Weighing in at 170kg was enough for Kayla Butcher to make dramatic changes to the way she was living her life.
Already on the heavier side by her eighth birthday, the Canadian says she was raised in what she called a “sick home” filled with junk foods.
Now 24 and down to 85kg, Kayla has never been happier, or healthier. But as she explains, there is one thing holding her back: the folds of excess skin hanging from her stomach, arms and legs.
“Everything is loose, saggy, wrinkly, and deflated,” she tells Cosmopolitan of the near 10kg of skin she physically cannot shift through diet or exercise.
“It hangs and moves around, and it makes me look and feel way bigger than I truly am.”
It wasn’t always this way for Kayla; she says she was an active child, who loved athletics, playing volleyball and hitting it out with her softball team.
But after she was diagnosed with depression at the age of 14, she says that she began eating food as a way to escape.
“People like to say I made the choice to be fat on my own [but] this was definitely not a choice of mine,” Kayla says before explaining how her “toxic” family life affected her health.
“There were drug dependencies and addiction, as well as far too many issues between my parents that they did not keep from the kids.”
After gaining 65kg in her first year of college, Kayla made the decision to undergo a publicly funded gastric bypass.
While it was by no means a quick and easy procedure to undertake – a 13-month plan had to be put in place before she could take part in the surgery – Kayla says it was worth it in the long run.
“February 8th, 2016. The day my life started again!,” she shared in an Instagram post marking one year since her operation.
“I have lost [80kg]! But I have gained so much more. I have so much energy and confidence. I smile far more than I frown… I am still 100 per cent a work in progress as we all should be!”
“I am a better version of the amazing woman I was at [170kg]. I am and was always worth it. I was not less worthy or deserving of respect. We are all human, battling our own problems.”
It’s been an amazing transformation both physically and emotionally for Kayla, but the self-dubbed “apron” of skin left behind is the only thing left hindering her confidence, particularly in the bedroom.
“I am more self-conscious now at [85kg] naked than I ever was at [170kg],” she says. “I look and feel like a balloon that has lost all of its air a week after a party.”
She now plans to undergo a skin-removal procedure, but as it’s considered cosmetic, won’t be covered by the Canadian healthcare system.
With a GoFundMe page, Kayla hopes she’ll be able to raise the $13,000 she’ll need for a tummy tuck, plus arm, leg and breast work.
Now To Love wishes Kayla the best on her journey to her best health!
