A woman has spoken of her 12 stone weight loss that allowed her to leave the house for the first time in four years, Liverpool Echo reports. Sabrina Lee, from Liverpool, found it difficult to walk from her living room to her bedroom without struggling for breath when she was at her heaviest weight of 29 stone.
Relationship troubles and depression caused Sabrina to pile on the pounds, which caused her to turn to food for comfort. She "became practically housebound for four years" before joining an NHS weight management programme in March 2019.
Sabrina said: "When I signed up to my new GP I got blood tests done and I was found to be type two diabetic. I was only 32 years old at the time and I was like 'oh god what have I done to myself?' Being so young I knew I had to do something.
"I should have expected it being at that heaviest weight but at the same time I thought I'm young. I felt a bit invincible."
After joining the programme she was paired up with a dietician, as well as sessions of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.
Sabrina said: "I was on the programme for seven months and I lost eight stone from March 2019 to October 2019. I got approved for the surgery and then had surgery in March 2020 just before the pandemic kicked off."
After undergoing a gastric bypass surgery, Sabrina went on to lose an additional four stone. She said: "It's a preventable measure for me.
"While I could lose that weight on my own I was thinking 'this is going to stop you from gaining a lot of weight back.' I think my thought process was if I have the surgery I physically can't go back to food so I have to find a healthier coping mechanism, so I got back into arts.
"Some people think it's a lazy diet and way around it. For me, it wasn't a quick fix or a quick choice, it was preventative. I know I can't go back to the worst point in my life.
"Instead of a standard dinner plate I use a side plate now. I only eat about half of what a normal person would eat.
"For example, in comparison to a normal person who would have two Weetabix for breakfast I would have half of one Weetabix with yoghurt or a little bit of milk. If you go out for a meal you know that's two meals for me."
The NHS say that weight loss surgery is sometimes used as a treatment for very obese people, but it is a major operation that has many complication and should only be considered after trying to lose weight through the traditional measures of a healthy diet and exercise.
Sabrina adds that while she still has weight to loose and four stone of excess skin to be removed, she is no longer a type two diabetic. Her weight loss has allowed her to go back to university, and is currently in her final year studying Forensic Science at Liverpool John Moores.
She's also now learnt to drive - something she was unable to do before due to her weight - and is now in a "happy and healthy relationship."
She said: "I feel like a completely different person. I don't recognise that person in the pictures from when I was heavier. I can't even see myself in that person anymore."
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
Find recommendations for eating out, attractions and events near you here on our sister website 2Chill
Find recommendations for dog owners and more doggy stories on our sister site Teamdogs
