Documentary series chronicling the work of the UK’s biggest and busiest obesity unit based at the Sunderland Royal Hospital. In this episode, 56-year-old recluse Doreen Thomas is 4ft 11 and 31 stone. She lives with her dog Hope, who also has weight problems. She has turned to the Weight Loss Ward for help when moving out of her front door became a problem. Laura Lamb is 29, has failed twice to get on the surgical list and has just three days to lose two kilos before her operation or it will be cancelled. The programme also catches up with 40-year-old recovered alcoholic Sara Porrit who had gastric surgery last year. 12 months on from her operation, not all her problems have been solved.. Subscribe to True Lives: https://bit.ly/3dBMxvl
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[Music] Sunderland Northeast England she’s going to need a wee bit of work come on then one of the fattest places in the UK where 25% of adults are dangerously overweight the average weight in this country is now overweight obesity is expected to cost the NHS 50 billion a year by 2050 the more you eat the greedier you get sunderland’s Royal Hospital is fighting back with a dedicated weight team tackling the Obesity epidemic head on I am your worst enemy yeah but changing the dietary habits of a lifetime is not easy there is nothing magical that we can do surgically that allows you to eat whatever you want and lose weight that operation doesn’t exist treating over 3,000 patients in the last year it’s the busiest NHS obesity unit in the UK we’ve had 10 admissions today just to catch up with the bat log there’s a conveyor belt of people who’ve tried every diet under the sun now turning as a last resort to surgery on sunderland’s weight loss Ward if we don’t do something now should probably be [Music] dead with 13 years experience the weight loss team are very clear why people are overweight for a patient to be successful with surgery you must believe that what you’re eating and your lack of exercise is the problem no salad or anything healthy night time is a picky actually your pick time is it oh pick pick pick yes and what do we pick on chocolate for the patients getting to surgery can take years there’s no family history of obesity as they are vetted to see just how attached they are to food I’m greedy that’s the problem I’m greedy the most difficult bit is choosing the right people to operate on you can’t simply fix everyone with an operation they must change their lifestyle otherwise it’s not going to work in the long term they will simply put their weight back on Sharon I’m coming Sharon I’m coming 56-year-old dorine Thomas is at the beginning of her weight loss Journey with Sunderland Royal yes I’ll use that up today you’ve got four ham it’s on offer so I’ll have to get it while it’s on offer got plenty of egg I get obsessed with looking just for special offers we’ve got 2 4 6 8 10 11 flash well I’ve ordered five cuz it’s still on offer I’m high maintenance a lot of cleaning to be done hygiene comes first every time shopping online is wonderful but if you’ve got it into your head that you’re going to eat anything and everything in front of you it’s a really bad idea at 41 dorene’s weight tipped 31 stone at her heaviest that’s a good girl she’s been living and sleeping downstairs for 10 months this is my space and this is my last chance to to live beyond the next few years with a grown-up son working away she lives alone and it’s the daily help from Sharon her friend and carer that keeps to going she’s a big girl she should know what to buy and what not to buy you don’t interfere I don’t interfere I do have a look of disgust when going really how why have you done she’s gone believe it was a pound a Chu options it’s only 40 calories a cup so I reckon I can have as much as I want of that having been to Sunderland Royal for an initial assessment Dorian is now trying to lose weight to prove to the team that she can make some dietary changes [Music] [Laughter] very good you look at that e that’s brilliant that’s £4 in one day yesterday I was £420 so 29 store £9 this is H it’s a bad habit I suppose but hope gets a taste of everything that I eat but it’ll be the size of me thumbnail maybe not a lot just a taste she was given orders by the vet to lose s Kos now she’s 24.5 in helping her to lose weight I’ve managed to lose 5 kilos I love her to bits I do she’s created a world she’s clean she’s fed she does her own shopping she doesn’t really want for anything she she’s contained herself in a in a bubble where I think she’s quite she was quite content she’s stuck that I don’t know darine I don’t know the real darine I know this lady here I’ve just seen this woman that’s trapped in here I’m just a shadow waiting to come out from somewhere every patient is given a weight loss Target that they have to hit to get surgery to show they’re prepared to change their eating habits for good 29-year-old housewife Laura lamb has been a patient