South Carolina man who lost 360lbs signs up for as many as five surgeries to remove excess folds

A South Carolina man who lost 360lbs but was left battling so much excess skin he couldn’t run has signed up for surgery to have the extra folds removed.

Cole Prochaska, 39, once weighed 585 pounds (lbs) after turning to a diet that included 12 cans of soda a day and five cheeseburgers per meal.

He got his weight down to 226lbs by starting to walk and eliminating all junk food from his diet — but was then left with another problem, he had huge amounts of loose skin.

‘I’m trapped,’ Mr Prochaska told Today.com, as he revealed he has now signed up for five surgeries over two years to have the folds removed. 

Cole Prochaska started documenting his weight loss journey less than two years ago (shown left). He has shared the results of his 360-pound weight loss on Twitter (right). His next step is body contouring, also known as body sculpting or skin removal surgery

‘I’ve lost all this weight and I have muscles, but if I take my shirt off, I’m still self-conscious about all the loose skin. I’ve got loose skin on my legs, so if I try to go running, it’s hard to run.’

‘I have to wear a pant size bigger than I should because I’ve got my skin tucked into my pants from my stomach.’

He has documented his weight loss journey on Twitter, writing: ‘It’s very hard to share a shirtless picture but I’ve come so far.

Mr Prochaska recently flew to California to meet with a plastic surgeon about body contouring surgery. 

Also known as body sculpting or skin removal, this surgical procedure removes loose skin that’s left after losing massive amounts of weight. 

It can be focused on any of the following areas: arms, breasts, face, lower abdomen, thighs, and upper body. 

The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery states that good candidates for body contouring have reached their goal weight and have remained stable for at least six months. 

Mr Prochaska estimates he was eating about 5,000 calories a day. He has now cut that down to 2,000-2,500, walks 10,000 steps a day, and lifts weights three times a week

Mr Prochaska said he had always been a big kid, and he kept getting larger as he became an adult. 

Overeating and a sedentary lifestyle led to his obesity. He said he regularly would eat an entire bag of chips and drink a 12-pack of soda cans in one day. At fast food restaurants, he would order as many as five cheeseburgers or a whole pizza. 

This rounded out to about 5,000 calories per day, he estimates.

Mr Prochaska also felt too out of breath to exercise. 

‘I felt pretty bad,’ he said. 

‘I would always put on a happy exterior because that’s what a lot of big people do. But I was a pretty lonely person.’

‘You don’t want to go to anything because you don’t want to have to worry about fitting in the chairs and worry about having to walk very far, what you’re going to wear.’

Mr Prochaska started small by walking. He began with just a couple of blocks and then progressed further each day. 

He also eliminated all junk food and sugary drinks, tracked his calories, and began eating a high-protein diet. 

Eventually, he joined a gym and started weightlifting.

Mr Prochaska now walks 10,000 steps ‘every day, no matter what,’ along with lifting weights three times a day.

His diet consists of lean beef, turkey, chicken, and beans, as well as bread and other carbs in moderation. 

Though he has lost weight, he still stays away from sweets, as he remains addicted to them.

‘It was just me making up my mind that this is it, it’s going to be a life change,’ he said. 

‘I feel so great.’

He now eats about 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day.  

In terms of surgery, Mr Prochaska plans to focus on his upper body first, including his arms and his chest, and then go from there. This could result in three to five surgeries over the next two years. 

He’s unsure how much it will cost. 

The 2020 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report estimates that body contouring surgeries cost anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000. 

‘You’re never too far gone. It’s never too late. You can always come back,’ Mr Prochaska said.