After Zena Gavey (55) tipped the scales at 19th 5 pounds, she was placed on the gastric bypass list by her family doctor in an attempt to prolong her life. But while she was on the waiting list, she lost a whopping 7th after trying a new diet plan that still allowed her to eat chocolate and her favorite snacks.
After seeking solace in chips, cheese and sausage rolls after her father died, Zena, who was blindly registered at the age of 30 after causing her diabetic vision loss, dropped a staggering nine dress sizes, ranging in size from 32 to ‘ n 14.
“My health was getting very heavy. I was taking tablets for my diabetes and blood pressure and my mobility was so bad that I had to use a scooter,” she said.
“I knew I had to do something and my family doctor put me in for the gastric bypass, but one day while I was eating a plate of spaghetti, I realized I would not be able to enjoy food the same way I would. forward with the operation.
“I didn’t want to sit there at Christmas and watch everyone enjoy their lunch while I just had a Brussels sprout. That’s when I decided to join WW.”
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And she went to great lengths to make sure she did it right, even buying a pound of artificial fat to keep in her kitchen in an effort to keep her motivated to slim down before the gastric bypass.
She said: “Every time I lost a pound, I would pick it up and appreciate how much I lost.
“It was always there in the kitchen and was a fantastic incentive.
“I did not set a goal, but the weight kept coming down and when I lost four stones, I started walking again – before that I could only get by with a mobility scooter.”
She added: “During the restriction in 2020, I managed to cover two miles in an hour and a half, which was a huge achievement for me – I can do it in 40 minutes now. “
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At WW, Zena learned that she can eat “enough food” and still lose weight.
She exchanged sausage rolls and sandwiches for healthy meals like chicken and brown rice and baked fish but she still spoils herself with snacks and enjoys WW chips and chocolate bars.
Her newfound love of healthy eating has removed all the processed foods in the home, and she now feels like a “different person”.
“Simon is like a match and does not need to lose weight, but he was so supportive,” she said of her husband.
“We do not eat a lot of processed food at home now and he feels so much better for it. I do too.
“I’m like a different person. If you’re fat, you’re hiding behind this facade and I don ‘t have to do that anymore.”
Zena now weighs 12th 5lb and surprised her GP with her “amazing” results, reducing the amount of insulin and tablets she takes daily.
The mother-of-one said: “WW has changed my life. I feel so much better and happier.
“It’s great to be able to buy clothes at regular malls, I have so much more energy and some of the best thing is that I do not have to go under the surgeon’s knife to achieve this.”
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