Plus-size model Rosie Mercado used to weigh 420 pounds and after being in two seasons of NuvoTV’s reality show, Curvy Girls, she lost 100 pounds. As we might already know, keeping the weight off is extremely difficult, and when Rosie gained 20 pounds, she decided she needed to do something drastic and opted for a weight loss procedure that helped her lose 150 more pounds and today she looks incredible!
A photo posted by ROSIE | MERCADO (@rosiemercado) on
Mercado talked to Cosmo about her weight loss journey and explains that it wasn’t easy. “I was criticized like crazy for dropping the weight and accused of being ashamed of my body. It had nothing to do with shame or even wanting to have a better career. I just wanted to have a better life with spontaneity, the freedom to go zip-lining or ride a roller coaster, and take part in other experiences that I never had as a teenager because I’ve been overweight my entire life. It was never about being thin. It was just about being healthy with vitality and choices,” she says.
Weighing over 400 pounds was not easy because she was always scared about her health and even if a wooden chair would hold her; she always had to bring her nanny along wherever she went with her kids because she couldn’t keep up. “I was a spectator instead of a participant because my body couldn’t hold my weight up for more than 30 minutes, and I’d get out of breath.” One time she was on an airplane and was told to purchase an additional seat because she didn’t fit in one. She overheard people laughing at her and she was horrified and embarrassed.
Working as a plus-size model was not an easy task either, especially when in the U.S. plus size starts at a size 10. “There were companies that jumped on board because they realized that a lot of women could relate to my size, while other companies turned me away because their sample sizes didn’t fit me,” she recalls. Now that she’s lost the weight, brands are more supportive because she fits into their sample sizes.
After having the procedure, she lost 150 pounds and even had 20 pounds of excess skin removed from her abdomen. She’s now a size 14 and describes the gastric sleeve procedure as extremely painful. “A C-section is a piece of cake compared to a tummy tuck. They pull your skin and close up the muscles in your stomach like an internal girdle. I couldn’t stand up straight for a month afterward and still had to wear a corset for another six months.” She says that people say she cheated and took the easy way out, but she laughs because she remembers being at the hospital and crying from the pain the first 24 hours.
Her journey is nowhere from being over because she can still gain weight if she doesn’t exercise and watches what she eats. She drinks juices, eats lots of protein and vegetables and watches her portions. “I work out six times a week for an hour and a half because I enjoy it. It’s a de-stressor that makes me feel good. It’s a lifestyle, and it’s only difficult when you don’t believe in it,” says Mercado.