DESPITE trying countless diets, fat burner pills and slimming injections, Sarah Kenyon's craving for daily takeaways left her weighing 19st.
The 33-year-old had a gastric bypass and lost 8th place, but was left with more than a stone of loose skin on her stomach, which she had to tuck into her pants.
It meant she couldn't wear the fitted dress of her dreams on her wedding day, but had to opt for a breezy A-line dress to hide the excess.
So far, Sarah has spent £16,000 on her body transformation, including £6,000 on a gastric bypass, £4,500 on a breast lift and augmentation, and £5,500 on a 360 body lift and a Fleur De Lis tummy tuck.
When her husband Anthony Kenyon, 41, saw her after the skin removal, he barely recognized his own wife.
The mother-of-three, from Lancashire, says her weight problems started at the age of 16.
"When I became pregnant with my first child, Roxanne, I was eating for two and gaining a lot of weight," she says.
"Five years later I had Braydon, and two years later I had my youngest son, Bobby.
"I got bigger with each pregnancy and as a mother of three the scale read 19 and I wore a size 22 to 24.
"After that I became addicted to food and greasy takeaways were my favorite almost every day.
"We ordered the complete works from our favorite Chinese, washed down with sparkling pop.
"We did it every weekend - and most weekdays too. But eating so many greasy takeaways was taking its toll on my waistline.
"As a busy parent, I let my health deteriorate. Every morning I stepped on the scale and watched the numbers steadily increase.
"I even got kicked off an Alton Towers attraction in front of everyone because I was too fat."
When Sarah's youngest son Bobby was 18 months old, she met her husband, Anthony.
"He was on the bigger side and knew I wasn't happy with my body, so he suggested we go to the gym together," she says.
"He loved training, lost 5th place and started getting into muscle training.
"Even though I hated the gym, I managed to lose fourth place."
On Mother's Day 2020, Sarah, a housing officer, and Anthony, a dog trainer and CAP debt advisor, got engaged.
"The kids ran into the living room and presented me with a Pandora bracelet charm, and Anthony got down on one knee and proposed," she says.
I was trapped under a large layer of loose skin on my stomach
'Four days later, Britain went into lockdown. As I stayed home with the refrigerator for company, the weight I had lost piled back on.
"When I started planning my wedding, the idea of walking down the aisle filled me with dread.
"I've tried all the diets, T5 fat burner pills and even daily Saxenda injections for weight loss.
"Surgery was my last resort, but in Britain it was too expensive.
"I was too scared of the mortality rates in Turkey to get one there, so I opted for a gastric bypass at a Nordbariatric clinic in Lithuania."
The NHS 12-step plan to help you lose weight
In April 2021, Sarah booked in for the procedure, and three months later she flew to Lithuania and underwent the operation.
"After that, being on a liquid diet followed by puree was very tough," says Sarah, "and cooking food for Anthony and the kids was torture."
Sarah lost 12 pounds in just two weeks. And after a year she had lost the 8th.
The couple tied the knot in September 2022.
"Before the bypass, I had opted for a poofy size 26 wedding dress with straps that supported my large bust," says Sarah.
"Now, however, I was wearing a flowing strapless dress in size 14. The lace-up bodice hugged me snugly around the waist and I couldn't stop grinning at my reflection in the mirror.
"But the thinnest me was still hiding, trapped under a large layer of loose skin on my stomach.
"As soon as I walked down the aisle and exchanged vows with Anthony, all worries disappeared and we had such a wonderful day."
SEXY CURVES
In June 2023, Sarah underwent a breast lift and augmentation at the Nordesthetics Clinic in Kaunas, and six months later she had a 360-body lift and a Fleur De Lis tummy tuck.
Also known as vertical abdominoplasty or corset lipectomy, the cosmetic procedure removes excess skin and fat from the abdominal area.
"When I woke up and looked down, I was stunned," says Sarah.
"Just like Anthony. When he saw me, he looked at me in a way he had never done before.
"Now I have a stable weight of 10st 12lb and wear a size 10 to 12.
'Not only do I look different, but I feel different too.
"When Anthony took the kids for a walk, I walked around the house waiting for them to come back.
"Now I'm the first to put my shoes on and I encourage Roxanne (17), Braydon (11) and Bobby (10) to join me.
"There's one last thing on my to-do list, and that's renewing my vows to Anthony.
"I have already found the long bodycon dress of my dreams.
"But this time the only thing hidden underneath is my sexy curves."
