*Just over two years ago, 26-year-old Christine Carter weighed 275 pounds. A food addiction had filled the void left by her former smoking habit, and no number of hours spent exercising or attempts at eating a nutritiously balanced diet could keep pace with the sheer quantity of food she was consuming on a daily basis. Discouraged by her appearance and fearful for her health, she made the decision to undergo weight loss surgery in an attempt to gain back her wellness, confidence, and self-acceptance.
Following gastric sleeve surgery – which is designed to remove more than half of the stomach – Christine lost 60 pounds relatively easily. The procedure made it possible to feel fuller after eating less, which was certainly a blessing. Unfortunately, she quickly discovered that simply reducing her food intake wasn’t going to cut it, noticing that an inability to limit her diet to healthy choices had led to a resurgence of ten pounds.
Realizing that bariatric surgery was merely a means to end as opposed to her fix-all solution, Christine was able to alter her mindset and really focus on other tools she could use to reach her weight loss goals. These tactics included hiring a personal trainer, implementing (and sticking to) a regular exercise regimen, and limiting herself to healthy, pre-made meals with minimal sweets. In just six months, she was able to lose another 90 pounds.
Having lost a total of 150 pounds, Christine was ready to pursue the final step of her transformation – excess skin removal. To do this, she sought the expertise of our Fort Worth plastic surgeon, Dr. Jon Kurkjian, who performed a tummy tuck and mastopexy with implants. The tummy tuck helped Christine get rid of the loose, residual skin in her abdomen, and the mastopexy with implants helped restore volume to her breasts while accentuating her beautiful new figure.
Today, Christine is healthy, looks wonderful, and – most importantly – she feels great about herself and is committed to providing hope to other people in similar situations. She is a true inspiration to anyone seeking to lose a significant amount of weight, and Dr. Kurkjian and our team couldn’t be more proud to have been part of her amazing journey.
For more information about Christine’s story, or if you are interested in post-bariatric body contouring, please feel free to contact us today.