15 April 2023 , 16:53
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A woman who weighed almost 29 stone looks unrecognisable after £3,500 gastric sleeve surgery.
Mollie Hull had been obese since the age of 10, often eating up to eight bags of crisps a day.
The 20-year-old dental nurse took days work due to exhaustion and worried she would be left in a wheelchair.
But she went on to lose 11 stone and says she no longer feels like the "literal elephant in the room".
Rather than being put on the NHS waiting list she found a surgeon in Egypt, flying out for the procedure in April last year.
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Mollie would live on pizza, takeaways and bags of crisps (Mollie Hull / SWNS)
She was worried she'd end up in a wheelchair (Mollie Hull / SWNS)The NHS has warned anyone thinking of going abroad for surgery to "understand the risks involved" and consult with their GP.
"Research should be undertaken to find out about the people who'll be treating you and the facilities available", advice online says.
In the year since her surgery, Mollie continues to lose an average of half a stone (7lbs) a month.
She has ditched the pizzas, takeaways and crisps, for veggies, fish, cereal bars and fruit.
Mollie had been obese since she was 10 (Mollie Hull / SWNS)Mollie, from Stone, Staffordshire, said: "I was on the NHS waiting list and I knew I'd be dead if I waited years, I had to do something sooner.
"Going to Egypt cost me £3,500 including flights - which is cheap compared to the £14,000 that you get quoted in the UK privately.
"I was that scared I was going to die due to my weight, I couldn't have saved that amount of money at such a young age.
"Food was my go-to thing. I knew I needed to make a change after I could no longer shop for clothes in normal shops and needing to have time off work because I'd be so exhausted.
Mollie with her surgeon in Egypt (Mollie Hull / SWNS)
75% of Mollie's stomach was removed (Mollie Hull / SWNS)"At one point I thought I'd end up in wheelchair, but now I just feel so much healthier. I had an iron deficiency before, whereas now I'm ticking all the right boxes in terms of health."
Mollie says she's always struggled with her weight.
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She said: "Even as a child, being bigger meant I would always get left out of things with friends. I would just be sat at home eating.
"I remember having to buy adult size stuff for my school uniform. It was just terrible. I was the only one of my peers like that. I knew something was wrong.
Since the surgery, Mollie has lost 11 stone (Mollie Hull / SWNS)
She has ditched the fatty foods for fish and vegetables (Mollie Hull / SWNS)"I ended up going into foster care at 13 and eating myself into comfort.
"At 15 years old I was already over 20 stone. It was the only thing that was regular. It was the only aspect of control that I had."
By the time she left care at the age of 18, Mollie weighed 27st (378lbs). She then had full control over what she was eating and continued to pile on the pounds.
Mollie said: "McDonald's, pizza, no vegetables. It wasn't even seven vegetables a week - let alone seven a day.
A before and after comparison of Mollie (Mollie Hull / SWNS)"I would often eat up to eight bags of crisps a day as well as chocolate grab bags.
"I'd have cheesy chips for lunch, chicken nuggets and chips for dinner, often followed by family sized dessert such as a sharing tiramisu or six donuts.
"This all came with many health issues such as high blood pressure, prediabetes, only being able to walk 100 yards or less and not being able to walk up stairs."
After first reading about weight loss surgery when she was 13, Mollie eventually decided to get it done when she was 19.
She said: "They removed 75 per cent of my stomach. Before surgery I had a strict diet where for four weeks I was basically just drinking milk.
"I only lost a stone doing that though. At the time of surgery, I was 28.8st (403.2lbs).
"After the op I initially felt very unwell and it took me a good month to feel better but I could start to feel physical changes straight away, even just walking around without the weight on my back.
"It just felt very surreal thinking that this is the start to the rest of my life.
"I'm so glad to be alive and to be honest I went in expecting to die as you hear so many horror stories about surgeries abroad."
Since going under the knife, Mollie has lost 11 stone combined with regular exercise and a new and improved diet.
And she said: "I've also changed career paths from a dental receptionist to a nurse as before I couldn't even stand, let alone stand for 10 hours."