My vanishing act!

“At over 19st, I was fat, but she was bigger. She was really struggling,” says Linda. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’ll be me soon’. I was morbidly obese, I was killing myself. I could picture myself as a fat old lady waddling about with sticks and it scared me. I knew I had to take responsibility. I turn 50 this year and I didn’t want to be fat and 50.”

Today, Linda is literally half the woman she used to be. In 12 months she lost 10st, dropping from a size 24 to a healthy size 12. Helping her along the way was her husband Nick, who took a series of photographs of Linda in a bikini, chronicling her weight loss every six weeks.

“It was horrible, standing there in a bikini, but it spurred me on,” she says. “I took a long, hard look at myself. At my worst I’d reached over 20st. People often say, ‘I didn’t realise you were that big’, but I’ve always loved clothes and knew how to hide behind them; I deflected attention with accessories like scarves, belts and jewellery.”

After years of yo-yo dieting, Linda changed her lifestyle for good – by having a gastric band fitted. She organised the procedure through the Weight Loss Surgery Group, co-run by bariatric nurse Wendy Stubbs, of Idle.

“My husband and children were incredibly supportive and we discussed it as a family, but it was something I had to do by myself,” says Linda, regional HR and development manager for Newsquest.

“There’s a lot of guilt with weight gain; you blame yourself. So when it came to losing weight, that was down to me too. I’ve always been curvy and I’d lost weight on slimming programmes, but put it back on again. When I met Wendy we clicked. She’s a down-to-earth Bradford lass and she understood me.”

Linda flew to Belgium to have the band fitted. “Getting on a plane meant commitment; there was no turning back. The scariest part was having everything explained, including all the risks, in detail,” she says.

“Everything went well. After the operation I was left with five tiny scars and released 24 hours later. It was daunting, but the whole process was so comfortable and supportive. I was treated with such care and respect by the hospital and hotel staff. I met women from different countries having the procedure, and we’re still in touch. There’s regular contact and aftercare from Wendy.”

Using keyhole surgery, the silicone band is fitted around the upper stomach. “It lasts 20 years. It had to be adjusted four times after fitting, to make it tighter,” explains Linda.

“Initially I was on liquids, then soft foods. Because your food intake is limited, you feel full quicker. At first I thought, ‘I can’t survive on those portions’ but I got used to it. Sometimes food gets stuck, which leaves me in chronic pain. It feels like being poked with a red-hot poker.”

Linda warns that a gastric band isn’t a magic wand.

“Controlling the amount of food works for me because I was an overeater,” she says. “I wasn’t into junk food. I ate fruit and vegetables – I just ate too much. Things like pasta and bread now feel sticky and uncomfortable, so I don’t have them anymore.

“But it doesn’t work with everything; ice-cream and melted chocolate gets through – as does alcohol, which is full of calories – so it’s not for anyone who has a sweet tooth or likes a drink.

“And if, like me, you’re eating as a way of dealing with emotions, you now have to deal with those emotions a different way. You can no longer rely on food as a crutch.”

Linda’s weight piled on following a horrific accident. “I was hit by a bus a few years ago and injured my head and back. I couldn’t move around so I put weight on,” she says. “But the psychological damage was worse; I’d been conscious throughout the accident and had post-traumatic shock. I used fat as a ‘cloak’ to protect myself.”

Now weighing just over 10st, Linda feels like a new woman. “I have so much energy, I go walking in the Dales and can go much further now. I’ve been up Ingleborough twice and been winched into a pothole!”

Overeating had left Linda with several health problems. “I was borderline diabetic, I had back and knee pain, heartburn, psoriasis. I’d claw away at my itchy skin. I was killing myself with eating,” she says.

“Now I have occasional treats, but instead of buying a packet of six chocolate biscuits, I just buy one. If I’m out for a meal I have a starter instead of a main course. Food is still enjoyable, but now I control it.

“My life revolved around food; I do a lot of driving and I used to put just £10 of petrol in the car so I had to make more trips to the petrol station – and buy chocolate while I was there.

“Now I’m in control. And, after dropping a dress size a month, shopping is a whole new world!”

For more about the Weight Loss Surgery Group ring 0800 7879029, or visit wlsgroup.co.uk.