with the weight loss team for 3 years she’s already been refused surgery twice because she failed to hit her targets I feel like my eating habits are creeping back up Laura’s been married to 49-year-old Tony for 12 years and she puts her weight down to postnatal depression I was frightened I thought that I’d be accused of being a bad mom and I’d put five and a half Stone on at her her heaviest Laura weighed nearly 22 stone and she’s been on anti-depressants for 15 years after the death of her childhood friend she’s been given her date for surgery but at her last appointment she had failed to reach her weight loss Target you may have your operation cancelled and you haven’t lost your weight yeah and she had just 3 Days To Lose 2 kilos beit right to move that’s going down to 116 should I try on a different floor it’s good I think it’s good that come earlier rather than later yet you can’t think about it’s going to happen at 1 128 I’m I’m too fat it’s D-Day for Laura she’s in hospital for her final weighin if she’s reached her Target she’ll stay in for surgery if not she’ll be going home oh want to I’ve lost another kilo just disappeared in the night see me I’m gone I’ve starved myself basically after 3 years Laura’s through her gastric bypass operation is in the [Music] morning Taxi Driver Sarah poret topped 25 stone at her heaviest 12 months ago she led our cameras into her life when she had a gastric bypass operation on the weight loss Ward past embarrassed disgusted what can I say like many patients Sarah had a traumatic past I was sexually abused and and raped as a as a child you know from about the age of six till you know 13 you know so consequently I changed to alcohol um you know and I also turned to uh to food can’t look at them Sarah’s been with her partner Carol for 16 years and they married 5 years ago I don’t know what I’m going to end up with I don’t I’ve met this next person with Carol’s support Sarah stuck to the diet and exercise regime set by the weight loss team and she quickly saw results I’m no longer diabetic I’ve no longer got high blood pressure so now I’m not a drain on you know the National Health by her 40th birthday Sarah had reached 15 Stone she’d lost 10 Stone in 2 years and was relishing her new life never had a party so you know this is my first first birthday party really this is me now and that is me four years ago before [Music] after Sarah’s back at Sunderland Royal for her annual checkup I do look totally different when I walk past the mirror I’ve got to give myself a second look today’s an opportunity to talk through any problems she’s had since her weight loss surgery she’s still losing weight that’s 141 have a SE I had a shitty childhood and I’ve had to battle with that throughout my life took away the crutch of my food and you know then I was left with me and the Romy I may look good on the outside but you know I still got a lot of work to do on the inside we talk about a euphoric period which tends to be about a year long and that’s where the weight comes off uh but when you get to the year two years when the weight has stabilized that’s when it comes to the realization that yes you got your weight there but you’ve still got all the problems that were there before surgery I’m really really struggling just started to abuse um painkillers which has now you know got me into a sticky situation you know before I knew it you know I’m uh I’m addicted Sarah started to take Codine for a painful varus vein I’m embarrassed I’m frightened um you know and I’m disgusted in myself her first appointment is with dietitian Nicola young wheat loss is still going really really well I’m really pleased with that how are things going with your eating then do you have any breakfast at all um typically I have a dery dunker right um or a Laughing Cow dunker what about snacks in between um I can have like a fun size um uh mini eggs right go on to the second packet I feel terrible sickness so it’s a deterrent having a couple’s really not a massive concern but it’s just being aware that that needs to remain a treat doesn’t it yeah as long as you are aware that it must remain at a minimum yeah right thank you brilliant I’ll see you later then thanks see you later [Music] hello stranger you all right very welcome next she sees her surgeon Kamal mahwa how are things could we have done anything better you know where we’ve not done as well as you expected anything no I think you’ve done everything is fine absolutely fantastic and you’re taking all the vitamins and the minerals yes are you taking any tablets for diabetes at all high blood pressure no no can you climb three flights of STS without resting I blood you hope so easy has there a quality of diet improved as as a result of the surgery or ABS everything’s improved tfold anything else I could do for you no no that’s it thank you 12 months on from her operation and medically Sarah is doing well but she’s chosen not to inform the weight loss team of