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.

how long does it take to lose weight on topamax 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. She crowded almost $2,074 towards her $25,000 surgery to remove the skin in January 2020.  

Ceara (pictured as a teen) turned to food for comfort when she was sexually abused as a teenager, explaining that she used her weight as a ‘physical shield) 

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

<div class="art-ins mol-factbox femail" data-version="2" id="mol-1228d3f0-6c93-11eb-aba1-bb5a2ef4ffc0" website felt trapped in a &apos;skin suit&apos; after shedding over 200lbs