A mum who used to eat up to 5,000 calories a day and spend £140 a month on takeaways says losing weight has helped her better look after her son. Emily Price, 24, weighed 23 stone at her heaviest - regularly eating whole pizzas, chips and chicken nuggets.
She says she would struggle to keep up with Harrison, three, and had to rely on family members to play with him. Student Emily, from Newport, South Wales, says her weight affected her mentally and she reached "breaking point".
So she decided to act, changing her lifestyle and travelling to Latvia for £5,000 surgery. Emily now weighs 12st, eats 1,200 calories a day and finds it much easier to play with Harrison. And she says losing weight saved her life.
Emily said: "I suffer a lot with my mental health and was pretty much at breaking point and didn't know what to do. Now I can move around without being out of breath, I can do things with my son. It's changed my life completely and improved my mental health.
"The surgery was funded by my family and kind of saved my life. It's been life-changing. I've had to train my brain not to pick up the wrong foods and I’ve started going to gym, which I never set foot in before I had the operation.”
Emily made the decision to go ahead with bariatric surgery after trying diets for 10 years with no success. After researching clinics, she decided to travel to Latvia and paid £5,000 for a gastric bypass, which her family helped her pay for.
She went under the knife in May 2022 and says that she had a "really good experience" despite being nervous beforehand. After returning to the UK, Emily reached out for support on Instagram, where she documents her weight loss journey.
Compared to last year, when she would cover up in oversized hoodies and joggers, Emily says she’s enjoyed flaunting her new figure in shorts this summer. Despite being left with loose skin, which she plans to get removed in March 2024, Emily’s blood pressure has stabilised and she says she no longer struggles with shortness of breath.
Previously, Emily would eat up to 5,000 calories in a day – enjoying takeaways or whole pizzas for dinner and skipping breakfast to snack more later in the day. But now she eats around 1,200 calories and starts her day with a protein shake before indulging in salads and healthy pasta dishes for lunch and dinner.
“I’ve had to do a lot of work on my eating habits, where I used to binge on takeaways every weekend – I was spending £140 a month on takeaways,” said Emily. “I'm a lot healthier now, I was diagnosed in pre-op tests with high blood pressure, which has stabilised since surgery.
“I’m no longer out of breath constantly, I don’t sweat as much as I used to, and I can walk for long periods of time. People have noticed I've lost weight and I've had a lot of support from friends and family.
“Before I would live off chicken nuggets and chips, takeaways, pizzas, high carb and high fat foods and my son's leftovers – it's also made me more conscious of my son’s health. I can do a lot more with him, like go down the slide at the park, and I’m a lot more involved in his activities - before I would let family members take over, as they were healthier.”
Before losing weight, on an average day Emily's meals would be:
- Breakfast: she would skip breakfast to snack more later in the day
- Lunch: chips and chicken nuggets would fuel her through the afternoon
- Dinner: she would indulge in a takeaway or make quick but unhealthy freezer foods
Now, Emily's healthy diet includes:
- Breakfast: a nutritious protein shake to get her metabolism going
- Lunch: a protein-packed chicken salad or bagel
- Dinner: a homemade pasta or other high protein dish
