If there’s one thing that reality TV — The Biggest Loser, Extreme Weightloss — doesn’t show us, it’s what really happens to bodies when they drop 20, 30, or 90 pounds of fat. Sure, you may get a glimpse of loose skin here or there (although those are usually quick cutaways), but losing weight on TV is all about the final product, that’s what everyone hopes and dreams about. And unless a former contestant comes out with a book detailing how terrible the entire thing was and how much weight they’ve gained back because keeping weight off is actually very difficult, we don’t pay much attention to the aftermath of major weight loss.
Well one woman is forcing the world to pay attention. Rachel Graham, the mother of two children, has been documenting her quest for fitness since 2015. But instead of posing flattering shots that just show off the 90 pounds she’s lost, Graham’s letting the world into the less fun parts of her process, like the fact that it’s still hard to move away from slimming colors even when one is no longer overweight (your body size may change but your perception of your body takes a while to catch up) and the fact that there’s a lot of loose skin beneath all the smaller-sized clothes the now-thinner person is wearing.
Last week, Graham posted a photo of herself in a belly-baring top. The choice to do this, she wrote, was filled with anxiety. Not just because other people might poke fun at her about it — although as Cosmopolitan notes, one of Graham’s biggest draws is how relatable she is — but because loose skin is one of Graham’s biggest insecurities. (She’s posted pictures of her stomach before, but always flexing so the loose skin doesn’t show.)
The response was overwhelmingly positive. Both because of Graham’s honesty and because she showed people a side of weight loss that’s real for so many but not spoken about as much as it should be. Losing weight was good for her, Graham notes, and she wouldn’t change it for the world, but it’s also important to remember it won’t just fix everything. Even after the journey is completed, there are still many things to work on. Will Graham get surgery to remove her excess skin? She says “yes,” although that’s more of a “someday” type thing. Right now, Graham writes, she’s just learning to love herself and keeping positive.
