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00:00I think my belly button is somewhere underneath this lump down there.
00:07Two years ago, we started following the lives of three of Britain's growing population of the super morbidly obese.
00:15Done. Mission accomplished.
00:17Emily, Claire and Andrew were shut in behind the four walls of their homes.
00:22At the moment, I do nothing. I just exist.
00:26All three hopelessly addicted to food.
00:30I'm just a carb fiend, really. If it's a carb, I'll eat it.
00:36Their weight was putting a strain on their health and their loved ones.
00:41I go to bed and worry that I won't wake up.
00:45And that scares me because I want to be here for the boys.
00:49You shouldn't have to look after your mum. Your mum looks after you.
00:54They were all given the chance to transform their lives.
00:57This surgery is a lifelong, non-reversible procedure.
01:03It's just so hard. I just feel like I'm never going to be able to eat again.
01:08Now, two years later, we're going back to meet them to find out how they've been getting on.
01:15He has done better than I ever dreamt.
01:18And he looks fabulous.
01:21My mum is definitely healthier.
01:23She's lost a lot of weight.
01:24I'm so much happier.
01:27I'm still me, but a better version of me.
01:33Deep in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside, behind these four walls, lives 51-year-old Andrew.
01:50Two years ago, he struggled to walk from one end of the house to the other.
01:54Since then, he's undergone a spectacular transformation.
02:02I have walked past my reflection and thought, who is that? Oh, it's me.
02:07Because I just don't see myself as that person.
02:11He used to weigh 235 kilograms, but has now lost a staggering 140 kilograms.
02:1714 stones, seven and a quarter.
02:21I've lost almost two-thirds of myself.
02:26There was a point in my life where I was just waiting to die.
02:30But now I just feel as if there is a future.
02:34Psychologically, I just feel literally like a different person.
02:43At his heaviest, Andrew was super, super morbidly obese.
02:47And found life very difficult.
02:51At the moment, I do nothing.
02:54I just exist.
02:56I don't seem to be doing anything worthwhile.
03:02Crippled by growing anxiety, he became shut in and rarely left the house.
03:10My opinion on myself is not particularly good at all.
03:13My self-worth is just non-existent.
03:17I do like my bread.
03:23Andrew's food downfall was carbohydrates.
03:28And takeaways were a particular favourite.
03:31I tend not to eat until I'm hungry, and then it's the bloodbath.
03:36I just go hell for leather.
03:37I just keep scoffing the entire lot and just keep going until it's all eaten.
03:41If somebody says to me, well, why don't you eat less?
03:44I'd say to them, if you find out how for me to eat less, show me.
03:48He regularly chomped his way through 6,000 calories a day, more than double what he needed.
03:54Oh, God, this ice cream is so nice.
03:58His weight led to a host of obesity-related conditions, including the painful skin infection, sedulitis.
04:06If it's left untreated, it would eventually turn to septicemia, which is blood poisoning, which would not kill you.
04:13He also had sleep apnea and needed a machine to stop his throat closing up during the night.
04:19So, that's the air blowing down my nose, but then straight out back through my mouth.
04:26And he had an underlying heart problem.
04:31Andrew was not alone.
04:33He lived with his wife of six years, Sharon.
04:37I'm worried that he won't be here anymore.
04:40That does scare me.
04:42I've been there. I know what it's like.
04:44Six years ago, Sharon herself was a shut-in, weighing over 300 kilograms.
04:53Bariatric surgery helped her slim down to just over 190 kilograms.
04:58But as she became more mobile, Andrew piled on the pounds and became increasingly withdrawn.
05:05We can go a whole day without hardly saying anything to each other,
05:08because he's just sat at that damn desk on the internet, 24-7.
05:14See you later!
05:18Sharon now had to look after Andrew.
05:21She did the shopping,
05:23the laundry,
05:25and all the cooking.
05:28Bon appétit!
05:30The extra workload was taking its toll.
05:35And their marriage was close to breaking point.
05:39It'll be funny, but there's a plate there with cheese up there.
05:42Save a bit of washing up for once in your life.
