00:00 Before I started my journey, I remember waking up every morning thinking,
00:04 "When's that day I'm not going to wake up?" due to how heavy I was.
00:08 I weighed in at 414 pounds.
00:11 And if I didn't make a change, there was going to be no more Noelle.
00:14 I wasn't going to be here anymore.
00:16 I've lost 234 pounds.
00:21 I have quite a bit of excess skin. I don't feel very normal.
00:25 In three weeks, I'll be having skin removal surgery.
00:28 I am very, very nervous. I'm about to go in.
00:31 Love you, babe. See you in a little bit.
00:33 Throughout my childhood, I was a gymnast, so I was very, very active.
00:47 My coaches were very strict with our eating habits.
00:52 Anytime I would indulge, they could see the next day in my performance.
00:58 And they would punish us.
01:00 When I quit gymnastics, I was able to enjoy all the foods that I wasn't able to enjoy during my training.
01:07 So I overindulged and continued to overindulge.
01:11 That then turned into 15, almost 20 years of me abusing food.
01:17 A little different.
01:20 We're a lot different.
01:23 When I met Chris in 2004, I was around 325 pounds at that time.
01:30 Someone had some moves, huh?
01:33 She had hair.
01:34 You had a little bit of moves back then.
01:38 Not the same person.
01:40 No.
01:41 I knew I wanted to become a mother.
01:43 We struggled quite a bit.
01:45 We tried for years and still could not become pregnant.
01:49 That caused, just for my weight to spiral even more, the weight just piled on.
01:55 I ended up over 350 pounds.
01:57 We had two failed adoptions.
02:00 I hit almost 400 pounds at that point.
02:03 And then we decided to go an alternate route, and that was through DCS and foster care to adopt our children.
02:11 We were successful and adopted four amazing children.
02:17 And then became pregnant two years after the adoption.
02:20 I was pretty proud in that moment. I was excited.
02:23 About six months before I started my journey, I remember waking up every morning thinking, "Oh my gosh, I woke up. I'm alive.
02:33 When's that day I'm not going to wake up due to how heavy I was?"
02:37 My weight held me back from everything.
02:40 I struggled walking. I struggled putting my shoes on. I struggled taking my kids anywhere.
02:47 Six months waking up every day thinking, "You're lucky to be alive."
02:52 And I thought, "I'm so lost though. I have to lose over 200 pounds here. How can I possibly do this?"
03:00 I decided to face the scale. Got home. Step on the scale. The scale read, "Error."
03:07 "Okay. Needs new batteries, right? Surely." Put in new batteries. Stepped on it again. It read, "Error" again.
03:13 I look up the scale. Max weight limit was 408 pounds.
03:18 "Oh my gosh. There's no way. There's no way I hit 400 pounds."
03:23 Back in my head, I knew because of how miserable. I'd never been this miserable before.
03:28 And sure enough, we ordered another scale, and I weighed in at 414 pounds.
03:35 And I was devastated. My heart sank.
03:37 And I knew if I didn't make a change in that moment, there was going to be no more Noelle. I wasn't going to be here anymore.
03:44 The beginning of my journey, I really focused on my nutrition for the first 11 months.
03:50 We used to not eat as well back then.
03:56 "Three or four times a week we were eating out."
03:58 But now we're eating better.
04:00 "Layla, would you like avocado?"
04:02 "Yeah, please."
04:04 And once I got to a 200 pound weight loss, I realized it was time to start working out.
04:12 I had all of this energy.
04:14 Becoming that active after years of, you know, sitting on the couch was, oh my gosh.
04:23 The high that I got from being at the gym was incredible.
04:27 She's just very determined. You know, she's always in here, always working, always trying to get a little bit better.
04:32 Every time I see her, she's a little bit more determined, a little bit more, she has more of a purpose. She's on a mission.
04:38 I went from being immobile to very mobile. And now the sky's the limit.
04:43 I've lost 234 pounds in 14 months.
04:59 I am very proud of myself. I am very body positive. However, of course, I have natural insecurities with the skin.
05:05 In three weeks, I'll be having skin removal surgery. Just to not have to tuck it in all the time.
05:12 You know, when I'm working out, the skin slides right out during my workouts out of my pants.
05:16 I'll be having an extended arm lift, so he'll be cutting me from here all the way down into my armpit.
05:23 And then an extended tummy tuck, which is going to go from hip to hip, where he'll pull down all of my loose skin here.
05:29 And then I'm having a breast reduction and a breast lift to kind of put them back where they belong.
05:34 And that is going to be life changing for me.
05:37 I am very, very nervous about this surgery.
05:40 I'm here with Dr. Galvez. He just marked me up and I'm all ready for tomorrow.
05:46 We are officially one day out from my surgery. I am so nervous.
05:52 I'm in the pre-OR. I'm about to go into the operating room. My surgery will be eight to nine hours.
05:57 Love you, babe. See you in a little bit.
06:18 You know, my wife's transformation, her outward appearance is amazing.
06:23 You can see the results that she's worked for.
06:25 I think the biggest thing for me is her mental transformation.
06:28 You know, it's like a new light has been turned on. It's even brighter and she shines.
06:33 [Music]
06:50 I'm able to see the true results now that the skin has been removed.
06:54 What it feels like now to be able to do all the things I couldn't do before is an indescribable feeling.
07:01 It's a feeling that I'll be forever grateful for and it continues to inspire me and motivate me to stay on the right track.
07:07 I'm able to live my life with my children, enjoy watching them grow up and be in on the action.
07:15 That's the best part of this journey.
07:17 I've learned so much about myself and my relationship with food, that I am worthy, that I am enough.
07:25 Boy, it feels so good to feel free from these chains that held me back from being happy.
07:33 I want others to take from this story that they are worthy, that they are enough,
07:43 and that no matter where you are in your journey, you have to love who you are.
07:47 are.
07:47 (upbeat music)
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