Facebook
Search
Close

LIFESTYLE & COMMUNITY

"I Was Pointed At And Laughed At And Made Fun Of": Woman Who Lost 350 Pounds Went To The Beach And Was Cruelly Shamed By Strangers

Date September 21, 2018 16:12

Author By Fabiosa

Sometimes, losing weight becomes a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. Overweight people are often shamed when they don’t do anything about their weight, and then they are shamed for losing too much weight, or for losing too little weight, or for the loose skin they are left to deal with...

Jacqueline Adan, a preschool teacher who used to weigh 500 lbs. and lost more than half her weight, found the perfect response to haters and shamers: she just doesn’t care about them anymore.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jacqueline's Journey (@jacquelineadan44) on

READ ALSO: She Was Ridiculed For Having "Disgusting" Legs, But She Silenced The Bullies With A Close-Up

Jacqueline had struggled with obesity for years. For the sake of her health and to feel good about herself again, the woman embarked on a weight loss journey.

In a few years, Jacqueline made a spectacular progress! She shed 350 lbs., which was more than half her weight.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jacqueline's Journey (@jacquelineadan44) on

Despite putting so much effort into changing her appearance, Jacqueline has had to endure more than her fair share of dirty looks and nasty comments.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jacqueline's Journey (@jacquelineadan44) on

During her vacation in Mexico in 2017, Jacqueline finally felt confident enough to wear a bathing suit. A couple of strangers saw her and started laughing and pointing at her.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jacqueline's Journey (@jacquelineadan44) on

READ ALSO: “That Was It For Me”: Man Drops 326 Pounds After Needing Two Plane Seats To Evacuate From Fire

Jacqueline tried not to take their hurtful comments to heart, and the post she wrote on Instagram about the incident was not to complain, but to help others on a weight loss journey feel empowered!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

When we were on vacation in Mexico a few weeks ago, it was the first time I had worn a bathing suit in a long time, and it had been even longer since I wore a bathing suit without a cover up. I was nervous to take my cover up off and to walk into the pool or walk on the beach. I still felt like that same 500 pound girl...then it happened. A couple sitting by the pool started laughing and pointing at me and making fun of me as soon as I took my cover up off. So what did I do? I took a deep breath, smiled and walked into the pool. That was a huge moment for me. I had changed. I was not the same girl anymore. Yes I still have a lot of loose skin, I may still feel insecure at times, and yes I may still get made fun of. To be honest, yes it bothered me. But I was not going to let people like that affect me anymore! I am not going to let what other people think of me stop me from living my life. They do not know me. They do not know how I have worked my ass off to lose 350 pounds. They do not know how I am recovering from major surgeries. They have no right to sit and point and laugh at me. That's why I smiled. It does not matter what others say or if they try to doubt you or try to bring you down. What matters is how you react to it. How you feel about yourself. Loving yourself just the way you are is hard. Others might not like that. That's ok. I hope you love yourself. Love your body. I hope you keep doing you and just keep smiling! . . . . . #jacquelineadan #jacquelinesjourney #effyourbeautystandards #selfloveclub #selflove #lovemybody #lovemyshape #loveyourself #teamself #extremeweightloss #weightloss #weightlossjourney #weightlosstransformation #weightlossmotivation #beforeandafter #beforeandafterweightloss #wlstories #onaquest #bodybuildingcom #bodypositive #bodyconfidence #bodyposi #transformationfitnation #motivationmonday #mondaymotivation #fitfam #fitspo #bodytransformation #igtransformations #transformationjourney

A post shared by Jacqueline's Journey (@jacquelineadan44) on

After her impressive weight loss, the woman was left to deal with loose skin, a common side effect of losing a lot of weight. To date, Jacqueline has undergone five skin removal surgeries, which caused her a tremendous amount of physical and emotional pain.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jacqueline's Journey (@jacquelineadan44) on

Even after all the pain and hard work, Jacqueline still gets rude comments and looks. A year after her vacation in Mexico, she was made fun of and laughed at, again. She wrote a lengthy post about her recent experience, but something inside her has changed: she just doesn’t care what others think anymore.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It happened again. Last year on vacation, I was so nervous to wear a bathing suit and I was so nervous about how my body would look to other people. I was even pointed at and laughed at when I went to get into the pool. For a moment I froze, in complete embarrassment, before I decided to move on and not care. Guess what? It happened again. It happened this year while I was on vacation again. Yes, I was walking on the beach and again I was pointed at and laughed and made fun of. As I was getting laughed at and pointed at something came over me. I was not embarrassed, I did not feel like I had to justify myself and I did not freeze or want to cry. I actually felt free! This time...I just did not care! I tried to go over every change inside my head as to why this year I just did not care. Then it finally hit me. I do not depend on the approval of others, and I do not care what others may or may not think about my body. I am so focused on living my best life, and I have been working so hard on loving me exactly how I am...loose skin and all- that I do not have time to worry about what others may think or say. I can finally say that I am at a place where I still have insecurities and a lot of loose skin, and yes mentally I still struggle at times, but I can finally say that my self love journey has been the focus of this past year, and being at this place in my life where I can walk around in a bathing suit and genuinely feel confident, happy and not care what others may think or say, that is true transformation. That is true growth. So I am sharing this picture of me in a bathing suit for all of you. This is me. Right now. This is my body. This is what hard work, sweat, blood, tears, smiles, happiness, pain, love, and hard work look like. This is what it looks like to finally accept my body for what it is. This is me. And I am not making anymore excuses as to why I look the way I do...this is just me. Loose skin, cellulite, stretch marks and all. This is me. And I can finally say, I love me! Head over to my YouTube channel to check out my full video where I share the exact moment I was made fun of and how it made me feel! YouTube.com/jacquelinesjourney

A post shared by Jacqueline's Journey (@jacquelineadan44) on

The woman has received dozens of supportive comments praising her for openness and for inspiring others. Here are some of them:

You are wonderful!!! Thank you for opening up. It will help others.

girl, you are AMAZING! Never let another person take that from you. It’s their problem, not yours! I’m so proud of you and I admire you! Stay YOU, doll!

Truly inspirational. Sadly there will always be bullies. Most of them are just insecure about themselves therefore putting others down makes them feel better. You are beautiful.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jacqueline's Journey (@jacquelineadan44) on

It’s good to know that this incredible woman has come to accept and love herself the way she is. Her achievement deserves nothing but admiration and praise!

READ ALSO: Everything That's Left From The Former Heather Is Her Marine Hair: Incredible Girl Who Lost 231 Pounds