Woman who lost an incredible 25 stone reveals she was cruelly mocked by beachgoers because of her saggy excess skin
Jacqueline Adan was compelled to lose weight after she tipped the scales at 35 stone when she turned 25 - but her first time wearing a swimming costume in public turned in to a devastating moment
A PLUS-size blogger who lost 25 stone was devastated to be fat-shamed the first time she wore a swimming costume in public.
Jacqueline Adan, 30, weighed a whopping 35 stone (500lbs) when she turned 25, and decided that it was time to make a change once and for all.
Five years later after sticking to the Jenny Craig diet plan, a US-based low cal meal delivery service, and having surgery to remove excess skin from her tummy, the Californian felt ready to wear a swimsuit without a cover up while away with her fiance Kevin.
She recalled what happened in an emotional , writing: "When we were on vacation in Mexico a few weeks ago, it was the first time I had worn a bathing suit in a long time, and it had been even longer since I wore a bathing suit without a cover up.
"I was nervous to take my cover up off and to walk into the pool or walk on the beach. I still felt like that same 500 pound girl... then it happened.
"A couple sitting by the pool started laughing and pointing at me and making fun of me as soon as I took my cover up off."
While the humiliating moment might have been enough to shatter Jacqueline's confidence forever, or force her to stay inside for the rest of her holiday, she decided to take ownership of the moment and not let the couple's eyes affect her.
She added: "I took a deep breath, smiled and walked into the pool.
"That was a huge moment for me. I had changed. I was not the same girl anymore.
"Yes I still have a lot of loose skin, I may still feel insecure at times, and yes I may still get made fun of.
"To be honest, yes it bothered me. But I was not going to let people like that affect me anymore!
"I am not going to let what other people think of me stop me from living my life."
Despite the incident, big-hearted Jacqueline added that the couple were ignorant not only in their behaviour, but also about her journey.
She said: "They do not know how I have worked my a** off to lose 350 pounds.
"They do not know how I am recovering from major surgeries. They have no right to sit and point and laugh at me
"That's why I smiled. It does not matter what others say or if they try to doubt you or try to bring you down. What matters is how you react to it. How you feel about yourself.
"Loving yourself just the way you are is hard. Others might not like that. That's OK. I hope you love yourself.
"Love your body. I hope you keep doing you and just keep smiling!"
Her honest recollection of her holiday nightmare has seen her inundated with compliments and thanks from her 61,000 followers, prompting her to thank them with an equally emotional post on her account, .
She : "I feel that there is so much negativity that surrounds people who are different and I feel that it is our job to raise each other up and not tear each other down! True happiness comes from within and being truly happy with yourself is all that matters."
Jacqueline has been very open and honest about her weight struggles, and last year wrote about the moment she realised that she needed to lose weight.
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Speaking about an outing to Disneyland to mark her 25th birthday, she revealed that she was so overweight she needed to be pushed around the park in a wheelchair and that she was too wide to fit through some of the turnstiles of the rides.
She said: "I have loved [Disneyland] ever since I was born.
"It’s a place where I was immediately transformed into a princess as soon as I walked through those gates, a place of magic and fantasy, and a place where anything was possible and where dreams really did come true.
"I thought that maybe taking a trip to the “happiest place on earth” was just what I needed to boost my spirits, but when we got there, I had to rent a wheelchair because I could barely make it walking to the front gate.
"I was so embarrassed about how I physically could not walk and that my weight had become so bad that I needed a wheelchair to get around.
"I remember wheeling around Disneyland and feeling like everyone was staring at me, judging me, and looking at this fat girl on wheels who couldn’t even walk! I was ashamed!"
People of all shapes and sizes struggle with body confidence, including these three mums who bravely spoke about what they see in the mirror.
And this man shed 14 stone after realising he was too fat to use the bathroom scales.