Daily Mail
Danitza credits her personal trainer for helping her lose 200 lbs.
Danitza Casas, from Scottsdale, Arizona, weighed 350 lbs. at her heaviest, having struggled with her weight throughout much of her childhood.
After being tormented with cruel nicknames like "gordita" which means chubby girl in her youth, Danitza's weight spiraled out of control during her adult years, thanks to a party-filled lifestyle and an unhealthy diet.
Then and now: Danitza Casas, 32, from Scottsdale, Arizona, went from 350lbs to 148lbs over the course of four years
"Ive always been a bigger girl ever since I was a kid," Danitza said. "Subconsciously, I believed that because I looked a certain way, I was ugly."
As Danitza got older, her issues with her weight continued to get worse in large part to her unhealthy relationship with food.
"I had to be eating over 5,000 calories on a bad day," Danitza said. "I would eat until I physically felt sick. I was classified as morbidly obese. I wanted to feel good about myself, I wanted to go and put on a dress and not feel like, 'What are people going to think?'"
While she was facing a constant struggle with her body image, she would outwardly appear to be confident and the life of the party. She admitted that sheused humor and her larger than life personality to mask her insecurities and the disgust she felt with her body.
Bad habits: Danitza said she used to turn to food for comfort and would eat 5,000 calories a day to make herself feel better
"I was always the life of the party but I felt like I had to be that loud, funny person because if not theyd be looking at my weight," she said. "At least if I was the butt of the joke I wasnt being laughed at."
Danitza began relying on food to make herself feel better and to overcome her insecurities about her weight, explaining that she would binge on treats as a means of gaining some control in her life.
"Anything fast food, anything fried, anything sweet. It was hard, your self-worth takes a toll. I didnt love myself at that time. I wanted to make myself feel better, even if it was for that moment. Even if that scoop of ice cream made me feel better in that moment. I couldnt control anything else but what I put in my body," she said, recalling how her doctor told her she was becoming morbidly obese.
Quick fixes: Danitza said she had attempted to lose weight a number of times, trying every pill and 'magic quick fix' that she came across
At her heaviest, Danitza wore a size 24, and she said shopping was a "horrible experience" for her. While her friends happily tried on trendy clothes, she was forced to shop in areas of the store designated for older women like her grandmother.
"I think the turning point for me was one night I thought I was having a heart attack and ended up going to the hospital," she recalled. "I was having an anxiety attack with a panic attack.
"I'm so young. I should be living my best life, and I'm here, thinking I'm having a heart attack. That's not how anybody should be living. I wanted to feel good about myself."
Danitza said she had attempted to lose weight a number of times, trying every pill and "magic quick fix" that she came across, but it wasn't until she started working out with her personal trainer four years ago that she saw real results.
"Beau, my trainer, was key in my transformation because he was very patient. When I met Beau, I couldn't do a single body squat without falling," she recalled.
Her friends were also incredibly supportive, and their compliments helped fuel her weight loss.It took her four years to lose 200 lbs., but she was left with excess skin on her legs, arms and face.
Danitza had surgery to remove the excess skin between her breasts, under her chest, on her stomach, and around her hips.
"I had a lot of complications from the wounds, but you know what? I would do it all over again," she insisted.
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She went from a size 24 to a size 4 and celebrated by splurging on a pink leather Versace skirt in her new size.She said she cried tears of joy when she tried it on and realized that it fit her perfectly.
Danitza, who now weighs 148 lbs., commemorated the moment when she took all of her old clothes and "torched them" outside.
"Today I feel confident. I love myself," she said. "I feel like people see me for me and not just a big girl. I feel really proud of my accomplishments and the way I look now because I worked very hard to get where I'm at."
She hopes to inspire others, and she even offered words of encouragement for those who are struggling with obesity.
"Where you're at now is not where you're going to be forever," she said. "You are the only person standing in the way of what you want. If you want it bad enough, go get it."
Slideshow: 10 women share the most important thing that helped them lose weight (Courtesy: Shape)
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Woman, 32, who ballooned to 350lbs because of her party-heavy lifestyle and 5000 calorie diet loses 200LBS after doctors told her she could DIE if she...