her Codine addiction I thought all least operation would have been a cure t now I’m I’m scared I really am scared hipson last year 5,000 weight loss operations were performed by the NHS across the UK over a tenth here in Sunderland year on year the weight loss team are seeing bigger patience and they’re at the Forefront of pioneering new ways of maneuvering their extra- large bodies safely training staff from the hospitals across the [Music] country after 3 years of trying for weight loss surgery Laura’s finally made it onto the list and surgeon schlock balap pori makes sure she’s ready yeah nervous you you look tense relax I’m sweating yeah don’t be we’re going to do a loop bypass on you right Laura is having a new operation called the gastric Loop so far the surgeons at Sunderland have only performed 40 it’s exactly the same as bypass the only difference is there is no second joint right so in theory it is less riskier because there’s one less chance of a joint leaking I know uh and uh but what I can’t control is if you get clots in your legs uhhuh right once you wake up right there’s no lying in the bed right get up and walk yes right okay right is that a deal yeah okay a deal deal a definite deal Laura has never never had a general anesthetic now I just want to cry all I’m just frightened was like for my kids that’s it if I could get that out of my head I’d be fine Laura L come to take down to theater I think oh yeah I’m going to be thin but isn’t just that maybe if I could carry on fat but forever be healthy but I don’t have that option I’m at a higher risk with it being in my family diabetes and everything so you local lady Laura I live H but originally from London oh yes very nice no love London do you yeah God that is a rarity and this of course is stop her from getting clots in her legs somebody who’s got a high BMI so they risk of actually getting dvts more than 10 times than somebody with normal BMI right just get this St so that’s the size of the pouch that’s going to be Laura’s stomach is made into a tenth of its original size and 2 m of her intestine is bypassed permanently she’ll now start losing weight because she’ll only be able to eat small amounts and her body won’t absorb so much food oh sorry Laura is Young and has had surgery to prevent her developing obesity related illnesses later in life at 56 dorine is not so lucky every new patient is discussed by the surgeons dietitians and nurses on the weight loss team to decide on the best plan of action yes should right uh Doran Thomas she’s a 56 year old lady height 149 weight 194 she’s got a BMI 87 does experience breathing difficulties with minimal exertion has to stop sit down every 5 to 10 minutes some apneic events has been referred for sleep studies that’s 13 years ago and there were no facilities to accommodate her weight clure does try and carry a chair with her everywhere in case she needs to sit down you want to go out you coming got a psychological history of depression since childhood and obsessive compulsive disorder that’s a good girl very regular binge and comfort eating good girl there we are my legs object to carrying me around because I’m just too heavy they’ve done it for long enough and they don’t want to do it anymore yes we’re getting there come on then she’s going to need a we bit of work we’re clearly at the early stages of assessing this patient we need to bring her in first to get an idea of what her eating really is like all this uh see if we can get a way to start coming down we’ll try it and see the team want to bring Doran in for a stay on the ward to observe her eating patterns her BMI being over 80 she’s one big woman getting progressively worse more quickly everywh wake sometimes you can feel the difference in the days it happens so quickly and yet not so long ago it wasn’t like this I saw Doran and it was quite clear straight away that she was quite a special case she doesn’t have a social life she is pretty much a reclus and this compounds her problems even further she has tried losing weight in the past but has never really succeeded CL if we don’t do something now I don’t think we will have an opportunity to do anything because she’ll probably be dead [Music] yes 24 hours after her operation Laura’s taken the surgeon’s advice and she’s on the move I’ve got to keep walking cuz of obviously DVT it may help to me little fat legs getting a bit skinnier having a little walk up and down for a fat bird I can go some soon I’ll be like the speed of light I am the fat ballerina on the plane I am the mad woman in the adverts who’s like literally I’m like this jumping and doing all that cuz I’m checking my legs all the time can I feel something is there something there Laura has struggled for 3 years to get to surgery but from now on she’ll have to permanently change the way she eats and she’ll begin to lose weight in the booklet it says four to 6 weeks on pury but by all means try increasing the texture after four most