05:44You're like, oh, I'm so tired.
05:45If you...
05:46Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.
05:49I'd gradually, over the years,
05:51put more and more and more pressure on Sharon
05:53to do things that I really should have...
05:55feel as though I should have been doing myself.
05:57Looking back, I can see how bad I was,
06:02how much of my life I wasn't living.
06:04Desperate for their lives to change,
06:15the couple booked an appointment
06:17with bariatric surgeon Professor David Kerrigan.
06:22Andrew.
06:23Hi.
06:23Go to your seat.
06:24He wanted to give Andrew a new type of bariatric surgery
06:27that could yield fast results,
06:29but would need him to adopt a completely new way of eating.
06:33Salus operation is the one with the maximum weight loss
06:37but the greatest chance of potentially running into problems with nutrition.
06:40I think the main thing is actually, you know,
06:43just how confident you are
06:46and how confident we are
06:47that you would be able to stick to a very high-protein diet.
06:50It's not an option, it's obligatory.
06:52I consider myself capable.
06:54OK.
06:58Professor Kerrigan put Andrew on a trial.
07:01It would be easier to eat if it was in a sandwich.
07:04To prove he could stick to a protein-rich diet.
07:07Half a can contains...
07:10Protein? Can you tell me protein first?
07:138.6.
07:15Carbohydrates?
07:1638.6.
07:17What about sodium?
07:190.2 grams.
07:20Is that per 100 grams or per 10?
07:230.2 is the whole 10.
07:26So, sodium was 0.2!
07:34Andrew's diligence was particularly galling to Sharon,
07:37who felt unsupported by him
07:39while she was trying to diet for her bariatric surgery.
07:44That's Sharon's,
07:45with more tomato ketchup than usual,
07:48as per her instructions.
07:49And that's fine.
07:51He wasn't supportive at all,
07:53and he was sat eating bread and chocolate.
07:56And I had to sit there,
07:57watch him eating whatever he wanted to.
08:02I know Sharon loves me,
08:04but I know that's a strained love.
08:09I'm just glad that she hasn't given up on me yet.
08:11And hopefully it'll get to the point where I'll get better,
08:15if that's the word to use,
08:17before she gives up.
08:25Having proved that he could successfully stick to the high-protein diet,
08:29Andrew was on track for surgery.
08:31It feels nice.
08:32It feels nice, liberating.
08:36Sharon was pinning everything on the operation's success.
08:40I love you.
08:41I love you too.
08:42Of course I'm worried and scared that something might happen to him.
08:47This operation is hopefully going to make our marriage better than it is now.
08:55What we're seeing is quite an enlarged liver.
08:58It's infiltrated with fat.
09:00You can see all this yellow fat inside the abdomen as well.
09:03Professor Kerrigan not only removed three-quarters of Andrew's stomach,
09:09but also bypassed over half his small intestine.
09:15It was never going to be an easy operation.
09:16I think we knew that.
09:18But actually it went very, very well indeed.
09:21Andrew would not only be able to eat far less,
09:24but would also be able to absorb far fewer calories.
09:29Patients have a self-esteem about that big
09:31when they come for bariatric surgery.
09:33Once people start to lose the weight,
09:35their self-worth increases.
09:37It's not just the fact they look different,
09:38it's actually how they feel about themselves.
09:48While Andrew's stomach healed,
09:49he had to eat very soft foods like soup and rice.
09:53Tedious food.
09:55I think it's very utilitarian food.
09:59It's serving a purpose.
10:00I'm eating it because I have to,
10:02even though it tastes like it's bland and boring.
10:06Come on then.
10:07In just a month, he had already lost almost 20 kilograms.
10:12Right then.
10:14But to Sharon's frustration,
10:16he was still finding excuses not to leave the house.
10:18I've said to him we could go for a day out,
10:21we could even take the dogs down to Western or something like that,
10:24but he never organises anything.
10:27To help him understand what was holding him back,
10:31he had started a course of sessions with psychologist Kate Herbert.
10:35At the moment, I know that I'm just making really lame excuses.
