A PRIMARY schoolteacher has been
able to wear a bikini for the first time after losing 83kg and having
4.5kg of excess skin removed.
Desperate dieter
Mallory Buettner, 29, underwent a gastric bypass surgery two years ago
after her weight reached almost 190kg, helping her to shrink to 84kg.On June 30, to complete her transformation, Mallory had a tummy tuck and brachioplasty to remove 4.5kg of loose skin from her stomach and arms.
But she paid a price for her new body — including surgery complications, and having to call off a wedding to her ex-fiance who struggled with Mallory’s new life.
Mallory said: “I had never worn a bikini in my life, and I dreaded to put on a bathing suit even in my own hot tub in the back yard.
“I live in a bikini now. I wear one every day, I am a bikini bum.
“After the surgery, I went out and bought five bikinis.
“For the first time I feel like the outside matches the inside.”
Weighing 4.08kg at birth, Mallory’s weight has been an issue her entire life.
At just 10 years old she had reached 90kg, which ballooned to 130kg at 18, and by the time she graduated university aged 20, Mallory tipped the scales at 166kg.
“I have an older sister and we have always eaten similar foods but she was always a normal size.
“At school I was the biggest kid in the class.
“I was aged eight years old the first time I went on a diet.
“My mum always made an effort to feed me lean meals but when I was little, but I liked to eat chips, pizza and soft drinks.
“Then at I high school I drank a lot of iced coffees and ate McDonald’s.”
She said: “It was an extreme diet where I ate only 500-800 calories a day.
“It was terrible but I lost 36kg and I was so happy.”
However, the program cost $600 a month and was no longer affordable when Mallory bought a house.
As she increased her meals to 1500 calories a day, her metabolism struggled to burn the added intake, and she began to pile on the kilos.
“When I tried to have a more balance diet with whole foods, it just began to creep back on.
“I had a meltdown in my doctor’s office and that was when they recommended surgery.
“I hated the idea at first. I thought I didn’t need surgery, it seemed like the easy way out.
“I thought I could lose weight again naturally as I had done it before.
“I was so upset and I rang my sister crying.
“She was so supportive and told me to go for it. She knew I had always eaten well and tried to be active but nothing was working.
“In the end, I had to swallow my pride.”
However, in a twist of fate, the newly engaged woman was forced to choose between her health and her husband-to-be.
She said: “I was engaged at the time.
“The surgery was scheduled for two months before the wedding.
“He wasn’t supportive and liked things the way they were.
“I think he thought I wouldn’t love him after I lost weight.
“We called off the wedding days before the date and never spoke again.
“It was the hardest thing but I had to choose to be happy.
“We both moved on and I hope he is happy.”
The surgery was a success and for the first six months post-op, Mallory shed 9kg a month.
Mallory said: “It just shows how desperate I was.
“I just couldn’t do it by myself.
“I think that why I have been so open with it because I know how hard it is to ask for help.
“When you’re fat you can’t hide, it’s not a flaw you can hide, everyone sees it.
“The world is judging you and you feel so alone.
“Everyone thinks you are lazy or you just don’t care.
“I had to ask for my help and that’s not something I should, or anyone should, feel ashamed of.”
Over the last year, Mallory lost another 4.5kg and hit 85kg where she plateaued for four months.
At her goal weight, she decided to complete her transformation by having her excess skin removed.
“I had a goal of 84kg but my surgeon didn’t think I would get under 104kg.
“But in the end I no longer wanted the constant reminder and decided to have the surgery to remove it.”
She added: “After surgery, I sent a bikini photo to my mum and my sister and they both said how proud they were”.
Now Mallory maintains her health at the gym by doing cardio and kettle bell weights, as well as eating a clean and balanced diet.
She added: “As a teacher it was important to be able to have the energy to keep up with the kids.
“Now they struggle to keep up with me.”
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