people are Keen to get on to eat in something a bit more normal after 4 weeks of pury anyway really about 2 to 3 months from now you’ll be on normal textures okay it’s going to be hard it’s very hard to grasp just how big a lifestyle change is really want to be can’t imagine what it must be like to physically only manage two tablespoons and be full Laura’s TV suppers of Mars Bars and custard creams are now a thing of the past for the next month she’ll be on a puree diet while the stitches in her new exis stomach heal is Nanny and PaPa yeah you brought me that all right everything went well I’ve got to keep walking as well go behind this week I’m the weight loss Ward is full of patients whove been addicted to food and for many learning to live without their crutch post surgery is tough a year after her gastric bypass operation Sarah has been rushed to A&E after telling her GP just how many coding tablets she’s been taking at a time I don’t feel very well over 4 months she’s gradually increased the dosage to a life-threatening level I feel sick her friend Sharon is with her I’ve been taking Co because last night I had um cuz last night what huh last night what it was 4y she was doing so well I doing really cheeky buer what be sat here if you we’re doing so well how am I we’ve been friends since we were 11 so I’ve grown up with all of her addictions I just wish I could stop her from doing things if you’d say this to me like you know a couple of months ago we’d be here a there I would have said no cuz she’s doing amazing she wanted her well-being back she wanted the diabetes gone and everything we all have things that we have to deal with she just doesn’t deal with them very well there’s no permanent damage for Sarah but she’s kept in hospital still overnight for observation you know I think this has become her next addiction so it’s sad you know what what’s [Music] next the only food that I don’t care for is coriander I don’t know why I just don’t like it we both like sweets chocolates crisps pies I grew up in a house where my mom had bacon on a Thursday things were put in tins and when it was gone it was gone that’s how she restricted our diet but anything that reminds me of childhood if it’s got the right memories that go with it it can be a fe Dorene lived at home with her parents until she was 19 when she became pregnant and had her son as a single mom she moved into her own house but she struggled to get work and his lived on benefits all her life my mom died and then that’s when my wit really began to balloon in Earnest and it went from 18 Stone to 20 stone gradually up to 31 store it was mostly because I missed me Mom today it’s a rare day out for Dorene haven’t done this for months she’s got an appointment at suland Royal with their chess specialist I could happily go back to [Music] sleep thank you very much dorine has lived with a common obesity related condition for 13 years I’d wake up and I’d feel as if I was ready to go to bed sleep apnea is a condition where you will stop breathing when you’re asleep that means that the muscles and the fat around their neck will close down the airway when they’re asleep oh just that little bit so difficult and literally they stop breathing your brain wakes you up so you get a very disturbed sleep pattern you did well there thought didn’t you I did very well obese patients with sleep apnea are high risk for surgery s dor needs to get it under control before she can even be considered for an operation have a piece of Ginger sweet please I think my breathing’s much [Music] better morning hi peace to meet you thank you hello now the treatment of choice for this condition is is a treatment called SE teap continuous positive airway pressure and involves a mask that’s right to keep the airway open at night it needs to be used on a regular basis for at least 5 to 6 hours a night so that’s why I’ve been tight and much during the day [Music] absolutely right that’s the machine there it keeps your Airways open that however involves you wearing a machine that looks a little bit like an elephant’s trunk great very comfortable looks a bit kinky though doesn’t it very comfortable very comfortable oh that’s good once her sleep apnea is under control dorine will be admitted onto the weight loss Ward so the team can start to control her eating and decide what treatment is best for [Music] her it’s a week since Sarah was rushed into A&E it’s been a harsh wakeup call for her I could have been in like ment liver failure now I see the insanity of you know where my brain can take me addiction is a disease you know you can fix all of me on the outside but it will not fix my head and until I actually fix my head and try and change then I will just keep on doing the wrong things excessively Sarah’s addictive behavior has put a strain on her relationship with Carol I like to think we’ve got a future but I couldn’t guarantee that although I do hang on in there and when I’ve come to the end