A woman's life has dramatically changed in less than 12 months after a medical intervention helped her achieve her dream body.
Eight months ago, TikTok user @sh4rk3yy weighed 268 lbs before going under the knife for gastric sleeve surgery on January 17. Now, she couldn't be prouder of her physique after dropping 105 lbs.
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, 152, 866 Americans had 70 to 85 percent of their stomach removed in 2021.
"By removing the portion of the stomach that produces most of the "hunger hormone", the surgery has an effect on the metabolism," explains the ASMB.
Having a smaller stomach via a minimally invasive procedure like gastric sleeve surgery means the patient is less hungry and their fullness is increased, according to the ASMB.
The irreversible procedure has been praised by the TikTok user who states it has changed her life.
The montage of videos shows the woman prior to the surgery weighing her heaviest, in hospital ahead of the operation, and in a full-length clip of her with a much smaller waist.
The woman added the following text to the clip showcasing her new figure: "48kg lighter and living my best life."
So far, the video has racked up over 660,000 views and 35,800 likes since it was posted on August 6.
Hundreds of people have commented on the video and praised the woman.
"That walk up to the mirror after major weight loss hits like nothing else. You look good!!" said one user.
"You were so beautiful before, and even more beautiful now [you're] glowing with confidence," complimented another.
A third user wrote: "Incredible I just don't know how anyone affords it."
Other users have turned to the woman for advice as they hope to undergo the same surgery. One user said: "Does anyone know if your shoe size changes? I got way too many good shoes."
The original poster confirmed her weight loss has resulted in smaller feet. This isn't unusual for dramatic weight losses according to one 12-month study published in 2017, volunteers who lost 50 to 100 lbs (through sleeve gastrectomy) saw their shoe sizes decrease by one full number on average.
So it looks like it wasn't just a new wardrobe that was needed but shoes too. But it isn't always sunshine and rainbows when losing weight, one woman shared 'the hard truth' of significant weight loss with Newsweek while another revealed losing 30 lbs didn't solve her problems.
Newsweek reached out to user @sh4rk3yy for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.
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