Story from Jam press (Excess Skin) Pictured: Cole Prochaska after his weight loss. 'I worked so hard to lose 25 stone – then I was stuck with £230,000 bill to remove excess skin' A man who has shed a staggering 25 stone is now being forced to fork out £230,000 to have his excess skin removed. Cole Prochaska used to weigh 42 stone and wear size 8XL clothes after living on meals like McDonald’s breakfasts, pizza, burgers and at least two litres of fizzy drinks a day. Swapping junk food for salads, lean beef and protein shakes, and committing to walking as much as possible, he has shed an incredible 25 stone in just two years, with his current dress size 1XL. While the 40-year-old is overjoyed to have a new lease of life, the journey is far from over. He requires expensive surgery including three operations on his arms, back, legs, stomach and chest. "It really affects my confidence and mental health," Cole, from Columbia, South Carolina, told What’s The Jam. "I worked really hard and I can still see the leftovers of that fat guy. "I still can't go to the beach or pool, and I don't take my shirt off. "A lot of my weight is the skin. “It weighs at least one stone. "It's really killing me. I can't run because it slaps around. “It's aggravating.” The asset protection investigator first started putting weight on when he was just six years old following a stressful house move. Cole’s diet got worse as he became a teenager when he would eat meals cooked by his mum before snacking on sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks. He said: “My mum and dad worked so we just had whatever they could make. “We had tacos, burgers and always did pizza and movie Fridays.” Food became the Cole’s comfort in the years following and as an adult, he would gorge on takeaways and meals high in saturated fat. At his biggest, Cole couldn't fit on a rollercoaster or into a booth at a restaurant. He said: "I was getting bigger and bigger. “Food was my comfort.