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Woman Who Lost More Than 16 Stone Says She Was Told to Gain Weight Again to Qualify for NHS Surgery
Mother-of-three says she feels trapped after dramatic weight loss
Lisa Smith, 44, from St Helens, Merseyside, says she has found herself in an impossible situation after losing more than 16-and-a-half stone through healthy eating and lifestyle changes.
The mother-of-three says she was left devastated after being told she may need to regain weight in order to qualify for surgery to remove excess skin from her stomach.
Lisa once weighed 28 stone and says her health crisis began after the birth of her son in 2008, when doctors diagnosed her with diabetes-related heart failure.
She recalls being given a serious warning about her condition and being told she needed to take immediate action to improve her health.
Health scare became turning point
Lisa says she initially sought medical help after struggling with severe breathlessness shortly after giving birth.
At first, she believed she might have asthma, but doctors later discovered the symptoms were linked to complications caused by diabetes.
She says she was admitted to hospital and later told that her condition was extremely serious.
“They thought I wouldn’t make it out of the hospital alive. I was in shock,” Lisa said. “I’d just had a baby and was facing death.”
The experience became a major turning point in her life.
Determined to improve her health and remain there for her children, Lisa committed herself to losing weight through strict healthy eating.
Remarkable transformation after years of effort
At her heaviest, Lisa wore a size 36 dress and says everyday life had become increasingly difficult.
Over time, she completely transformed her lifestyle and steadily lost more than 16 stone.
Her body mass index dropped dramatically from 70 to 28.
Lisa eventually reduced her clothing size from a size 36 to a size 8.
She now weighs just over 11 stone and continues taking insulin daily to manage her diabetes.
Despite the enormous achievement, Lisa says the aftermath of such extreme weight loss has created new physical and emotional struggles.
Excess skin left her feeling devastated
After losing the weight, Lisa says she was left with large amounts of loose skin hanging around her waist and stomach area.
She believed surgery would eventually be available after she reached her target weight.
Lisa says she had previously been told that if she successfully lost the weight, the NHS would fund surgery to remove the excess skin.
However, she later claims she was informed there was no longer funding available for the procedure.
That news left her feeling crushed after years of hard work and determination.
“I’m just trapped in the most ridiculous situation,” she said. “I lost more than 16-and-a-half stone myself through healthy eating but my health is worse than ever.”
Struggle with eating disorders after pressure to lose more weight
Lisa says the stress surrounding the eligibility criteria for surgery had a devastating impact on her mental health.
She claims she was encouraged to continue losing weight in order to improve her chances of receiving funding for the operation.
According to Lisa, the pressure contributed to the development of anorexia and bulimia.
“I was told to lose more weight to get funding which triggered anorexia and bulimia,” she said.
She says she became trapped in an unhealthy cycle while trying to meet requirements that seemed constantly out of reach.
Even after reaching a significantly lower weight, she says she was still informed there was no funding available.
Claim she was advised to regain weight
Lisa says she was later told her best chance of receiving treatment would be to regain weight and qualify for NHS weight loss surgery instead.
Because of her diabetes diagnosis, she believes she could potentially meet the requirements for that type of procedure.
She says the advice made little sense after spending years trying to improve her health.
“And now that I’ve done that I’ve been told there is still no funding, so my best chance would be to put the weight on again and have NHS weight loss surgery—which I would get because of my diabetes.”
Lisa believes the situation creates a contradiction that punishes people who lose weight naturally.
She says she does not want to “abuse the system” and feels frustrated by what she describes as an unfair process.
Concerns about cost and access to treatment
Lisa argues that funding a skin-removal procedure would cost less than covering additional medical treatment if she regained the weight.
She says she cannot afford to pay privately for surgery because ongoing health problems prevent her from working.
“It’s such a joke,” she said. “That would cost the NHS even more money than just funding the skin removal.”
She also described feeling trapped financially and emotionally.
“But I can’t work to pay for the operation myself because of the diabetes, so I’m in a catch-22 situation.”
Lisa says the loose skin has affected every aspect of her daily life and confidence.
Emotional toll continues to grow
The mother-of-three says the physical discomfort caused by the excess skin is only part of the struggle she now faces.
She says the emotional impact has become overwhelming and fears the stress is damaging her wellbeing.
“Life trapped in this awful body is horrible,” Lisa said as she described the challenges she continues to face after her dramatic weight loss.
Lisa says she simply wants the chance to rebuild her life after making such a major transformation.
“I just want a chance to get my life back on track after working so hard to lose weight.”
Calls for greater support after major weight loss
Lisa believes more support should be available for people who lose extreme amounts of weight naturally.
She says the current situation could discourage others from attempting to improve their health through diet and lifestyle changes.
According to Lisa, many people may feel there is little help available once they succeed in losing the weight.
She fears the system may unintentionally push people toward surgical solutions instead of encouraging healthy personal progress.
“The system is basically going to force men and women to not bother trying to lose weight themselves because they know they’ll get no help with the skin at the end,” she said.
Lisa says she hopes speaking publicly about her experience will bring attention to the difficulties faced by people left dealing with severe excess skin after major weight loss.
Despite everything she has endured, she remains proud of the transformation she achieved and says she does not regret fighting to improve her health and future.