'It's a trophy from weight loss' Mum shows off 9kg of excess skin after losing 11 stone

A mum who lost almost 11 stone but was left with 9kg of excess skin has been sharing photos and messages of body positivity on Instagram, to highlight the reality of weight loss.

Amanda Roberts, a mum of one from California, lost weight after undergoing gastric bypass surgery in 2014.

The procedure left the 23 year old with 9 kilograms (about a stone and a half) of extra skin around her midsection and arms, which she has mixed feelings about. Amanda, a self-confessed 'Loose Skin Screen', shared a video of her body on her Instagram, and captioned it by describing her everyday life with her excess skin

'My Loose Skin is my Reality,' she writes. 'My loose skin is not a deflated fat suit. It's not a fake stomach.

'Loose skin is a REAL thing that happens to a LOT of people after extreme weight loss. The skin is not something I can exercise or diet away. I can't wrap it in some magical foil or rub some cream on it and make it go away.

Amanda goes on to explain how her attitude towards her excess skin changes day to day. 'This is what I live with everyday. Some days it's my favorite part of me, some days it's hard to live with it, but no matter what I may feel from time to time, I remind myself that this is the only body I'll have, and it's so beyond important to let the POSITIVE days outweigh the negative.

'I will NEVER stop posting about it and helping empower other women to love their loose skin too.

'I don't care if you think I'm looking for attention, or if you think my stomach is the most disgusting thing you've seen. And to everyone who has supported me throughout my self love IG journey, thank you from the bottom of my heart.'

The video has been viewed over 27,000 times, with hundreds of comments supporting Amanda.

'I lost 200lbs. I'm in the same situation as you. It is horrible to be with this skin. I hope you can remove the skin,' commented one follower.

'You're simply amazing. It just reflects the tremendous amount of dedication and hardwork you have put in and you got to feel proud of yourself, for you've been such an inspiration for so many people out there. Respect!' wrote another.

Although Amanda is striving to normalise the reality of extreme weight loss, she still wants to remove her excess skin so she can exercise and run properly.

She's set up the 'mandasmuffintop' Go Fund Me page to raise money for the procedure. 'Now, I want to make this perfectly clear. I LOVE MY BODY,' she writes on the page.

'I loved myself at 330lbs, I love myself at 180lbs with loose skin, and I will love myself in the future. But just as I needed to lose weight for my health, getting the skin removed would be for my health as well, not cosmetic.

'The main problem I am facing now is, because of the loose skin on my body, I am having a hard time with normal tasks like exercising, running, etc.'

So far, Amanda's reached $1,557 of her $7,500 goal.