At 220 kg, the single mother of three Finau Suliana Tua struggled with daily activities before hitting her breaking point four years ago.
The 26-year-old Brisbane woman burst into tears after trying to dry her back and felt humiliated when her then-husband offered to help her.
“It shouldn’t be necessary,” she told him sobbing.
Finau, now 30, told FEMAIL that he eats junk food and takeaways every day, which has caused him to be overweight and have trouble completing daily activities. She cannot touch her toes with her three children, she cannot walk on the soft sandy beach.
“If you’re overweight, it’s a vicious circle,” she said.
“I struggled with my mental health and wanted to eat healthy, but I chose the easy one and ate.”
Finau decided to change his life and in March 2018 he had stomach surgery, a medical procedure that involves removing part of his stomach.
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Finau Suliana Tua (pictured) decided to have stomach surgery in March 2018 and lost up to 150kg by going to a gym, but was later diagnosed with lipoedema and endometriosis, which ultimately made it harder to lose more weight.
Due to her excess weight, Finau cannot even touch her toes on the beach with her three children, cannot walk on soft sand.
Three months later he moved to New Zealand with his wife and entered a gym where he lost up to 150kg. A year later, however, his mental health began to deteriorate and he returned to Australia to be closer to his family.
“I managed to lose 70 pounds on my own, but I fell out of the car and then it was Covid,” Finau said.
With millions of people locked up and gyms closing their doors, Finau said he was “full” and his old bad habits were starting to return.
‘I managed to lose 70kg and my lowest body weight was around 150kg. When Covid hit, she was given time to think and understand “how you can’t fix the wrong diet.”
“When I hit 150 pounds, I hit a plateau and hit a wall. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lose anymore.”
“During Covid I really had time to think and it opened my eyes to how a wrong diet cannot be taught.
“People also don’t realize that the gastric sleeve isn’t just a ‘quick fix’ – you also need to work on your mindset because it’s such a powerful tool.”
Finau continued to train every day, but suffered menstrual cramps that terrified him. At one point the pain was so bad that he went to the hospital.
Finau explained that losing weight doesn’t just mean spending hours at the gym, you also need to train your mindset to think differently about nutrition.
In late 2020, Finau found that his severe pain was caused by endometriosis. Doctors also found a 3-4 cm mass in the abdominal wall.
A few months later, he underwent surgery to remove the cyst, which had grown up to 10 cm in May 2021. He spoke to his doctors to discuss next steps and possible treatment.
“The doctor sat me down next to me and asked if I knew anything about lipedema, and I did that because people on social media often asked if I had this condition,” he said, adding how he followed his advice to talk to a specialist.
In late 2020, Finau was diagnosed with endometriosis (a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterine cavity and causes severe pain), and doctors found a 3 to 4 cm mass in the abdominal wall.
And in mid-2021, an ultrasound confirmed the doctor’s suspicions, and Finau was diagnosed with stage four lipedema, a condition involving abnormal fat deposits that usually occur in the legs and arms.
In mid-2021, an ultrasound confirmed the doctor’s suspicions, and Finau was diagnosed with stage four lipedema, a condition with abnormal fat deposits that occur primarily in the legs and arms.
“I cried but wasn’t completely shocked, it was more of an endorsement I needed to hear from a doctor,” she said.
“For years I fought for my weight and thought I was lazy, but now I finally understand why it’s so hard to lose weight.
“If you were watching me over my shoulder, you wouldn’t expect me to be obese. And my waist is so thin it’s disproportionate to my legs.’
Because it weighs more than 100kg, doctors won’t operate on endometriosis, and lipedema surgery costs more than $75,000, which isn’t covered by Medicare. Finau is now on a mission to raise awareness of both medical conditions by posting daily vlogs and videos on social media.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for lipedema and the only option is to have surgery, but it costs over $75,000 and is not covered by Medicare.
Because Finau weighs more than 100 kg, surgeons won’t even operate to treat endometriosis. Today, address the pain of medical conditions and exercise as much as possible.
And while losing weight isn’t impossible, it’s definitely harder.
Finau is now on a mission to raise awareness of both medical conditions by posting daily vlogs and videos on social media.
“I’m in a bit of a mess right now, but I’m still more confident than I’ve ever been – I think it’s very important that you love yourself even when you’re at your lowest point,” she said.
“You have to accept yourself and realize that the past doesn’t define you.”
Source: Daily Mail
