PHOTOS Hope and Shantel from Skin Tight look even more amazing now

Thanks to successful weight loss and skin removal surgeries, Hope and Shantel from Skin Tight already looked fantastic during their episodes — but the two look even more incredible now! The latest before-and-after photos of Shantel and Hope reveal two women who’ve made a complete turnaround from their lives at peak weight.

When viewers first met Hope Tucker, she’d already come a long way from her heaviest weight of 327 pounds. Surgery helped Hope get down all the way to 125 — but the emotional complications of the excess skin that her weight loss left behind had Hope worried about reverting to her unhealthy habits.

“The confidence I had started to feel from losing weight has been replaced by this insecurity that this extra skin has created,” said Hope, who’d been medicated for depression for years before her surgery. “I started to get sad because it was just reminding of being at my heaviest weight….When I look in the mirror the extra skin just makes me see that sad girl that I used to be.”

As for Shantel, her peak weight of 400 pounds combined with her six-foot height meant she felt like all eyes were always on her in public. She cut her weight in half following surgery, and was nervous about going back for skin removal thanks to a general dislike of doctors that she got from her late father starting in early childhood.

“My dad never liked doctors,” Shantel explained, “and was in and out of hospitals when I was a kid. Every time he went in I would get really emotional. I think that those fears are still in me, and sadly he just never took the advice of the doctors.”

But Shantel ultimately decided she needed to go through with the skin removal surgery so she could become an even better mother to her own child.

“I still miss my dad so much,” she said, “but I am just ready to start my own journey and healthy. Not only for me, but my child.”

So, just how healthy do Hope and Shantel from Skin Tight look today? We’ll start with Shantel, who’s a woman of few words on social media — probably because she has pics like the one below to do the talking.

Here’s the latest photo of Shantel from Skin Tight, which she shared at the very end of 2017, just as production on her episode was concluding:

As for Hope, who has a bit more of a social media presence, things seem to be feeling (and looking!) just as good as they are for Shantel. Here’s a Hope Tucker before-and-after photo she shared last spring, as her Skin Tight episode was beginning filming. The left side of the image is Hope in 2014:

Hope’s also been dealing with her anorexia diagnosis, which she received late last year. It sounds like, based on her experiences struggling with weight gain, weight loss, and depression, Hope has managed to find place of positive strength from which to fight her latest battle:

A couple months ago, I was diagnosed with anorexia. I had been in denial that I was okay for a long time. I didn’t want to admit that I was sick, both physically and mentally…even spiritually. I didn’t think I needed help. And when I finally realized that maybe I did, I sure as hell didn’t want to ask for it. But I am one of the lucky ones. I was blessed with a fiancé and a family that came to my aid and support when I needed it the most…when I didn’t think I deserved it. So I’m still here, and I’m choosing the long and bumpy road to recovery. I am choosing to fight this illness. I need to find myself again. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and I am terrified…but I am strong. I am beautiful. And I can do hard things. #anorexiarecovery #edrecovery #edfam #edfamily #anorexia #recoveryispossible #recoveryisworthit #eatingdisorderrecovery #eatingdisorder #recovery #bopo #bodypositive #loveyourbody #anorexianervosa #strongnotskinny #edfighter #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalillness #anarecovery #ana #depression #anxiety #recoverywarrior #recoveryisworthit #edwarrior #ed #realrecovery #selflove #selfcare #bodypositivity

A post shared by Hope Tucker (@hopedoesntfloat) on Dec 9, 2017 at 1:57pm PST

Oh — and one more positive thing going on in Hope’s life continues to be that aforementioned fiancé 🙂 Though Hope refers to Drew with the f-word in her updates, she dropped a w-bomb in her Valentine’s Day update, suggesting that a wedding may be around the corner:

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! ? excuse my hair looking like ? #valentinesday

A post shared by Hope Tucker (@hopedoesntfloat) on Feb 14, 2018 at 9:06pm PST

Congratulations to both Hope and Shantel from Skin Tight as they continue to get — and stay — healthy. Hopefully, their exposure from the show will help them connect with its huge and growing support network of fans.

You can stream Shantel and Hope’s Skin Tight episode here, via TLC.

(Photo credits: Hope and Shantel from Skin Tight via Facebook, Instagram)