A woman who shed more than 196lbs after her weight spiraled from comfort-eating, has had surgery to remove the excess skin that made her feel like being trapped in a ‘skin suit’.
Ceara Dowell, 31, from Minnesota, who was a keen actor throughout her childhood, turned to food for comfort after sadly being groomed and sexually abused as a teenager.
She would eat cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes every day which led to her classmates teasing her about her weight, and a boy she asked out on a date called her ‘fat and ugly’.
By the time Ceara graduated from high school, she weighed 203lbs and tipped scales at an unhealthy 350lbs by her mid-twenties, while struggling to fit into size 26 clothes.
Ceara Dowell, 31, from Minnesota, who once tipped scales at 350lbs, has revealed her transformation (pictured) after losing over 168lbs and having surgery to remove excess skin
Ceara weighed 203lbs by the time she finished high school, having turned to food for comfort after being groomed and sexually assaulted. Pictured left: before, right: now
Ceara (pictured after weight loss and before surgery) lost 40lbs after cutting out booze and starting a swimming routine, then shed an additional 168lbs while following the keto diet
The sudden death of her grandmother Linda in 2015, led Ceara’s life to spiral further out of control. Getting drunk at breakfast and on her lunch breaks, Ceara knew she had to make drastic changes to avoid an early death.
She made the decision to leave her ex-husband, believing that it was the only way to truly break free from her unhappy life and began living with her aunt and uncle to start anew.
By cutting out the booze and swimming a few times per week, she lost 40lbs over the first few months, but soon Ceara’s weight plateaued. It wasn’t until 2018 when she switched to the keto diet, which is high in fat and low in carbohydrates, and started visiting the gym four times per week as well as doing an hour of yoga each day that her weight loss continued.
Since making this change, Ceara has lost an additional 168lbs. She now weighs just 140 lbs and fits into a slim dress size four.
The IT recruiter’s weight loss journey helped her to meet the love of her life, Cornelius, 34, and in December 2020 the couple got married.
After losing so much weight Ceara was left with rolls of excess skin, something she admits she wasn’t prepared for. At one point, she even considered giving up on her weight loss journey after looking in the mirror and feeling like a ‘snowman on a hot day’.
Ceara felt that despite her huge progress, her body looked ugly, and in January 2020, after crowdfunding almost $2,074, she underwent a seven hour surgery to remove the skin.
Ceara (pictured as a teen) admits she wasn’t prepared for the excess skin she would have after losing weight
Ceara (pictured before her operation) says she feels more confidence since having surgery, however she wants to have more procedures to address loose skin on her back, hips and thighs
Since her surgery, Ceara feels more confident in herself and finally has a belly button. However, she is determined to get further surgery to address the additional loose skin on her back, hips and thighs.
Ceara said: ‘I was groomed and sexually abused as a teenager within the theatre community and I think I unconsciously began amassing a physical shield to protect myself.
‘I remember asking a boy to be my boyfriend on the bus and he turned me down loudly and in front of everyone.
‘I asked him why and I’ll never forget his reply, ‘Because you’re fat, you’re ugly, and I just plain don’t like you.’
‘Most of the time however, people honestly didn’t insult me to my face. It was much more common for me to learn they were discussing me behind my back.
Ceara said she experienced multiple pregnancy losses in her early twenties, and the weight continued to pack on. Pictured: After skin removal surgery
‘It often came in the form of concern, like a relative blindsiding me with an intervention, or people telling me they were so worried about the weight I had gained.
‘I grew resentful, almost like I was going to stay fat on purpose just to spite them.
‘I ended up having a miscarriage in my senior year of high school and it was pretty traumatic.
‘I left the relationship, met someone else right away and got married really young.
‘I had so much unresolved trauma then, and I’m not proud of the person I was during those years.
‘I experienced a few more pregnancy losses in my early twenties, and the weight continued to pack on.
‘I was struggling so much with depression and alcoholism and hid it all behind being the stereotypical ‘fat, funny, best friend’ trope.
