I ate 10 chocolate bars a day and was so fat that a simple walk to the store left me in agony – I lost an organ to look the way I do
A woman who ate 10 chocolate bars a day lost 10 kilos through surgery and would ‘do it again’ – despite losing her gallbladder.
Martha McCarthy, 32, weighed 29st 4lb before undergoing gastric bypass surgery in Estonia in August 2021.
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Her weight increased due to years of “secret eating” – she would consume up to 4,000 calories every night when she was alone in her room.
Martha had a “big sweet tooth” and consumed up to seven cans of diet coke a day, followed by chocolate bars.
At her older age, she had to order clothes specially made to fit her size 28-30 figure.
When a five-minute walk to the store left her “crying in agony,” she decided it was time to make a change.
Martha did her research and found a weight loss clinic in Estonia, and paid almost £5,200 (€6,100) for flights, hotel and the operation.
The operation was a success and the weight dropped – losing a whopping 19st 9lbs and dropping to 9st 5lbs and a size 14.
Unfortunately, she suffered health complications after the operation, including a leaky bowel and gallstones.
Despite numerous trips to St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin and having her gallbladder removed, Martha was back operating “in the blink of an eye”.
The trainee optician, from Bray, Ireland, said: “The operation went well, I just had a bad reaction.
“But I would do it 100 times over, no questions asked.
“I would rather have these health problems than the ones I had because of being overweight.
“I feel so much better, it has changed my life.”
Martha began gaining weight in her mid-20s after she began working full-time and was able to afford takeout and nights out.
She often skipped breakfast and had a deli sandwich for lunch followed by takeout for dinner.
What is a 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 shrinks or “bypasses” most of a person’s stomach and the first part of their small intestine to help them lose weight.
The operation may be offered by 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 a serious illness such as diabetes. type 2 or high blood pressure.
Ineligible Britons who want to have an operation must go private, where it can cost between £8,000 and £15,000 in the UK, depending on the health service.
Many choose instead to travel to Turkey for cheaper surgeries, but at least seven Britons have died after a procedure there since 2019, according to a BBC investigation.
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But the self-confessed secret eater said she consumes most of her calories when she is alone.
When she worked in a hotel, Martha would escape to go to the bathroom and eat sausages at the breakfast buffet.
In the evening, she ate chocolate and other snacks in her room, consuming between 3,000 and 4,000 calories each evening.
Martha, who was living with her family at the time, said her family were always “concerned” about her diet.
She said: “I hid a lot of packaging, but my family knew I was secretly eating unhealthily.
“Chocolate was my favorite and I didn’t care what I ate, I got whatever was offered.
“I would also drink a lot of empty calories like milkshakes and coffees with lots of syrup and creamers.”
Martha suffered from high blood pressure and sleep apnea – when a person stops breathing while sleeping.
The optician tried various diets over the years, but found “nothing that worked” for her.
She was even prescribed Ozempic, a drug that suppresses appetite, but was forced to stop after constantly experiencing nausea.
During the national lockdown of 2020, Martha “barely left the house” and continued to gain weight.
When walking to the stores became too difficult, she decided to make a change.
“I was literally crying in the aisles because my knees hurt so bad,” Martha said.
“I had enough, started researching weight surgery and found a clinic overseas. »
The procedure involved reducing the size of the stomach and bypassing food into a small pouch in the intestine.
Back in the UK, Martha saw her weight “drop” – losing 10 kilos in nine months.
Martha’s Diet Before and After
BEFORE DIET
Breakfast – Nothing
Lunch – Sandwich
Dinner – Homemade meal like meat and vegetables or Chinese takeout
Snacks – 10 chocolate bars, chips, soft drinks, noodles, milkshakes
DIET AFTER
Breakfast – A Weetabix
Lunch – Jacket Potatoes with Beans and Cheese
Dinner – Salmon, mash and vegetables
Snacks – Fruit
But the rapid weight loss left Martha with a list of health problems, including gallstones.
She had been hospitalized several times in recent years due to internal stomach ulcers, hernias and leaky gut.
Despite these surgical complications, Martha is happy with the results and is currently saving up for skin removal.
Martha said: “I used to think surgery was the easy way out, but that’s definitely not the case.
“You always read stories of success or complete failure – but I fall somewhere in between.
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“I am proof that there can be complications down the road and I want to be completely transparent about the process.
“It hasn’t been a walk in the park, but I have absolutely no regrets.”
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