A 35-year-old man who lost 500 pounds must now wear compression garments to stabilize all his excess skin and says he is still trapped inside his 'own fat suit . ' Thomas Towle III , from Gardiner , Maine , admits he suffered an addiction to eating and only took stock when his doctor told him he faced an early death if he did not lose weight . After being a big child , he became even more overweight when he was a teenager and Towle was forced to drop out of high school when he became too embarrassed of his size , reports the Press Herald . Thomas Towle III , from Portland , ( seen on right with a friend ) lost 500 pounds , but must now wear compression garments to stabilize all his excess skin . Towle admits he suffered an addiction to eating and only took stock when his doctor told him he faced an early death if he did not lose weight . ' I did an amazing job , I think , of putting a great face on , letting no one know how much being that heavy bothered me , ' he said . At one point he weighed almost 800lbs . ' I made jokes at myself to survive . If someone was making fun of me , I made fun of myself harder . That way your jokes did n't hurt me , or at least you thought they did n't hurt me . Inside , it was a totally different story . It crushed me inside . ' Towle tried several diets which all worked but as soon as he pulled back , he put the weight on again . He eventually began to lose weight when he got a job at McDonald 's and he left the house and moved around more . He said that although he suffered pain in his joints from the excess weight they supported , he was able to sit down on a stool and serve customers . Towle and a friend fit now fit into the shirt he used to wear before he lost weight . He now weighs about 270 pounds , and is nearing his goal of getting below 250 pounds . ' I learned to work at McDonald 's , and I lost weight , ' he said . ' I was actually getting out of the house . Even though I might not have been standing up and doing exercise , I think the motion , the actual getting out , was a big first step in losing some of that weight . ' He lost about 200 pounds through an improved diet and additional exercise , bringing him down to 600 pounds . Eventually Towle decided to have weight-loss surgery , although he had to lose another 50 pounds to be a safe weight to have the operation . In June 2011 , Towle underwent gastric bypass surgery and a portion of his stomach was used to create a second smaller stomach . Towle can no longer eat some of his favorite foods as a result because they can make him vomit . He now weighs about 270 pounds , and is nearing his goal of getting below 250 pounds . But he has has to wear compression garments to stabilize all his excess skin . He says his faces a daily regime of three compression garments everyday as well as creams and powders to treat his extensive rashes and dry tearing skin . Towle needs reconstructive surgeries to remove the excess skin from his chest , abdomen and legs . The procedures are predicted to cost close to $ 30,000 and Towle thinks his insurance company will pay for at least a portion of the bill , but he is now appealing for help in paying the rest of it on his Go Fund Me page . He wrote : ' I am still trapped inside my own fat suit of skin that just hangs there and affects my everyday life , making it depressing to think I have come so far yet I am still trapped . ' I am asking you to please help me shed this one last obstacle in the way between me and a true new beginning a life that can be lived to the fullest . ' I wish insurance understood I do n't want to be the next sex symbol I just want to be free of this burden . '
Thomas Towle III , from Portland , admits he suffered an addiction to eating . His doctor told him he faced an early death if he did not lose weight . Eventually Towle decided to have weight-loss surgery - he now weighs about 270 pounds . He says his doctors were surprised by the results and that they had never seen a patient with such extreme obesity before.