The list of obesity-related ailments that plagued Andrea Lomax when she weighed 21.5st should have given her food for thought before she decided to have her stomach stapled. Diabetes, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, bad back, bad knees, migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome...
But when she did undergo a gastric bypass at the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle, Andrea's motivation was not medical.
“People said I should do it for my health but I did it to get into a pair of size 10 jeans,” says the 43-year-old, of Hollingworth, Hyde.
She can still get into those jeans today two years later having almost halved her weight from 21.5st to 11st 4lbs – a startling weight loss that Vanessa Feltz hopes to go some way towards emulating in her mission to walk down the aisle as a size 12.
TV and radio personality, Feltz, 48, tried to deflect criticism by coming clean about having a gastric band – a less radical procedure than the gastric bypass. She said she didn't want “to do a Fern” - referring to former This Morning host, Fern Britton who was slated for keeping her gastric band secret, prompting viewers to think she'd lost the weight simply through diet and exercise.
Feltz also said that after years of yo yo dieting she has come to the conclusion that she would never be a size 12 again – without surgery.
But honesty hasn't turned out to be the best policy for Feltz, who hopes to go from 16st 4lb to 10st 7lbs – as she has attracted an onslaught of online vitriol, from those who say she is superficial. Her detractors claim that the only reason for undergoing weight loss surgery should be to improve one's health and life expectancy. But Andrea Lomax reckons the weight loss holy grail for women has little to do with improving one's life expectancy and everything to with dress size.
“To me having the gastric bypass was like being given the golden ticket out of the chocolate factory.
“When my daughter used to draw a picture of me I was a round circle now I am an oblong.
“I think if it's an option for you you should grab it with both hands. Vanessa Feltz is in a position to do something to make her life better; so why shouldn't she?
“I can understand her decision completely. She's battled with her weight most of her life. She has tried and tried again to diet but now she's decided: 'you know what, I can't do this anymore, I need help'. What's wrong with that?
“And it's not superficial to want to look good. It's really important as a woman to wear nice clothes. I remember the first time I bought my size 10 jeans I rang my mum in a state of absolute euphoria. I am a size 10/12 bottom now and a size 14 top and I'm happier than I've ever been.
“I started putting on weight when I left home at 19 – I lived next door to a chippie. I got into a routine of living on takeaways – and I'd never been a fan of exercise. As I got bigger and bigger I thought if people had a problem with my weight that was their problem. I liked putting food into my mouth.”
Having her daughter, Sarah, now six, started to change Andrea's mindset. “It got to the stage where I thought I can't carry on like this. I never went out. I lived like a hermit. I realised this wasn't fair on Sarah. I didn't do anything with her.”
Andrea had a gastric bypass on the NHS - a cause for concern for some who consider that the £12,000 operation shouldn't be available on the NHS. “It's the best thing, apart from the birth of my daughter, that has ever happened to me. And I believe if I hadn't had the operation the long term cost to the NHS of treating conditions related to my weight would have been much higher.”
But any kind of weight loss surgery is no quick fix and those considering it should be aware that it is a struggle to adjust.
“I can eat what anyone else eats now but in much much smaller portions,” says Andrea. “It's a myth that you live on baby food for ever following a gastric bypass. But I still have to be careful. I can't eat much bread or pasta, I can't drink fizzy drinks. And you do need support from friends family and colleagues and I had this from my husband, Shaun, my mum, my twin sister and my employer, PBS Spindles of Denton, who were very understanding. And the surgeon who performed the procedure – Mr Basil Ammori – was fantastic. You can't do it without support.
“Although I went into it to get into those size 10 jeans the health benefits have been amazing. I don't have migraines any more. I haven't had an asthma attack since I had the surgery.”
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Andrea DIDN't have the operation to look good in size 10 jeans as the article implies.
She did it so that she would have a chance of being alive to see her daughter grow up!
Andrea went to see her GP who asked where she saw herself in ten years time, Andrea replied that Sarah would be in her early teens by then, so they would probably be going out shopping together.
The GP said that if Andrea didn't change her eating habits then Sarah would be pushing her mum around in a wheelchair, or that Andrea would be dead by then!
The article emphasised how the operation changes how you look, which is great, but it is not the whole picture.
The operation and the lifestyle changes needed to progress after the operation are not just a quick fix to lose weight for those too lazy to diet, you have to have a total rethink about how your life will be from that point and stick to it.
Andrea has read my earlier comment and would like me to point out that while the initial decision to go ahead with the operation was prompted by the GP's comments, she feels that the improvements in how she feels about herself, greater confidence, and just knowing that she looks better as a woman are a better result than she could ever have realised.
To hell with the "reasons why" you did it Andrea. Your obvioulsy a lot more healthy now, you look great & feel great. Good on ya hun.
You go girl! You look fab!
I am Karen, Andrea's "best mate". I am so proud of her and what she has achieved. I know how she struggled with her weight and how it limited her life both mentally and physically.