10:38I'm saying, oh, I'd love to go, but, you know, I've got a bad foot,
10:43or I'd love to go, but I'll never make it that far around those shots,
10:47and all those things.
10:47And I've sort of always said that,
10:49but I've always said it knowing that that isn't the real reason.
10:52What's that like knowing that you've given that excuse,
10:56the one that feels most kind of palatable?
10:59No, I just feel like I've been sort of lying to people
11:02and been sort of cheating them and fraudulent,
11:05and so it makes me feel very bad about myself.
11:08Yeah.
11:08But also I can see the effect it has on other people,
11:11and that makes me feel bad too.
11:13What does it cost to do that?
11:15My confidence, my sort of pride in myself,
11:19and my sort of sense of duty
11:24to sort of be, you know, a better person for Sharon.
11:30His biggest breakthrough was realising
11:32that a lot of the reasons why he wasn't going out was in his head.
11:37For me, that was really useful that he spotted that
11:39because he's got that insight,
11:41and actually it's his responsibility to do something different now.
11:46As the weeks passed,
11:47Andrew started to make changes,
11:50helping Sharon out around the house.
11:54Thank you, babe.
11:55And even going to his local gym.
11:58I remember Professor Kerrigan mentioning things like,
12:01you aim to lose 50% of your excess body weight
12:05within 12 or 18 months.
12:06And I remember those figures going into my head,
12:09but not really sort of turning them into real-life stuff.
12:12But now they've happened,
12:14I think, crikey, that's what he meant.
12:16It's been 18 months since former shut-in Andrew
12:27had a major bariatric surgery.
12:31He's having to adjust to a much lighter frame.
12:35He's lost an astonishing 140 kilograms.
12:38You make yourself a pair of clown trousers.
12:41Yeah, can I, with a hooli-hook.
12:43If you do that and then fold them around,
12:45nobody will ever know.
12:47He's got months of wear left in these.
12:50Gone are the mountains of food Andrew once consumed.
12:53This is my breakfast.
12:56It's muesli with some extra Brazil nuts in it.
13:03He's sticking to his strict, protein-heavy diet.
13:07Mmm, appetising.
13:10I know that it'll fill me up and it sort of just gives you energy.
13:13He no longer suffers from sleep apnea or cellulitis.
13:19And Professor Kerrigan couldn't be happier.
13:22Andrew, wow, what an amazing success story he's been.
13:25I mean, this is a guy who started off with a BMI over 68,
13:28significant physical problems,
13:30and now he's got really healthy blood results,
13:33he's got a fantastic weight,
13:35and he looks fabulous.
13:36No longer anxious about the outside world,
13:42Andrew's been able to return to work.
13:44He now spends his days checking roads for damage.
13:48Immeasurably more happy than I was before.
13:5218 months ago, I wouldn't have fitted in a van.
13:54I mean, it was that serious.
13:58It's perfect for him driving around the countryside.
14:00That's his ideal of heaven.
14:02He loves it, and I'm happy that he's happy.
14:08But Andrew's dramatic transformation
14:11has been a double-edged sword for Sharon.
14:14I'm honestly jealous.
14:16I am very jealous,
14:18cos A, he's found it really easy,
14:20and B, he's lost weight really quickly.
14:23I do worry, though, that he's ashamed of me.
14:28He looks normal.
14:30Most people wouldn't look at him now and think twice.
14:32He's just a face in a crowd, if that makes sense.
14:37There he is.
14:44I'll drive my bicycle.
14:49Despite the differences in their weight loss,
14:52Andrew and Sharon are spending more time together.
14:56Hello, dear.
14:57Yay. Did you have a nice day at work?
14:59Yes, thank you, dear.
14:59Hello, Ralphie.
15:03And after years of being shut in,
15:05they recently travelled 5,000 miles across the ocean to America.
15:09There's us both at the Grand Canyon.
15:12It's something that I thought I'd never be capable of doing,
15:15but also willing to do it.
15:17We went all around the south and north of the Grand Canyon.
15:21Yes.
15:22Yes.
