I lost 250lbs WITHOUT Ozempic but my transformation made me physically disgusting

Published: | Updated:
Popular YouTuber Nikocado Avocado has revealed how losing 250lbs left him with a 'gobble gobble turkey neck' and skin sagging from his stomach, arms and legs.
The Florida-native, whose real name is Nicholas Perry, shot to notoriety for his mukbang videos on YouTube, which featured him consuming large amounts of food for his 8million viewers.
In September, he revealed he had secretly lost 253lbs over two years, dropping from 411lbs to 158lbs. In those two years he uploaded previously-recorded videos so his followers were completely unaware of his transformation.
But while Mr Perry went from morbidly obese to a healthier weight, he was left with 10lbs of sagging excess skin and needed to undergo multiple surgeries on his neck and face, as well as on his abdomen to remove it.
He said: 'I had no chin at all, it was just this big gobble gobble turkey neck sitting below my face.'
When people gain a large amount of weight, their skin stretches to accommodate their larger frame. Then, when a person loses that weight, the skin has been stretched so much it is not elastic enough to shrink back.
Nicholas Perry, 32, from Florida, became famous for his Mukbang videos online (left). He has now lost the weight he gained and had plastic surgery to remove the loose skin
Mr Perry went from morbidly obese to a healthier weight and was left with 10lbs of sagging excess skin
This leaves people with sagging skin that can restrict movement, be painful, cause chafing and lead to emotional distress and diminished self esteem.
Some surgeries to remove the skin involve a tummy tuck and arm, thigh and buttock lifts.
Mr Perry said on Instagram before his procedures: 'Everyone thinks I got my skin removed. I did not. This is my loose skin, it's a lot, it's like a rubber band [across my body].'
And he told PEOPLE last month: 'I've been hiding my loose skin by positioning my body at certain angles... but the truth is I have loose skin in my abdomen, arms, legs, my torso, back, even my neck. I mean, it's everywhere.'
About 20 percent of Americans lose more than 10 percent of their body weight every year, a number that is rising as more people use weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic.
Plastic surgeons are reporting a surge in people receiving skin tightening surgeries, with tummy tucks up five percent in 2023, reaching 170,110 procedures.
Mr Perry hasn't revealed how he lost the weight, but he achieved it over the course of two years while uploading pre-recorded videos of himself at his largest to keep his weight-loss journey a secret.
For Mr Perry, skin removal procedures began last month when the 32-year-old underwent a deep plane facelift to remove the loose skin on his face and neck.
On January 22, Perry revealed he was having a deep plane facelift with Dr Ben Talei in Beverley Hills, California.
A deep plane facelift is an advanced type of facelift that lifts and repositions deeper facial structures — including ligaments — for a more natural and longer-lasting result.
This differs from a standard facelift, which only tightens skin to minimize wrinkles and make facial features more defined.
Perry underwent skin tightening surgery to remove the loose skin, which he said was keeping him from feeling his best
YouTuber Nikocado Avocado is pictured, left, before his drastic 250lb weight loss and again, right, following his staggering weight loss, which he managed to keep secret for two years
In the surgery, Mr Perry was put under anesthetic before surgeons made cuts around his ear to tighten the skin and reposition structures in his face.
He had to wear a brace for at least a week afterward, and was told not to bend his head forward, because this could rip the skin while it is healing.
A deep plane facelift in California costs anywhere between $22,000 to $50,000, and can take up to a year to fully recover from.
Next on his list of procedures was skin tightening surgery on his stomach and arms to reduce the excess skin folds there. He underwent those surgeries earlier this month with Dr Timothy Katzen, also based in Beverly Hills.
Mr Perry appears to have undergone a tummy tuck. It involves a surgeon cutting the abdomen from hip to hip and removing excess skin and fat from the area. Doctors then realign the skin and stitch up the incision.
The procedure costs about $8,000 in California and can take up to three months to recover.
He also underwent an upper arm lift, which costs between $4,000 to $7,000. This removes excess skin and fat on the upper arm area.
Surgeons cut inside the arm, the back of the arm or the armpit then remove excess fat and pull the underlying muscle and skin tighter before stitching the incision closed.
Mr Perry just before undergoing a procedure to remove his excess skin
Mr Perry blamed his weight gain on the social media craze surrounding his mukbang videos.
He said: 'In one sense, I am here because of them [my viewers].
'I would not have gotten that fat if I couldn't have made a living out of it, if I couldn't make good money, get good views, put myself out there.
'If I couldn't have built a career and a following, I would never have got fat. In a way I am here because of them, because they were watching all the videos.'
But, describing why he opted for surgery to remove loose skin on his body, he added: 'This is holding me back, I can't even wear a normal shirt without sucking it in. This is holding me back from feeling my best.
'And I wanted to feel amazing and feel really good on the tour, and also wear cute clothes.'
Daily Mail