Soda addict loses 238 pounds — but now struggles for a “normal life” due to excess skin

Soda addict loses 238 pounds — but now struggles for a “normal life” due to excess skin

Web Desk
March 1, 2022

Soda addict loses 238 pounds — but now struggles for a “normal life” due to excess skin

A 392-pound mother who consumed nearly a gallon of soda per day has lost more than half her body weight, but she now has excess skin that “flaps around.”

Chessie Passmore, 36, said her comfort eating after her children were born contributed to a “weight rollercoaster” of failed fad diets.

“My biggest downfalls were fizzy drinks, pasta, and bread.” “I used to drink 12 cans a day,” she told Jam Press. “I had knee problems and could barely walk.”

Passmore, who has nearly 250,0000 followers and 3 million “likes” on TikTok for documenting her 238-pound weight loss journey under the hashtag #perfectpassmore, said she’s been plagued with cruel nicknames since middle school.

“I got bullied really badly and it was depressing. In my yearbook, my picture was under ‘Who has the biggest appetite?’” the now hot-pink-haired influencer recalled. “I used to get called ‘Cheesy Chessie’ and ‘lard’ and from there I covered my feelings with food.”

When she had children in 2006, she vowed to lose weight so she could chase down her children, Dawson and Keliegh, both of whom were 15 at the time.

But the trendy weight loss gimmicks didn’t work, and she claimed her addiction to breads, junk foods, and pop caused her to balloon to a size 28 — and doctors warned her she’d need knee replacement surgery as young as 40.

“I’m ashamed of myself,” she admitted. “I had no idea how much damage I was causing to my body and myself.” I never gave much thought to what I put into my body. I was working and simply living in the present.”

When she had children in 2006, she vowed to lose weight so she could chase down her children, Dawson and Keliegh, both of whom were 15 at the time.

Her gastric band restricts the size of her stomach, lowering her tolerance for the unhealthy foods she used to enjoy. But she knew that even with the band, she could still eat junk food, so she used it as a tool to completely change her lifestyle.

She used to eat McDonald’s cheeseburgers, candy, soda, and fries — but after changing her lifestyle, she now gets her nutrients from protein shakes, fruit, granola, and grilled chicken.

However, losing the weight was not the end of her difficulties. She now has excess skin folds that droop off her body, further limiting her mobility and causing pain.

It hurts her if her stomach isn’t tucked into her body, she says, and she gets rashes beneath the skin folds. She went on to say that the excess skin on her arms is a “hindrance” because it “flaps around.”

Passmore, who enjoys swimming, wants to get back in the water and live a “normal life,” but she needs surgery to do so.

While her husband, 39-year-old engineer Justin, whom she refers to as her “backbone,” has always said Passmore is beautiful, he changed jobs in order to obtain the health insurance required to cover some of the operations.

Her insurance will cover the surgery to remove the “lower fold” of skin on her stomach, but the other half of the operation will cost her $7,200. Her arms could cost $10,000 to $15,0000 in surgery, and her legs could cost $20,000 in surgery.

“People ask why I’m getting my body fixed if I say I love it, but I can get it fixed and love it even more,” she explained.

While her first skin removal surgery is scheduled for November, she is unable to cover the entire cost on her own. She used TikTok to share her storey and received funds from her nearly 350,000 followers via GoFundMe.

“I’m grateful for anything donated, even if it’s just a dollar,” she said. “I never expected this, but one of my friends said to me, ‘You took a risk on yourself, so let us take a risk on you now.'”

So far, generous donors have raised $6,000, but it is insufficient to cover all three surgeries she will require.

“This feels like a dark side to weight loss that nobody talks about,” commented TikTok user Connor Shin under one of Passmore’s videos. “I genuinely don’t understand how skin can expand so much but doesn’t retract,” chimed in another. One user added, “I hope you will be able to reach your goal to have your surgery, proud of how hard you have worked!”

Passmore, flooded by encouragement and donations, is overwhelmed at how well her story was received, despite a few critics in her comments section. Some people, she said, advised her to “apply for credit cards,” but she could never pay them off. “I don’t expect someone to pay for my flaws,” she said. “Because I did this for myself, but everyone’s been so helping and supportive.”

Chessie’s diet before

Lunch: Large McDonald’s cheeseburger meal with Coke
Dinner: chicken tenders with fries, burgers, spaghetti, Subway-style sandwiches
Snacks: crisps, cakes, cookies, candy bars
Drinks: 12 cans of fizzy pop a day