Chelsea Askey size 20 from Isle of Wight loses 8 stone with gastric bypass

Chelsea Askey size 20 from Isle of Wight loses 8 stone with gastric bypass.

A woman who weighed 18st has almost cut her body weight in half thanks to a gastric bypass surgery that helped her curb her £800-a-month takeaway habit.

Chelsea Askey, 32, of the Isle of Wight, saw her weight creep up to 16st 8lb as she grabbed convenient fast food lunches while working as a busy self-employed hairdresser. She would snack throughout the day then go home and have another takeaway for dinner.

The turning point came when Chelsea, then a size 20, was hospitalised with kidney stones and told she was at risk of diabetes.

The warning scared her into taking action and in 2020 she jetted off to Latvia to undergo a £5,000 gastric bypass surgery, which limits the amount an individual eats to feel full, and means fewer calories are absorbed.

The intervention was ‘worth every penny’, says Chelsea, who now feels more confident than ever with her 8st 7lb frame.

Chelsea Askey, who weighed 18st (left) has almost cut her body weight in half (right today) thanks to a gastric bypass surgery that helped her curb her £800-a-month takeaway habit

Bad habits: Chelsea, pictured before her weight loss, saw her weight creep up to 16st 8lb as she grabbed convenient fast food lunches while working as a busy self-employed hairdresser

New beginnings: The turning point came when Chelsea, then a size 20, was hospitalised with kidney stones and told she was at risk of diabetes. Pictured, Chelsea after her weight loss

She said: ‘I have always been the “fat friend” but my diet really spiralled out of control when I started focussing on my career rather than my health.

‘As a self-employed hairdresser, there is no such thing as a lunch break so I would grab something quick daily for breakfast and lunch then order a takeaway as I was too tired to cook.

‘I would just eat whatever I could such as a large Big Mac meal with extra Chicken McNuggets to fill me up for the day followed by sweet and sour chicken and chips from the Chinese.

‘On top of that, I was snacking throughout the day on crisps, chocolate and biscuits as clients always brought in naughty treats.

‘Eventually, it got to the point where I wasn’t enjoying life anymore as my health began to decline. I was hospitalised with kidney stones and the doctor said I am at risk of diabetes.’

The health scare encouraged Chelsea to look into gastric bypass surgery. She decided to opt for a treatment abroad and booked into a clinic in Latvia in October 2020.

Turning point: The health warning scared her into taking action and in 2020 she jetted off to Latvia to undergo a £5,000 gastric bypass surgery, which limits the amount an individual eats to feel full, and means fewer calories are absorbed. Pictured, Chelsea before the weight loss

Chelsea before weight loss. She would often eat sugary and fatty foods with little nutrition in her diet — Chelsea Askey size 20 from Isle of Wight loses 8 stone with gastric bypass

Fed up: Chelsea, pictured left and right before her weight loss, said she had always been the ‘fat friend’ – but is now unrecognisable after the gastric bypass

Chelsea is now a size eight, pictured, and prepares her meals ahead of the week to ensure she doesn’t revert back to her old ways

The weight loss has helped Chelsea’s polycystic ovary syndrome and made her feel healthier and stronger. Pictured, Chelsea before (left) and after her weight loss (right)

CHELSEA’S FOOD DIARY

BEFORE:

Breakfast – skip or sausage sandwich

Snack – crisps or cakes

Lunch – McDonald’s – large big mac meal with extra chicken nuggets or foot-long sandwich from Subway

Snacks – sweets

Dinner – Chinese – Sweet and Sour hong kong style with chips or Indian onion Bhaji, korma, keema rice and nan bread

AFTER:

Breakfast – Cereal or protein bar and fruit

Lunch – half a sandwich or chicken salad

Dinner – salad or pasta Snacks – small protein bar or fruit

She was put on a liquid diet ahead of the surgery which helped ‘shrink’ her stomach and adjust to a ‘life without takeaways.

Chelsea, who documents her weight loss on Instagram, also saw a counsellor to try and understand why she ate so much.

She added: ‘By the time I flew to Latvia, I was determined to lead a healthier life on my return.’

She is now a size eight and prepares her meals ahead of the week to ensure she doesn’t revert back to her old ways.

She added: ‘I lost two stones in two weeks when I got back from the surgery. ‘It was hard to adjust to the rapid weight loss at first but now I couldn’t be happier.

‘My skin, hair and everything was shinier and glossier.I am really lucky as no saggy skin. I feel like I could stand in a room naked and not feel insecure about my body.

‘The weight loss has helped ease the symptoms of polycystic ovaries syndrome too.