Mollie Hull, 20, had been obese since she was 10, weighing a maximum of 29 stone – but after having gastric sleeve surgery in Egypt she lost 11 stone
A woman who weighed nearly 29 stone looks unrecognizable after £3,500 gastric sleeve surgery.
Mollie Hull had been obese since she was 10, often eating up to eight bags of crisps a day.
The 20-year-old dental nurse worked several days due to exhaustion and feared staying in a wheelchair.
But she continued to lose 11 stone and says she no longer feels like the “literal elephant in the room”.
Rather than being put on the NHS waiting list, she found a surgeon in Egypt and flew in for the procedure in April last year.
The NHS has warned anyone considering traveling abroad for surgery to “understand the risks involved” and consult their GP.
‘Research should be undertaken to find out who will treat you and what facilities are available,’ the advice online advises.
In the year since her surgery, Mollie continues to lose an average of half a stone (7 pounds) per month.
She ditched pizza, takeout and crisps in favor of vegetables, fish, granola bars and fruit.
Mollie, from Stone, Staffordshire, said: “I was on the NHS waiting list and knew I would be dead if I waited years, I had to do something sooner.
“Going to Egypt cost me £3,500 including flights – which is cheap compared to the £14,000 you get privately in the UK.
“I was so scared of dying because of my weight, I couldn’t have saved so much money at such a young age.
“Food was my go-to thing. I knew I had to change after I couldn’t buy clothes in normal stores and needed time off from work because I would be so exhausted.
“At one point I thought I would end up in a wheelchair, but now I feel so much healthier. I used to be iron deficient, whereas now I tick all the right boxes in terms of health. “
Mollie says she has always struggled with her weight.
She said: “Even as a child, being taller meant I would always be left out of things with friends. I would just sit at home eating.
“I remember having to buy adult sized stuff for my school uniform. It was just awful. I was the only one of my peers like that. I knew something was wrong.
“I ended up being placed in foster care at 13 and ate myself in comfort.
“At 15, I already had over 20 stones. It was the only thing that was consistent. It was the only aspect of control I had.”
When she left care at the age of 18, Mollie weighed 27th (378 lbs). She then had complete control over what she ate and continued to pile on the pounds.
Mollie said: “McDonald’s, pizza, no veggies. It wasn’t even seven veggies a week – let alone seven a day.
“I often ate up to eight packets of crisps a day as well as packets of chocolate.
“I had cheese crisps for lunch, chicken nuggets and crisps for dinner, often followed by a family dessert like a tiramisu to share or six donuts.
“All of this has been accompanied by many health issues such as high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, only being able to walk 100 meters or less and not being able to climb stairs.”
After first reading about weight loss surgery when she was 13, Mollie finally decided to do it when she was 19.
She said: “They removed 75 per cent of my stomach. Before the operation I had a strict diet where for four weeks I drank only milk.
“I only lost one stone doing this. At the time of surgery I was 28.8 (403.2 pounds).
“After the operation I initially felt terrible and it took me a good month to feel better, but I was able to start feeling physical changes right away, even walking around without weights. on the back.
“It was just very surreal to think that this was the start of the rest of my life.
“I’m so glad to be alive and to be honest I expected to die when you hear so many horror stories about overseas surgeries.”
Since going under the knife, Mollie has lost 11 stone combined with regular exercise and a new and improved diet.
And she said: ‘I also changed careers from dental receptionist to nurse because before I couldn’t even stand, let alone stand for 10 hours.