She wanted to be slim for a host of reasons including the ability and excuse to buy a new wardrobe of clothes.
She looks fabulous now and I have never seen her as happy as she is with her self image. Her health has improved both mentally and physically and the operation has been a huge success in my opinion.
There is a lot of assistance for drug users who are trying to give up their addiction but very little for people who are addicted to food. It's an area which is very misunderstood.
I wish I were able to where size 10 jeans!! go girl. x
Andrea, I'm genuinely pleased for you.
However, purely from a cost perspective given these harsh economic times, educational "fat camps" of some sort have got to be the the solution for the majority of individuals who just can't or won't take personal responsibilty for their obesity.
I am Karen, Andrea's "best mate". I am so proud of her and what she has achieved. I know how she struggled with her weight and how it limited her life both mentally and physically.
She wanted to be slim for a host of reasons including the ability and excuse to buy a new wardrobe of clothes.
She looks fabulous now and I have never seen her as happy as she is with her self image. Her health has improved both mentally and physically and the operation has been a huge success in my opinion.
There is a lot of assistance for drug users who are trying to give up their addiction but very little for people who are addicted to food. It's an area which is very misunderstood.
.
Hi this is Andrea xx
I started my journey 2 years ago. It seems an age ago now. So much has changed in some aspects of my life, with the exception of one thing, I still love clothes and shoes. I have always wanted to wear a size 10 jeans and own a pair of Jimmy Choos, as I think every woman does.
When I was asked to be interviewed for a article by the MEN, I was thrilled that I could tell my story to Deanne the reporter, and share it with other people.Giving hope to people who may be trapped in a body like I had. Deanne has produced a wonderful article which just sums it up perfectly, Size 10 jeans are a dream to me, now a reality
When I had the surgery, yes health does come into it, as you start to loose weight, your health returns, but my main motivation is to be in the size 10 jeans, and when you reach that goal, I can not tell you the feeling that comes over you, you feel euphoric at what you have achieved. To go in a shop and pick out any clothes you want, knowing that they are going to fit you and not to pay through the eyes and nose for it. To wear a colour, and not black all the time, because I am not affraid to stand out anymore.
My next dream is to get my pair of Jimmy Choos, Black high heels. Still working on that.
I appreciate your comments but a " fat camp" may not be the solution. There are many reasons why people are obese. It may be medical or due to a disability not just food intake. Therefore a CAMP will not assist them.
People often assume, wrongly in my opinion, that obese people simply won't take responsibility for the health, not that they can't. One might say that by having the bypass Andrea did take responsibility and took the appropriate action.
Given the potential long term effects on her health, at 21.5st, the cost to the NHS for the bypass would probably be the same.
Your comments only go to serve as evidence that in my opinion obesity is "misunderstood" .
"I appreciate your comments but a " fat camp" may not be the solution. There are many reasons why people are obese. It may be medical or due to a disability not just food intake. Therefore a CAMP will not assist them."
That statement is simply just not true.
Good morning lovinthebanter, thank you for your comment, and I appreciate your opinion, but could you please explain your statement that it is simply just not true.
And, may I ask you a question, what weight are you?
Karen:
"I appreciate your comments but a "fat camp" may not be the solution. There are many reasons why people are obese. It may be medical or due to a disability not just food intake. Therefore a CAMP will not assist them."
As I said in my earlier post I am genuinely pleased for your friend and she is fortunate to have your support in achieving her goals in life,whatever they may be.
However, trawling out the old myth about obesity and medical problems is unhelpful and merely perpetuates the problem for people struggling with weight issues.I grew up believing that my chubby friend had a "problem with her glands" because that's what her obese mum told her to say to people who called her names. Older and a little wiser, I now see the link between their weight problem and the routine trips to the chip shop, three doors away.I think many women are too busy being part of the problem to find a solution.
If everyone with weight issues could get to grips with their problem, perhaps us "skinnies" could one day be spared having our packed lunches analysed in the office, having to listen to diet talk all day and most irritatingly of all,being told how our more proportionate builds make dieting colleagues depressed and want to eat even more. It's not even possible to bring in the customary box of cakes for an office birthday, without being met by an ungracious cacophany of moans of self-denial.
Heard it all before.
Copy Cat - Your are obviously blessed with a slim body, as you refer to your as "skinny". I am happy for you.
Ignorance is not an excuse however for your wholly inappropriate and unfounded comments. There are many myths regarding body image/size I agree and both slim and obese people can use these for as an excuse.
I do hope you have the good fortune to be "naturally slim" and you don't maintain your figure as a result of an eating disorder.
I get very fed up of hearing about "skinny" people putting their figures down their throat or that they are eating tissues to fill up on. I am not for one minute indicating you have these issues, or that everyone who is slim does, however there is a proportion of society that certainly does. They are mental health issues, just like some obesity related issues. Are you suggesting a "thin camp" can cure these problems as well.
One size does not fit all.