His dramatic weight loss led to a big gain, thanks to the kindness of strangers.
Brooklyn resident Matt Diaz shed an impressive 270 pounds — more than half his body weight —
after lap-band surgery six years ago but is still grappling with the folds of leftover skin.
On Monday, the 22-year-old, who at his heaviest weighed 495 pounds, bared his chest — and his soul on Tumblr.
after lap-band surgery six years ago but is still grappling with the folds of leftover skin.
On Monday, the 22-year-old, who at his heaviest weighed 495 pounds, bared his chest — and his soul on Tumblr.
Matthew Diaz, 22, lost 270 pounds and is now raising money for excess skin removal surgery.
"This is what 270 pounds of excess skin looks like, and there's nothing I can do about it," he said in a video, which immediately gained attention from tens of thousands of people.
The GoFundMe page he set up two days later surpassed his $20,000 goal for skin-removal surgery in just five hours. He now has more than $33,000 in donations.
Diaz, of Brooklyn, showed his excess skin in a video that has gone viral.
Diaz, who has been documenting his weight loss journey on social media, told the Daily News he uploaded the video because he felt he had been leading an inauthentic life.
"I've been talking a lot about body positivity and self-esteem, (and) I started to get this feeling I'm here telling people to love themselves and I'm hiding something," said the design studio employee. "It felt dishonest to them and to myself."
At first, he was scared people would judge him. After all, he'd gotten used to leaving his shirt on at Coney Island and during sex.
"I'm scared people won't think I'm attractive anymore," he said in the video. "I'm scared all the nice messages will stop."
Diaz before and after.
The reaction, to Diaz‘s surprise, has been overwhelmingly positive. He notes that just because he's fixing himself up, he's not unhappy with himself.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to change things," he said. "I refuse to hate my body. I just want to be better."
He's well on his way. Diaz is in the process of finding a cosmetic surgeon, and expects to have his surgery completed by May — just in time to hit the beach for summer.
