“I couldn’t take the look in the mirror anymore: I’d put on 40 kilos over the years. I no longer fit chic jeans, no tight top. I felt like I was trapped in someone else’s body. It was hell. And then I saw a rather unflattering snap of me in a bikini that my mom had secretly taken. That was enough. I set out on a radical eating plan that same day and hit the gym.
In three years of hardship, I slimmed down and trained every gram too much. But instead of being happy about my new, slim figure, I was extremely disappointed with the result: my skin was sagging
down and my body disgusted me. I was heartbroken. But I didn’t want to let myself go. I had fought so much and now everything should have been in vain? Not with me!
I made an appointment with a plastic surgeon and announced to my bewildered friends that I was going to have my abdominal wall tightened – seven hours of surgery under general anesthesia or not. Sure, some people rolled their eyes, but someone always does. I didn’t care. Why should I feel bad every day and tell myself that you have to deal with your frustration? If something bothers me or annoys me, I tackle it. I felt ugly and longed to be able to wear a nice evening dress again, to dare to go to the pool and sauna, to just be happy again. The surgery was the best decision ever. I like my body again now and my friends are like, ‘Nicki, the sparkle in your eyes is back!’”
