Man who weighed more than two baby elephants is left with loose skin

I weighed more than two baby elephants before losing 325lbs – but now I need surgery to remove loose skin that’s a health issue in itself

• Jeff Peters, from Chicago, previously topped the scales at ‘well over’ 500lbs 
• READ MORE:  I lost 100 pounds in a YEAR without going to the gym

A man who previously weighed more than two baby elephants has revealed photos of the incredible results after losing a staggering 65 per cent of his body weight.

Jeff Peters, 38, from Chicago, topped the scales at ‘well over’ 500lbs in 2017 – but could only guess at his real weight because the scales didn’t go high enough.

Now he’s the smallest he’s been since childhood after dropping a mind-blowing 325lbs, bringing his weight down to a trim 175lbs.

But his transformation isn’t complete – he’s been left with so much loose skin that it’s now a health problem in its own right.

Jeff said: ‘I had been big my entire life. In fact, I am now smaller than I was in the third grade – my jacket from elementary school is now two sizes too large.

Jeff at his heaviest weighed over 500 lbs but isn’t exactly sure how much as his scales only went up to that amount and would give an ‘error’ message when he got on them

Jeff has now lost over 65 % of his body weight and comes in at a trim 175lbs thanks to following a strict low-carb diet and having gastric sleeve surgery

Despite overcoming the hurdle of losing a huge amount of weight, Jeff is now left with the stark reminder of his former life thanks to carrying more than 40lbs of loose skin

‘My heaviest was well over 500lbs, though unfortunately I never had a scale that reached that high – that was in 2017.

‘Then I saw one of my best friends die – he was two years older than me, and weighed a bit more – but watching that made me really want to make the change.’

Despite realising he wanted to lose weight, Jeff says the process was slow starting but took the small wins when he could.

By January 2019 Jeff says he was light enough to get something other than an error message from his scales, but he continued to hover around 500lbs for a couple more years.

Then, in 2020, his father fell sick and his marriage collapsed.

‘That all pushed me to take my life back,’ he said.

Jeff started off on a low-carb diet, which he combined with weightlifting and cycling.

He said: ‘I would estimate my intake was around 2,000-2,500 calories a day – a huge dip from my former 5,000 a day.’

After losing 150lbs, Jeff found that following a low-carb diet no longer was no longer giving him the same results and causing him some issues.

Doctors advise that following such a diet can result in a range of mild to deadly symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and nausea, to heart arrhythmias, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, and sudden death.

Jeff decided to get a vertical gastric sleeve surgery – a procedure that reduces the stomach size, causing patients to feel full more quickly.

After the operation, Jeff went on to lose another 175lbs, consuming roughly 2,000 calories a day.

He hit his current weight at the end of May, but now doctors estimate he’s carrying around up to 40lbs of loose skin.

Facing daily struggles to keep his body healthy, Jeff, with help from his sister Sarah, is now battling to raise funds to have it surgically removed and complete his transformation.

He said: ‘Even at my largest it felt like loose skin, it just stretched out so far for so long.

‘But I really started to notice it after around 150lbs lost.

‘The loose skin, unfortunately, does come with a lot of health issues in itself – posture and spine issues are really a concern.

‘I have developed a hunchback from the weight and the current skin hanging.

‘Skin irritations, infections and breakdown are a concern.

‘There is constant care and routines needed daily to ensure I keep it clean and healthy, including prescription creams to prevent eczema and skin breakdown.’

He continued: ‘The doctors have determined the removal to be medically necessary.

‘However insurance does not cover all aspects of that, so I will be saving for the remaining out-of-pocket costs.’

For anyone reading his story who is battling to lose weight, Jeff has a simple message for you: ‘Never quit’.

He said: ‘Every day is hard, some harder than the last, but at the end of the day when you see that scale drop to 400, then 300, then 200 – those are the moments you will remember.

‘You won’t remember that Italian beef you didn’t eat, or the Chinese takeout you didn’t get.

‘You will remember that feeling of “I did that” and one day, you will achieve everything you planned for in less time than you think.’

The 38-year-old has transformed his life but now needs life-saving surgery to remove the excess skin. Carrying it around has taken a huge toll on his body and he has developed a hunchback 

Jeff, pictured here after dropping 200 lbs, was inspired to lose weight when one of his friends, who was heavier than him, passed away 

Jeff says his loose skin comes with a lot of health issues in itself, including his posture and spine and he faces a constant battle against skin irritations and infections and has daily routines in place to ensure it is kept it clean and healthy

Jeff is now raising money to have surgery to get rid of the skin and needs $25,000 to make it happen

Jeff has one bit of advice for anyone battling to lose weight,  ‘never quit’. He reveals that although ever day is hard, when you start seeing the scales drop it’ll make it all worth while 

Jeff’s sister, Sarah Peters, has created a GoFundMe to raise the $25,000 for his procedure.

The total is currently sitting at $7,875, with Jeff revealing he’s been overwhelmed by the generosity of people.

He wrote: ‘I am incredibly humbled by everyone donating to help my achieve the goal of these surgeries! 

‘It is still a long road with many surgeries over the next few years, but I will cross that finish line! I never imagined the kind of support you have all shown. 

‘As many of you know the total cost was significantly higher for all of them than I thought and had been able to save for. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!’

Please visit here if you would like to donate. 

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