of my tether which has been I can’t count on my fingers and toes how many times that’s been this year she pulls it back but I I want it to work you know God bless her she’s trying to do the best she can you know for the pair of us and I’ve just been sat slowly destroying it there comes a point with think I can’t take anymore you at one point I did leave and it just broke my heart right each time it happens it’s like a piece of your dies Sarah knows she needs help and she’s got an appointment with the weight loss team I had to tell you know I had to inform them they’ve done a major operation on me I had to tell them Sarah paret bariatric Sister Kim common is on the front line recognize you there what’s going on Sarah I was rushed into um James Cook a couple of weeks ago and how much were you taking a 30 tablet what you should be taking is eight over 24 hours and you were taking 30 over 24 hours is was 30 all at once right so you’re overdosed no I didn’t overdose I didn’t want to win my life no no no you’ve done that the once the 30 no tablets you’re doing it regular I was doing it regularly yeah do you feel happy with your weight loss ecstatic MH absolutely it’s the best thing you know that has ever ever logically you’re not caught them do you want me to refer you back to our psychology department I I wouldn’t feel comfortable um seeing a male but you’ve got to get help yeah and I think you probably know that yourself do you yeah okay all right thanks very much Sarah okay could have just sat and cried and cried for her for some of our patients poor surgery this is what happens that can’t C psychologically and especially if you’ve got an addictive behavior you’ll tend to go from one addiction to a you know another addiction I think you look really really well in all fairness it’s just thank I just feel like [ __ ] you don’t look like I’ve got to see it right cheers it’s 2 months since Laura’s gastric bypass operation and she’s already lost two Stone you can just tell in your face and you actually look happier I’ve never seen you in the dress before legs sh pants out you know it’s her 30th birthday and she’s been settling into her new eating regime of soft solids I would probably would have been up here by about six times by now and half the cake would have been gone this will be my breakfast and lunch and Are You full off that mhm you can’t just shove the food in your mouth as well you have to like do it slow otherwise you then feel sick my stomach now doesn’t tell me that I’m hungry so I could go all day not eat really yeah but I know I have to eat done rock and roll birthday to you sh with 40% of her intestines now bypassed Laura’s body can no longer tolerate sugary foods and her smaller stomach has significantly reduced her appetite she can’t even have a slice of her own birthday cake my cook notes my Mas potato chicken Monday three strawberries Tuesday mashed potato chicken three strawberries cabbage no thank you as the pounds drop off it’s a reminder of how quickly she put them on after the birth of her [Music] son this picture here I was 16 and ate Stone bottom picture here I just given birth to Ben I was 14 Stone and the picture on the right here I was 22 and nearly 22 stone in six years that’s full te Stone that’s like two people for half her life Laura’s been on anti-depressants triggered by the death of her best friend when she was just 14 I’ve always you know since then felt down you know if you think about I was 16 when I met Tony I was engaged at the age of 16 married at the age of 18 and a kid at 20 ever since my best friend was killed something from that day changed it’s like I’ve never moved on past [Music] 14 for 6 weeks dorine’s been using the sleep apnea machine I wake up feeling as if I’ve had asleep before the machine I’d wake up and I’d feel as if I was ready to go to bed now I can think more clearly it makes it easier to be more organized with her sleep apnea under control dorine’s now waiting for a date to be admitted to the weight loss Ward when she’ll be put on a strict diet but for now she’s making the most of the time she’s got left got a parel and has found a new website sweeties oh lovely ah do you not remember this no got sweet tobacco smell of it and I just thought it was delicious proper milk bottles you know what they are don’t you these were the first mints I ever tasted they lovely mints the sharp but sweet you like a kid in a candy shop ding I love licorish all sorts but they are mint flavored yeah oo so it gives you a little bit more for your money you know it’s just like a tardis taking me back in time like a pal these are my favorites I suppose from childhood and childhood’s a nice place to go every now and then oh and a free lollipop I hope it’s [Laughter] watermelon over 3,000 people have had weight loss surgery at Sunland Royal in the last 13 years and each patient is monitored by the weight loss team for 2 years after surgery they know some patients struggle to cope