Ceara said her acting opportunities decreased as she gained weight, making it even more difficult to cope with life. Pictured: Ceara before
‘There were very few people who knew my real story, and even fewer who knew how hard I was fighting for my own survival at that point.
‘The only time I felt happy was when I was on stage, pretending to be anyone else but me.
‘However as my weight went up, my acting opportunities went down which made it even more difficult to cope with life.
‘I found myself being restricted to playing funny bit characters, fat old ladies, even comedic male roles.
‘I took a call-centre job as a debt collector, left the arts behind, and that’s when my drinking got really out of control.
‘2015 was the hardest year of my life. My grandmother, Linda, the same woman who had helped me get through school and was the dearest person in the world to me died very unexpectedly in late February.
Ceara (pictured) who struggled to fit in public bathrooms, began her weight loss by getting active and giving up alcohol
‘I went into a full-blown spiral. I was cracking into wine at breakfast, getting drunk on my lunch breaks, and lying in bed at night wishing I was dead.
‘I acted so silly and playful, I was such a big character- larger than life, always down for a party, no one had any idea.
‘I kept gaining weight, I struggled to even fit into a public bathroom stall.
‘And then at four-am on the morning of July 2, 2015, I had an epiphany.
‘I realised I was dying. That if I didn’t change everything, right then, that very minute, I was going to die.
‘I decided right then and there that I was leaving my ex-husband, that I was leaving my whole life behind, in order to save it.
‘At first, I worked on my drinking problem and just started moving my body more.
‘I lost about forty pounds over the first several months, but then things stalled.
‘In 2018, I tried the keto diet and everything changed.
Ceara said she spent countless hours in the gym, learned to lift weights as she fell in love with moving her body. Pictured: After surgery
Ceara said it was ‘frustrating and discouraging’ to work hard and not be able to see the results because of her loose skin. Pictured: Ceara and Cornelius
‘I learned that I love to move my body. It was painful and hard at first, but then it became its own ‘addiction’ for me.
‘I just wanted more and more, I spent countless hours at the gym; I learned to lift weights, to run, and took spin classes.
‘I have met the love of my life, got married and feel like I have spent my life asleep and I’m finally waking up.
‘One of the biggest challenges has been dealing with my loose skin. No one talks about it.
‘It is really frustrating and discouraging to work so hard and feel like you can’t see it because you are trapped inside a skin suit.
‘I’d see all of these perfect before and after pictures, or advertisements for various diet plans and personal trainers and feel crushed. Why didn’t my body look like that?
‘After two years of saving up every penny we had and even crowdfunding, I underwent skin removal surgery on my stomach and breasts.
Ceara (pictured) revealed her died was upwards of 4,000 calories a day before losing weight
‘There is a long road ahead in regard to other surgeries I would like to have to remove skin from elsewhere and who knows if we will check off every box on the bucket list, but I didn’t come this far to give up now.’
For Ceara, the biggest change to her life has been the way in which weight loss has affected her own mental health. For the first time, she feels a level of respect towards herself that she never has before.
Before losing weight her diet consisted of fried chicken, cheeseburgers, processed snacks and alcohol totalling upwards of 4,000 calories per day.
Now, a typical breakfast for Ceara consists of a coffee with eggs or bacon, a large salad for lunch, followed by a steak for dinner alongside some roasted vegetables, totalling 1,200 calories per day.
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‘The mental work that goes into this kind of transformation is so much harder than the physical work,’ said Ceara.
Ceara (pictured) said the mental work behind losing weight is more difficult than the physical
‘You are healing your mind, changing your entire lifestyle, and performing the greatest act of self-love of your life.
‘It isn’t easy, but it is worth every moment. There is no such thing as perfect, and you do not have to spend thousands of dollars on weight loss programs to be healthy and happy.
‘When people see me now, there is disbelief and shock at first, and then the flurry of questions trying to figure out how I accomplished it.
‘People say the loveliest things. They will call me beautiful, inspirational, strong and brave.
‘But my favourite thing people say to me is, ‘You look so happy.’ I am, and now it radiates from me.’
