Real life weight loss: This mum-of-two lost 250lbs after getting a divorce

A mum-of-two has had her loose skin removed after losing a whopping 250lbs. Crystal from Texas, USA was once 420lbs and struggling with her health. She told her story to YouTube channel Truly, which is documenting dramatic weight loss transformations as part of a series called Brand New Me. 

Crystal told Truly: “I kind of became a little comedian to try to outweigh the fact that I was insecure about how I looked. I couldn’t go up a few steps without being out of air. People would tell me that I wasn’t attractive, that I was lazy.” After seeing a doctor, they recommended gastric bypass surgery to Crystal. Unfortunately after the surgery, Crystal’s bad habits meant the weight came piling back. 

She said: "I don’t think a lot of people understand that if you don’t change those bad habits, you can still revert back and go back to where you were prior. I was a new mum, and my marriage failed. My weight went right back."

Watch Crystal's dramatic weight loss transformation here:

"I felt like a failure, I didn’t feel sexy, I didn’t feel happy. I felt depressed. In my mind, I saw the healthiest version myself - and I chased that."

Crystal began exercising and went on a strict keto diet - altogether she has lost 250lbs. Due to the amount of weight Crystal lost, she was left with a huge amount of excess skin all over her body. At the beginning of 2021, she had a lower body lift and an arm lift. She said: “I feel like I can show a side of me that I’ve never shown before."

Crystal says you need to break habits in order to keep weight off long-term, rather than relying on weight loss surgery. While surgery can help, a commitment to eat healthily and take part in an active lifestyle is the only thing that will really do the job for the rest of your life. Incorporating more exercising into your daily life, such as cycling to work or walking to lose weight instead of taking the car or bus, is a good place to start if you can. 

"This go-round, I was eating, I was happy, I was energised and whole" said Crystal. Healthy food swaps can be a great assistance: for example, instead of drowning your favourite foods in saturated fats and frying or roasting them, using an air fryer can help you cook everything evenly with a fraction of the added calories. Our guide to the best air fryers can help you choose.