and they’ve set up a support group so patients can learn to help themselves having the surgery did help but after a year of surgery I sort of hit a brick wall I was going back to me old Ean habits again because I hadn’t dealt with anything it’s all right having the the surgery but you’ve got to deal with the underlying issues are you going to go back to the same behavior Sarah is 15 months post surgery and is desperate for help to understand her addictive behaviors remember that weight loss surgery is a fairly new uh surgical procedure in this country so we are dealing now with the consequences The Fallout the more and more we’re doing uh the more I’m becoming aware that surgery really is just a two-day event in somebody’s life uh and that the support afterwards is a very big part of the the recovery I think that’s what you need you need like not just a psychologist you need speciality nurses a big team of be afterwards to support people through the process that would be utopian dream that we would have unfortunately we don’t have the resources in the NHS at the moment we have one psychologist there is a resource [Music] crunch Sarah is now off the coding tablets but one of her older habits is resurfacing during the cording withdrawal my food has increased unfortunately and it’s not really the healthy salad type food I’m just like a little squirrel I have mustache not that I’m hiding it or anything like that but it’s just under there and it it’s out the way on a typical day shift I’ll have those items and I’d feel a little bit sick yucky I’d wait until it passes and I thought o I’ll have a couple more we advise people not to eat sweet Foods because if she has something high sugar she doesn’t feel well at all but despite that she goes back to it again this is just the cycle that I’m in and it’s an addictive obsessive cycle I mean that is quite a lot of sugar to put into a little pouch Sarah is an unusual case we had quered all the way along about how she can cope and we did worry about that in the beginning but we felt she deserved her chance because of the success she’d had overcoming a lot of her other problems and in despite all her counseling and everything else she still cannot cope that well as she falls back into her old ways her weight is starting to creep up 1511 she’s put on just over a stone in 3 months dorene’s got her date to go to the weight loss Ward for a week’s observation so the team can assess her eating patterns as part of dorene’s obsessive compulsive behavior is her habit of recording every ounce of food she eats January the 6th two baked potatoes plus two chicken and pest already ready meals uh-oh that was at 11:15 a.m. at quter 12 an hour later I had a full liter of white ice cream with a whole madira cake I don’t like madira cake then I had six chocolate cereal bars 20 4 I had another box then nothing till 4: a.m. which which was another six chocolate cereal bars then I had 135 G of malteasers and then I had a small bottle of wine Jacob’s Creek they they were all on offer the round pound deals just sad could do so much better but don’t for no apparent reason I’ll need to be sitting in a wheelchair as soon as possible and the word dorene’s diary will be invaluable in helping the weight loss team understand her eating habits today she’s going to sandon Royal I have to do it if it was left any longer I might not be living till the end of the year Sharon keeps telling me it’s the first day the rest of my life she rarely leaves the house so a week in hospital will take dorine out of her comfort zone basic hygiene’s very very simple normally but there’s nothing normal about being my size Jaron and I have got the routine SED now she just doesn’t seem to think the hospital will spend enough time on that they’ll do it their way not her you it’s all right I’m Stu I’m worried about her from my anesthetic and surgical point of view here’s a very very tired person I’m fing away fast I’m so tired she’s lost so many maybe a decade or maybe in two where she could have been much more healthier much more active the good news with Dorian here is she doesn’t come across to be a person who’s a self-pity person I won’t bring you chocolate you know she I think has a insight into her problem oh bless her when she says to me e have said hours solid go you’ve done nothing woman Sharon is super efficient who Sharon my carer hey get her in and help she can help her even the dog’s lazy just like her you know and I need her to want to move senior dietitian Morin Bole has heard of dorine’s Little Red Book oh this is what I meant to bring when I saw you last time right everything I’ve eaten since the beginning of the year down to the last site I’m toally honest well where would you say your biggest problem lies then as far as your food’s concerned ice cream pot of ice cream and I I’d have two or three every day right when you say two or three two or three balls or no no not balls uh boxes yes of ice cream we’ve had