From Losing Half Her Body Weight to Feeling Like Herself: Melissa's Story

Q: What did your relationship with your body look like before you made this change?

For most of my life, I was overweight, and I tried to change that constantly. Every summer, for about 30 years, I'd start a new diet convinced this would finally be the year it stuck. It was exhausting. Sometimes I was trying from a place of shame, and sometimes from a place of genuinely wanting to be better for myself. As I got older, I leaned more into body positivity, and I started wanting change because I loved myself, not because I hated myself.

Q: What finally made you decide to commit to lasting change?

After I had my last kid, I gained some weight and just didn't feel comfortable anymore. I didn't feel like I fit in the world. My body wasn't the most interesting thing about me. My creativity, my intellect, my personality, those were the things I wanted people to see first. But instead, my body was always the first thing people noticed, and it held me back. I was tired of that. So I made a change, and this time it was for good.

Q: What did that change actually look like?

I changed everything. My eating habits, how I moved, even how our whole family ate dinner together. With the support of my friends and family, I lost about 160 pounds, and I felt incredible.

Q: If you'd lost that much weight and felt incredible, what led you to consider surgery?

Even after everything, there was still a little bit more I wanted to address. I wanted to wear a string bikini and a bodycon dress without a second thought. I wanted my husband to be able to hold me without either of us feeling the loose skin I hadn't asked for. I didn't want to stop ten feet before the finish line of the marathon I'd been running for years.

Q: Why did you choose Amelia and Dr. Hunter specifically?

I'd followed Dr. Hunter throughout my entire weight loss journey, so coming to Amelia for my consultation felt like a natural next step. I knew going in that loose skin was going to be part of my story no matter how healthy I kept my skin during the weight loss. Dr. Hunter made me feel comfortable and truly heard. I brought him my concerns and my questions, and he had a thoughtful answer for every single one. He was kind, confident, and compassionate, and honestly, he worked a bit of a miracle.

Q: How do you feel now?

Incredibly comfortable. I finally feel like I fit in the world. My body gets to be what it always should have been: the least interesting thing about me, just a normal body that belongs to me. That's all I ever really wanted. I feel confident, beautiful, and wonderful, the way I always felt I should.

Q: If you could go back and talk to yourself before this whole journey began, what would you say?

Start sooner. Do it earlier. It's going to be worth it. The work is hard, but it's worth every penny and every difficult moment, because of how it feels on the other side: getting to just be yourself, fully. 

Every patient's journey and results are unique. To learn more about Dr. Hunter and explore before and afters, click here.