Fat Painful Walk Lost Organ Lose Weight: A woman who ate 10 chocolate bars a day, despite having surgery to remove 19 stones and lose her gallbladder – “would do it again”.
Martha McCarthy, 32, tipped the scales at 29st 4lb before undergoing gastric bypass in Estonia in August 2021.
Her weight gained because of years of “secret dieting” – consuming 4,000 calories every evening when she was alone in her room.
Martha had a ”huge sweet tooth” and guzzled seven cans of Diet Coke a day, followed by bars of chocolate.
Her eldest, she had to order clothes specially made to fit her size 28-30 frame.
When a five-minute walk to the store left her “crying in agony,” she decided it was time for a change.
Martha did her research and found a weight loss clinic in Estonia, and paid around £5,200 (€6,100) for flights, hotels and surgery.
The operation was a success and the weight came off – a huge loss of 19st 9lb and a size loss of 9st 5lb and 14.
Unfortunately, she faced health problems after the surgery, including leakage in her intestines and gallbladder.
Despite numerous trips to St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin and having her gall bladder removed, Martha would undergo surgery again “in a heartbeat”.
A trainee optician from Bray, Ireland, said: “All the surgery was done correctly – I had a bad reaction to it.
“But I’d do it over 100 times, no questions asked.
“I would rather have these health problems than the health problems I had from being overweight.
“I’m so much better – it’s changed my life.”
Martha started gaining weight in her mid-20s after she started working full-time and could afford takeaways and night outs.
She would often skip breakfast, have a deli sandwich for lunch and then takeout for dinner.
What is gastric bypass?
Gastric bypass surgery is a weight loss operation that involves creating a small pouch from the stomach and connecting this new section directly to the small intestine.
This procedure then reduces or ‘bypasses’ most of the person’s stomach and the first section of their small intestine to help with weight loss.
Surgery can be offered on the NHS to adults with a BMI over 40 — meaning they are severely obese — or if they have a BMI of 35 to 40 and have serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
Ineligible Brits who want the operation have to go private, where it can cost anywhere from £8,000 to £15,000 in the UK, according to the health service.
Many people choose to go to Turkey for cheaper surgeries instead, but at least seven Britons have died after the procedure there since 2019, according to a BBC investigation.
But the self-confessed secretive eater said she would consume most of her calories alone.
While working at a hotel, Martha would go on ‘toilet breaks’ to eat sausages from the breakfast buffet.
At night, she ate chocolate and other snacks in her room—eating 3,000 to 4,000 calories each evening.
Martha, who was living with her family at the time, said her family was always “concerned” about her diet.
She said: “I hid a lot of wrappers, but my family knew I was hiding and eating badly.
“Chocolate was my favorite and I didn’t care what I ate, I would get whatever was offered.
“I’ll also drink a lot of empty calories like milkshakes and coffee with lots of syrup and creamer.”
Martha suffered from high blood pressure and sleep apnea – when a person stops breathing during sleep.
The optician tried various diets over the years but found ”nothing worked” for her.
She was also prescribed Ozempic, a drug that suppresses your appetite, but was forced to stop after experiencing persistent nausea.
During the national lockdown in 2020, Martha “hardly left the house” and continued to gain weight.
When walking to the shops became too difficult, he decided to make a change.
“I was literally crying in the aisle because my knees hurt so bad,” Martha said.
“I had enough that I started researching weight surgery and found a clinic abroad.”
The procedure involves reducing the size of the stomach and bypassing food into a small pouch in the intestine.
After returning to the UK, Martha saw the weight “fall off” – losing 10 stone in nine months.
Martha’s diet before and after
before meals
Breakfast – nothing
Lunch – Sandwich
Dinner – a home-cooked meal such as meat and vegetables or Chinese takeaway
Breakfast – 10 chocolate bars, crisps, fizzy drinks, noodles, milkshakes
After food
Breakfast – a Weetabix
Lunch – jacket potatoes with beans and cheese
Dinner – Salmon, mash and vegetables
Breakfast – fruit
But rapid weight loss left Martha with a list of health problems, including gallstones.
She had been hospitalized several times over the past few years due to internal stomach ulcers, hernias and intestinal leaks.
Despite these surgery complications, Martha is happy with the results—and is currently saving up for skin removal surgery.
Martha said: “I thought surgery was the easy way out, but it’s definitely not.
“You always read about success stories or total failures – but I’m in the middle of something.
“I am proof that there can be complications later and I want to be completely transparent about the process.
“It’s not a walk in the park, but I don’t regret it at all.”
