Dominique Montgomery/YouTubeIt’s always difficult when you are uncomfortable with your body weight, and sometimes a wake-up call is needed to nudge you in the right direction.
22-year-old Dominique Montgomery from Los Angeles once consumed 5,000 calories a day, sometimes feasting on 1,000 calorie shakes for dessert.
Struggling with a binge eating disorder while being unable to stick to various fad diets, Dominique’s weight escalated to 21st 4lb.
Like many people with a binge eating disorder, Dominique admitted to eating during times when she felt sad or bored, reporting how she had experienced feelings of depression while in high school.
Dominique Montgomery/YouTubeWriting on her gofundme page, Dominique spoke openly about the way she was treated while overweight:
One time, someone seriously threw a burrito at me from the bleachers at a football game.. I constantly questioned why no one treated me for the sweet person that I was, so many people just saw the extra weight I carried.
I realized that I didn’t care about myself, I didn’t care enough to nourish my body and do what it took to be healthy.
She added:
There were moments where I would eat in my car because everyone stared at me. I felt like a zoo animal. It was hard for people to see the kind heart I had under all of my extra weight.
I reached an all-time high of 300 pounds during this year and felt so much shame and regret on my shoulders because there was no one to blame but myself at this point.
Incredibly, Dominique has now turned over a whole new leaf. She has lost nearly ten stone and can now fit into a UK women’s size 8-10.
You can check out her inspiring progress in the following clip:
She has managed to achieve this astonishing transformation through diet, exercise and plenty of willpower. However, there was one terrifying event in particular which spurred her on.
Back in 2015, Dominique nearly drowned after becoming trapped in a high tide. Her body weight meant she wasn’t able to be lifted to safety.
She has explained:
I was so out of shape I couldn’t even help myself in life or death situations – the final turning point: I remember being in the ocean with a few friends near a cave with a bunch of rocks and all of a sudden, the tide got very high.
Everyone managed to get themselves out, but I was frantic, panicking because I didn’t think in that moment that I would make it back home that day, I prayed for God’s strength to move me because I knew no one, not even myself, could help lift me out of that water. I got out.
I don’t know how, I can’t remember much of that day, but by the grace of God, I am still here today to share the story.
Dominique Montgomery/YouTubeGoing forward, Dominique now has another hurdle to tackle. Her enormous weight loss has left her with excess skin which is causing her extreme pain; making her feel as if her skin is about to ‘tear off.’
She is now raising money for life changing surgery through her gofundme page, which you can donate to yourself here
Dominique Montgomery/YouTubeGood luck Dominique. With the drive and determination you have, I’m sure you will have no trouble reaching your next goals.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.