how large she was to force her into action.
"I got bullied growing up because of my weight, but when even my daughter started saying I had a big butt and that I was fat I knew I had to make a change,” she said.
"She was only five years old so wouldn't have realised saying 'Mummy's fat' upset me.
"But now I know I have her to thank for motivating me to change my life.”
Lora had a gastric band fitted and began eating a healthier diet.
"After my gastric bypass there were so many things I cut back on," she said.
"Before I'd still be hungry after eating a foot-long sandwich and chips, now I can barely eat three inches.
"I used to eat super-size McDonalds but now I barely eat the sandwich meat inside it.”
However, due to the dramatic weight loss she was left with masses of excess skin.
Humiliated by the look of her flabby stomach, Lora continued to hide her body.
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"My stomach was covered in stretchmarks, was wrinkly and had tonnes of sagging skin - it was really disgusting,” she said.
"I felt it looked like Freddy Krueger because of the weird marks all over it.
"There was so much skin it hung down past my pubic region.
"It was really embarrassing, it would even make a noise when it flapped against other parts of my skin.”
Four months ago Lora decided to have a panniculectomy, which removed 8lbs of saggy skin from her stomach.
“Thankfully it's all gone and I can move on with my life,” she said.
Since recovering from the surgery she receives compliments daily from her children and has bought her first ever two-piece for the beach.
"A week ago I wore the first bikini in my entire life. I'd never worn one at all, not even as a child because I was so large, which was a massive step for me,” she said.
"I'm really excited to wear it throughout the summer now, as for the first time in my life I look really good and even my kids have told me how great my body looks."
Lora feels like a completely new woman and has been taking on fitness challenges like hiking.
"I get a lot more attention from men now, I used to be nicknamed pork chop because I was so overweight - now they call me pork rind which is an improvement,” she said.
"Before my body issues and lack of confidence would always hold me back; now I'm not going to let anything stop me."
FROM FAT TO FAB: LORA'S BEFORE AND AFTER DIET
BEFORE
Breakfast: nothing
Lunch: frozen pizza
Dinner: super-sized casserole dinner
Dessert: large bags of crisps
NOW
Breakfast: protein shake
Lunch: almonds, fruit or a salad
Dinner: low fat beef with vegetables
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