A guy lost 125 kg, but people still mistake him for a woman (6 photo)

23-year-old Joshua Hart from Ohio lost weight from 194 to 68 kilograms in a year. But he faced an unexpected side effect - he began to be mistaken for a woman or a transgender person with sagging breasts.





23-year-old Joshua Hart lost 125 kilograms in a year, but as a result of such rapid weight loss, he was left with loose, saggy skin on his chest. Losing weight too quickly means that the skin can't shrink as fast as the fat cells, and the only way to get rid of this flabby "skin bag" is through surgery or laser therapy.

At first, Joshua wasn't bothered by people's assumptions that he was a woman or transgender, but over time it took a toll on his self-esteem and confidence as a new parent (he recently became a father).



To finally get rid of his excess weight, Mr Hart underwent stomach reduction surgery, which studies have shown is more effective at keeping the weight off long-term than popular obesity drugs.



The surgery changed his life for the better and helped him overcome severe anxiety and trauma related to the bullying he suffered as a child.

“I was very unhappy with my weight. I had a lot of insecurity and social anxiety. I never went outside. I was a kid who basically had no childhood. In middle school, I isolated myself and kind of took myself out of the equation by not allowing myself to make friends,” Joshua recalls.



But even after losing weight, he continues to be mistaken for a woman or transgender because of the excess skin on his chest.

"I've always had long hair and I've always been called a girl, but it never bothered me when I was fat," he says. "It's only now that I look like a guy that it's almost offensive when people tell me I just took testosterone and had a gender transition. They can see I'm not a girl, and that hurts even more."



Joshua is now hoping to get a tummy tuck, but the procedure is expensive and will cost him around $15,000. And even after the surgery, he will still have loose skin on his arms.



Many people who have lost 70 to 100 pounds or more face this problem. They have to undergo surgeries, during which doctors remove 5 to 20 pounds of excess skin.