A WOMAN who had weight loss surgery to trim her 15 stone frame has admitted she completely regrets her decision.
Lucy went to Turkey to have a gastric sleeve, after her previous attempts to shed the pounds were unsuccessful.
And while she looks stunning, and loves showing off her newly-slim figure in skimpy ensembles, she revealed in a video on her TikTok page that there are more than a few reasons she wishes she'd never gone under the knife.
One of the main reasons is how much discomfort Lucy finds herself in every time she eats.
Calling it “constant pain”, Lucy said it's got to the point that she doesn't “enjoy foodanymore”.
“There's nothing that I can eat that I will not be in pain with,” she explained.
“It's just pointless because of the pain. It's absolutely horrendous.
“When I eat and my stomach gets full and there's no way for that food to go, it comes up the pipe and it sits in the chest.
“And that's kind of how I know I'm full.
“And if I push it and I have one more little extra bite I'm done for!
“Like the pain will be horrendous and so sometimes it's just not worth eating, it genuinely isn't.”
Another side effect of the sleeve Lucy has had to put up with is hair loss.
“I lost quite a lot of hair,” she said.
“You'll probably see on this video the hair that it's still growing back.
“I have been lucky and I have grown the hair back, but a lot of people, it's a long-term side effect of gastric sleeve, and they do not get the hair back.
“It's really thin for life.”
Lucy also gets “up to 40” dizzy spells a day, has to take iron tablets, struggles with body dysmorphia and feels “more unhealthy now” than when she was bigger.
When it comes to going out socially with friends and family, Lucy called it “horrific” and “absolutely horrendous”.
Different types of weight loss surgery
For many people who are overweight or obese, they may feel they have exhausted options for weight loss and want to try something more drastic.
Weight loss surgery may be available to them on the NHS if they have a BMI over 40 and have a condition that may be improved with weight loss, such as diabetes.
But the availability of these procedures largely depends on where you live in the UK. People can also pay privately.
Weight loss surgery is a common and safe procedure. However, as with any operation, there are risks, such as a blood clot, a band slipping out of place, a stomach infection, gallstones and excessive skin from weight loss that in most cases, won’t be removed on the NHS.
In all of the following options, the space in the stomach is reduced, therefore a person feels fuller after eating less food. They lose weight as a result.
However, it is necessary for them to also learn good eating habits and have a healthy balanced diet, too.
Gastric bypass
The stomach is divided into two using a staple. The smaller part is connected to the intestines, effectively cutting how much space there is in the stomach by half.
The operation takes around two hours.
Gastric band
A band is tied around the top of the stomach and inflated so that it tightens.
The operation takes three to four hours.
Gastric balloon
Patients swallow an empty balloon which is attached to a tube.
The balloon is filled with water via the tube, taking around 20 minutes, so that it fills around two-thirds of the stomach space.
Sleeve gastrectomy
Around 80 per cent of the stomach is removed in surgery to make it much smaller and a sleeve shape.
The operation takes between one and three hours.
“You're sat there with your little tiny starter when everyone else is tucking into starters, mains, desserts and drinking alcohol at the same time,” she sighed.
“And you're sat there not being able to finish a tiny portion of food in front of you.
“Not only that but it's embarrassing when the waiters and waitresses come around and ask you if the food was okay and you're like, ‘Yeah, just not got much of a stomach left!'”
Lucy went on to admit that “life was so much better when I was bigger”.
“I might have been unhappy in the way I looked but health-wise I was far healthier,” she added.
“And, looking back, I wish somebody that stopped me from getting on that flight, in all honesty.”
She concluded by saying that she's now using her story to help inform others of the “negative side effects” of weight loss surgery.
“Because mine totally outweigh the positives,” she said.
“And if I can stop a handful of people from having this surgery done, then I'll be happy.
“I just can't live like this anymore. It is taking a toll on my life every single day.
“I can't even begin to tell you how awful it is.”
