Jade Stalker, 36, weighed 22st 8lbs at her heaviest, after decades of scoffing crisps, Chinese takeaways and piled-high plates of spaghetti Bolognese
A mother has opened up about her body confidence battle, revealing that despite shedding an impressive 11st, she is left feeling unhappy due to “saggy skin”. Jade Stalker, 36, from Sauchie, Scotland, once tipped the scales at 22st 8lbs, but the fear of being branded one of the “fat mums” spurred her to slim down dramatically.
Determined not to be judged at the school gates when her daughter began nursery in May 2023, Jade invested £3,500 in gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey, on top of using Mounjaro injections. Now, at a much trimmer 11st 8lbs and with nearly 30 inches gone from her waist, she feels “fantastic”.
Despite her weight loss triumph, Jade admitted the physical changes have brought new issues: “The loose skin which makes me depressed and I struggle to look at myself naked sometimes.”
She is now crowdfunding, seeking £6,000 for corrective surgery to tackle the unwanted excess skin on her stomach, breasts, and thighs.
Describing the side effects of her dramatic transformation, Jade, a telecommunications engineer, shared: “My skin now is so loose, when I get in the bath, it ripples. I have quite a large overhang on my stomach – and my boobs are saggy, despite my doctors telling me they’d get smaller after losing all the weight.”
Despite these challenges, Jade’s partner remains supportive, yet Jade confesses: “My partner loves me the way I am – she doesn’t care about all that – but I think when you’re in a relationship, you do want to look good for your partner.”
Jade, who typically dons men’s attire and began her journey with a 58in waistline, admits she was never overly concerned about her size. Her daily diet consisted of four ham rolls for breakfast, two packets of crisps as a mid-morning snack, a supermarket meal deal for lunch, and a hearty portion of spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread for dinner.
However, becoming a mother shifted her perspective. Determined to show her daughter “what a healthy body looks like”, she booked flights and a gastric sleeve operation in Turkey for May 2023.
Post-surgery, she found herself unable to finish even three-quarters of a burger, resulting in a weight loss of 5st 8lb within a year.
Despite the significant weight loss, Jade felt the surgery hadn’t fully addressed her “head hunger”. Consequently, she started a course of Mounjaro, sourced from an online pharmacy, in October 2024.
“The only thing that made me less mentally hungry was Mounjaro,” she confessed. “Being on it is like walking through Tesco when you’ve just had a huge meal.”
This led to an additional weight loss of 5st 2lb. Early into her weight loss journey, Jade noticed “saggy skin”, initially mistaking it for “fat” that she “still had to lose”.
She added: “I’d say my most conscious areas are my stomach, my boobs and my inner thighs – although I’m quite a tomboy so I wear long trousers most of the time.
“I’ve held off from doing a GoFundMe, but it’s getting to the point where it’s bothering me so much – even if one or two people could donate, it would be a huge help.”
Jade’s meals before weight loss
Breakfast: Four ham rolls.
Lunch: A supermarket meal deal, with an extra bag of crisps and a chocolate bar
Dinner: A Chinese takeaway, fish and chips, or a “man-sized” plate of spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread
Snacks: Nuts, a late-night bag of sweets
Jade’s meals after starting Mounjaro
Breakfast: Two slices of toast, with butter
Lunch: Meal deal wrap, with yoghurt and a Ribena Light
Dinner: Halloumi wrap with salad inside
Snack: Light yoghurt