Ariana Omipi has the heart of a fighter.
She embarked on her weight loss journey in 2012 and despite all the trolls who kept attacking her online, she persisted and now she’s not only glowing with health, she looks absolutely fabulous!
The 24-year-old reached her heaviest weight at roughly 285 pounds but has managed to shed an incredible 150 pounds over the past 11 months. “I’ve always been happy and satisfied with how I looked, however, I realized that my body was not in a healthy place and therefore wanted to change,” Ariana recalled. “This has been an ever-evolving journey from 2012 where I have been constantly working on it to be as healthy as possible. Change doesn’t happen overnight.”
“The first changes I made were making sure I was in a healthy place with my mental health,” she continued.
“I believe that if you have a negative mindset or you’re wanting to lose weight purely for aesthetics then it’ll be hard to maintain. Once I was in a good place with my mental health I began seeking experts in their field to getting me where I wanted to be.
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She first experimented with a keto (low carb) diet. “However, that wasn’t something that was sustainable for me as I had a constant feeling of hunger. So, I found other solutions to eliminate the root cause and have a sustainable weight loss and healthy eating regime.”
And as if working to lose weight wasn’t hard enough, online trolls wouldn’t let up on her on Instagram. “Online criticism and sharing my weight loss journey publicly was definitely difficult at times. There’s a lot of jealousy or misjudgment that was directed towards me and people are often cruel with their words so I took that tough.”
But she just kept going. Her next step was gastric sleeve surgery. This procedure involves removing a large portion of the stomach along the greater curvature. With less stomach area, one easily gets full and can’t eat as much, which then supports weight loss.
Posting pictures on Instagram, she wrote: “This was me, […] unposed, raw and vulnerable in my hospital bed moments after surgery.
I lay unconscious and unresponsive like this for 4 hours before my eyes opened. My boyfriend took this photo of me in shock as he’d never seen me like this. I wanted to share this side of my journey because Gastric Sleeve Surgery is not glamorous nor is it a decision that is made lightly.
Those who choose this path are in serious need of change. In most cases, to even be considered for Gastric Sleeve Surgery you will have a BMI of over 40 which is classed as morbidly obese. There are significant risks in the surgery alone – death, stomach leaks, internal bleeding, blood clots which could lead to a heart attack or stroke not to mention the risk of complications that can occur long term.
When I first chose to speak about my journey publicly, I promised to honestly and openly share my journey with you all. I often share an incredibly positive approach to my journey because that’s just the kind of person I am and the vibe I want to release In saying that, I don’t want anyone to have the impression (whether you’re considering having this surgery or whether you’re just watching along in support) that this is an easy solution to weight loss or a way to get that ‘Instagram bod.
’ I chose to make this decision because I wanted to prioritize my health so I could live a long and fulfilling life and any other positive changes are just a bonus. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, at times pain and lifestyle changes to conquer.
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Ariana opted not to undergo cosmetic surgery for the excess skin around her body. “I have excess skin in lots of areas of my body and I have had stretch marks all over my stomach particularly,” she said. “I think it’s important to embrace them and wear it with confidence but if you want to minimize their appearance that’s okay too.”
“Over the years, my weight has been something I’ve worked really really hard on. My discipline, determination and lifestyle changes have helped me to achieve significant weight loss in the past however my constant hunger is something that has made maintaining a healthy weight incredibly difficult.
Within the last 5 years, I have lost, maintained, gained, lost and gained weight. This has been exhausting, physically and emotionally.”
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