lots of days like that if I just dropped me treats I’d lose 2 a week right so what do you classes a treat then Pano Chaka right and how much would you have that the whole packet of six right this isn’t going to be easy you know you’re going to miss food it’s not going to be easy at all she wants to change that’s that’s the good thing eight Tu are ra laws which she kindly put down as 2,32 calories that’s fine I think it’s the only thing in her life thank you very much her weight is restricting what she wants to do but in the end what can you do you can sit and eat I’m sure she’ll be honest with us and as long as she keeps that Honesty with us we’ll be able to help Morin sets dorine a strict new routine of three small meals a day and no snacking it’s very nice got my favorite turnup made me very happy that the gravy’s exceptionally nice it’s a really big thing to leave the house and be somewhere different this is the first time I’ve been away from home since I had deid 37 years ago do you know what it go down nice now tangerine [Music] jelly 5 months after Laura’s bypass operation she’s back in for a check up hey I’m getting my coat everything everything that’s going to make me lighter coming off stand right in the middle of the scills are at her heaviest Laura was nearly 22 stone it’s just over 14 St about 14 St 1 all right is that all right yep she’s lost five Stones since her operation 5 months ago hello next Laura sees morine we’re pleased that you’ve lost the weight but I am concerned that over that period of time you have lost a lot it’s gone from too much to having to like make yourself eat kind thing we’ll go for what you’re eating in a typical day start with your breakfast in the morning nothing nothing maybe about 5 or 6:00 at night I’d have something to eat I don’t feel hungry absolutely delighted with the weight loss delighted she was honest uh and is telling us what she is doing and the struggle she’s having 5 months after surgery is still early so I wasn’t worried that it was too much to worry about what I don’t want to get back into is the old habits and we said even though you’re not hungry you need to eat it’s difficult when you not got an appetite I don’t know what that’s like um and you don’t want to eat it’s very hard right I’ll go how do I eat when I’m not hungry how do I do that you know but like on the plus side I’m a proper cheap date you know what I mean don’t even have to feed me or anything now cup of tea and I’m [Laughter] sold for Laura losing the weight is not the only positive change for 15 years she’s been on anti-depressants but she’s now been off all her medication for 2 months haven’t been like worried or panic attacks and now I’m officially not mental maybe little bit delighted to know that Laura’s come off her anti-depressants and thankfully with her actually the weight loss has helped her mood I used to say I measure the success of the operation by the size of the smile on the face that comes through the door they’re just different people you prolong their life and uh you save the NHS a heck of a lot of [Music] money and there’s one more big change in Laura’s life I’ve split up with my husband who have been with 14 years um but it’s been like a long time coming probably a 4year process now I’m in like a happy place I’m happy with the choice I’ve made and I made a decision purely for me I don’t think my weight loss has had had anything to do with it and I’m just pleased I’ve done it some people talk about relationships breaking down uh because the partner loses weight that’s probably the life that’s being [Music] changed the lowest weight Sarah reached after her bypass operation was 14 Stone 11 176 18 months after her surgery she’s put on nearly three stone I’ve got a shock there and I just think why why Earth am I doing it to myself and if I look back throughout my whole life I’ve always deliberately gone out to self sabotage never thought I’d be here definitely not be hardest share we’ve had I think is it you w worth it you just need to realize it for you yes should we thrown the chocolate out [Music] no Sarah’s gone back to her old eating habits and it’s hard to get her to to break that cycle again and unfortunately what we thought might happen has happened but what we do is try and get her through this and see if we can turn it around I thought get rid of the alcoholism sort the food stuff out but you know someone else just jumped up and bit me on the ass just got to get some humility in my life just to be grateful that I’m here to enjoy all this beauty and maybe we’ll just find out who Sarah is a bloody or so cuz I’m sick of [Music] these 6 months ago Lura weigh just over 19 Stone and was binge eating now she’s lost a total of six Stone and she’s enjoying being single again bones here and everything yeah so like and then I go in like a bit here I haven’t been out out for ages so it’s kind of nice to just be Laura just few hours and then back home being Mom [Music] again