Woman who used to weigh 22 stone has stretch marks covered with tattoo

‘I can stop hating the person that I was and start appreciating the person I am now’

A formerly obese woman has had some of her stretch marks covered with an intricate tattoo - in an effort to feel more positive about her weight loss journey.

Jen is a 26-year-old woman whose weight reached a high of 22 stone when she was 24 years old.

She was diagnosed with depression at the age of 18, which consequently resulted in her becoming reliant on food as a source of comfort.

“I think food was a big addiction for me,” she said in the BBC Three documentary “A Tattoo to Change Your Life”.

“I started using food as a way to control my emotions.”

Jen's unhealthy diet consisted of a lot of junk food and takeaway meals, in addition to a lack of fruit, vegetables or protein.

“It got to a point after quite a few years where I realised it was putting my body under quite a lot of stress.

“It’s still difficult to not lose that lingering feeling that I damaged my body, and I’ve now left myself with scars that are almost all over.”

Jen became overweight having been diagnosed with depression at the age of 18 (YouTube/BBC Three)

For Jen, her stretch mark scars are a symbol of a traumatic time in her life in which she was constantly battling with mental health issues.

She decided to have a tattoo on her calf that would cover some of her stretch marks, so that she could look at it every day to remind herself to be positive.

Jen enlisted the help of Poppy Segger, a tattoo artist who has helped many people with tattoos covering stretch mark, self-harm and mastectomy scars in the past.

Jen had her calf tattoo designed by tattoo artist Poppy Segger (YouTube/BBC Three)

Poppy designed a beautiful monochrome tattoo for Jen that perfectly covers the stretch marks on the back of her calf.

Poppy believes that people should be more understanding of those who are overweight, as no one can ever be fully aware of what someone else is going through.

“I think a lot of people in society have a negative view on people who are overweight,” she said.

Jen says her new tattoo is helping her to appreciate the person she is now (YouTube/BBC Three)

“Often, people associate being overweight with being lazy or not doing enough when, actually, people are overweight for a number of different reasons.”

Jen’s new tattoo has allowed her to adopt a more positive outlook on life.

“This tattoo in this moment means that I can put everything to rest behind me and stop hating the person that I was and start appreciating the person I am now,” she said.