Couple lose 10st in weight by going on 'holiday'

07 March 2024 , 09:36

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Glenn and Sophie Harris, 38 and 35, after they collectively lost over 140lbs (Image: Glenn Harris/SWNS)

A husband and wife lost a collective 10st after buying a 'his and hers' gastric band surgery package deal 'holiday' to Lithuania for £7k.

Glenn and Sophie Harris, 38 and 35, weighed a combined 45st and were terrified of early death and leaving their kids alone. They lived on takeaways - indulging in extra large pizzas and curries - but Glenn admits he was "worse" than his wife. But their wake up call came when Sophie realised she wouldn't be able to continue treatment for a pre-existing medical condition unless she dropped the pounds.

So in August last year the travelled to Vilnius in Lithuania on a 'package deal' - including gastric sleeve operations, flights, hotels, recovery, 'handler' and even taxis. And in just six months Glenn has gone from 25st 7lb to 14st 13lb and now wears a 34in waist - a far cry from his old clothes size, 46in.

While Sophie, who weighed 19st 6lb is now 13st and 9lb (191lbs) - and has gone from a 24 to a size 14-16 clothes. But the couple say it wasn't plain sailing - and at one point they could only eat pureed sausages, half-a-cup of water, and pots of yoghurt. Glenn, an operations manager from Redditch, Worcestershire, said: "The lifestyle change came after we decided we wanted to do more for ourselves and live longer for our kids.

Glenn and Sophie Harris, before they collectively lost over 140lbs (Glenn Harris/SWNS)

"Now I've got loads more energy. We're still cheering each other on. Ever since we had the surgery, we put a couples' tracking chart on the wall - we sold all our clothes together and we go shopping for new outfits together. We work out separately and have different PTs. We wanted to invest in ourselves individually but emotionally we're in it together."

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Sophie added: "We just feel great now. We can do so much more as a couple, feeling like we have the confidence to go to clothes shops and try on new fashions. Health-wise it's been great - we've got so much energy." Glenn reckons he was eating around 3,500 calories a day before the procedure - including pizzas, curries, ready meals and 10 to 15 cans of Pepsi Max a day.

At his peak, he weighed 360lbs - while Sophie's "all-time high" was 275lbs. Sophie also suffers from a pre-existing condition called Charcot joint - which causes swelling, inflammation and redness in her left ankle. Her extra pounds were beginning to affect her mobility.

Glen said: "I started off a lot heavier than my wife - but she's also disabled, and couldn't keep having surgeries while gaining weight. We decided we needed to make a drastic change - so started looking into gastric bypass surgeries in Lithuania."

Glenn Harris, 38, before and after having gastric band surgery (Glenn Harris/SWNS)

A couple of months before the surgeries - Glenn and Sophie began consulting with surgeons in the UK, seeking reassurance they were making the right decision. They also met with their Lithuanian surgeon on Zoom - who recommended a package deal. "Our UK surgeon reassured us and answered a few questions," Glenn added.

"And we had a Lithuanian handler, who we Zoom called beforehand, so we knew what to expect going into a strange country. We wanted a room together - so we booked that within the package deal, as well as taxis and the actual surgery. Including flights, it all cost £7k - we used our savings and borrowed some money from family, which is all paid back now."

Three weeks before the operations, the couple were told to reduce their caloric intake by 3000 to 500 - and eat mainly protein. They ate steaks, chicken breasts and lamb chops - leaving them feeling sluggish and "hangry". On August 17, they flew out and underwent their surgeries. Their recovery plan lasted 10 weeks - but they went back to work in just five days.

Glenn and Sophie Harris, 38 and 35, after they collectively lost over 140lbs (Glenn Harris/SWNS)

Sophie said: "Obviously, it was nerve wracking and a very big step - it was something we definitely wanted to do, but we were apprehensive at first. Especially going abroad - we were nervous. But we did lots and lots of research, having loads of Zoom calls."

Glenn added: "The diet was very, very samey - after living on just meat before the operations, we were only able to drink half a cup of water a day, for the first two weeks. After two weeks, we were on lots of purees, yoghurts, protein powder and bone broth. We liked to blend up those tins of sausages and spaghetti. It was really difficult - we weren't allowed back onto solids until the six week-mark.

"We were on less than 500 calories a day, weighing ourselves daily - it was really, really draining. But we were losing about eight pounds a week - you could really see the difference." In just six months, Glenn has reached 209lbs - while Sophie is now 191lbs. They've avoided taking the surgeons up on the offer of loose skin surgery by working with PTs to convert their skin into muscle.

Hannah Van De Peer