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FOUR years ago, Paige couldn’t stand to look at photos of herself. Now, since losing over 110lbs, she feels confident and proud. Paige Gandra-Valderas, from Texas, has struggled with weight her entire life. At her heaviest, she weighed over 300lbs. Since 2017, Paige has lost 110lbs and feels better than ever. She told Truly: “I was ashamed of who I was and had really low self-confidence, I was hidden in the shadows.” Paige, who says her weight gain really increased during college, used to hate seeing herself in photos and videos due to her size. Even during a travelling trip with her brother, she was devastated to see herself in the photos. She said: “I have such beautiful memories but the photos made me cringe.” In 2017, her father fell ill from complications with diabetes; in the hospital he warned her against ending up like him. “That conversation really sunk in,” she said. “I really needed to change”. Paige’s father passed away in the summer of 2020, the same week she was recovering from her tummy tuck surgery. “It was a really hard moment, he was my best friend.” Paige knows her father would be proud of her weight loss journey, which has seen her go from 303lbs to 189lbs. “If he were here he would continue to be proud and support me,” she said.www.instagram.com/justdreampaige