15:24That's where I was falling into it.
15:28So I gallantly put myself in harm's way to save you from falling in the water, didn't I, dear?
15:32Yeah, you did.
15:34There's a huge improvement in our relationship.
15:37Just enjoying each other's company.
15:42Oh, my God, have you seen the size of this carrot?
15:44Rather than putting up with each other's company,
15:48which is what we were kind of doing.
15:50Oh, my God.
15:52It's like a bunch of carrots in one.
15:54Cool.
15:54I now have a future to live for.
15:59Sort of exciting and scary all at the same time.
16:15Ready?
16:19Claire, from Southampton,
16:21was at an even more extreme end of the scale than Andrew.
16:25She weighed nearly 200 kilograms
16:27and had been confined to her bed for over eight years.
16:34Now she is 64 kilograms lighter and able to move around.
16:39I'm not the same person.
16:41I think I'm a better person.
16:43I certainly now take everything and grab it and let's go.
16:52Pop it right, push it right under.
16:54Two years ago, Claire was living within the four walls of her living room.
17:00I hate being shy.
17:02It's the worst thing ever.
17:03This is like a slow death.
17:06It feels like the whole world has forgotten me.
17:11Her weight was contributing to a host of medical problems,
17:15including diabetes,
17:17and a skin infection that had left an infected lump on her stomach.
17:21I think my belly button is somewhere underneath this lump down there.
17:27This is my side bit and should be more around there,
17:30and my belly should be up on here.
17:34Claire had struggled with her weight from an early age.
17:37She had a difficult upbringing,
17:39and over the years, she continued to pile on the pounds.
17:43Carbs are my trigger food.
17:49I like bread and pasta a lot and pork pies and pies.
17:55I'm just a carb fiend, really.
17:57If it's a carb, I'll eat it.
18:01Her 19-year-old daughter, Jasmine,
18:04remembered very different times.
18:05When I was younger, my mum was happy.
18:10She was always laughing with the friends at the time.
18:13We were always, like, singing to songs and everything.
18:18But since she was 11 years old,
18:20Jasmine had been putting her mother's needs first.
18:24I love my mum, don't get me wrong,
18:27but it's very difficult to, like, get up in the morning sometimes
18:33because of what I have to do.
18:38Yes, that feels good, brilliant.
18:41Oh, sorry, Mum.
18:45You shouldn't have to look after your mum.
18:49Your mum looks after you.
18:52Jasmine's older sister, Tracy,
18:54came every day with her two young sons to cook dinner.
18:57Don't forget to scream.
19:00I feel like I have escaped, but I'm still being dragged back in.
19:07I want to concentrate on my own little family.
19:12I don't want to be a burden.
19:15I wish that I didn't have to be looked after.
19:18I want them to just have a life.
19:20I don't want them to be shut in.
19:22I'd love to be able to go out with my grandkids
19:25and walk my dog.
19:28And strange things like washing up and ironing.
19:31Just normal things.
19:33I'd like to be able to do those things.
19:36LAUGHTER
19:36Claire's hopes of turning her life around
19:45lay with bariatric surgeon Nick Carter.
19:48It's crucial that Claire has surgery
19:51because without it, she will die younger
19:54and the complications that she's having at the moment
19:57will multiply.
19:59It would be fair to describe her as a ticking time bomb.
20:04He wanted to find out if she'd been following his advice.
20:08Now, you look like you've lost weight.
20:11Well, I hope I have because I have tried to keep myself
20:14onto a fairly good diet.
20:16What is your hope?
20:18To be able to get out again.
20:20To leave the house?
20:21Yeah.
20:22That's what I want.
20:23I want to have my life back.
20:24What are your fears?
20:26Dying here.
20:27Leaving the kids.
20:29Nick wanted Claire to consume only 800 calories a day
20:36for the next two weeks in preparation for surgery.
20:40So, she swapped solid food for a diet of milk.
20:45Maybe I could just lick a biscuit.
20:47LAUGHTER
20:47With the operation looking more and more likely,
20:55psychologist Emma Bennett visited the family
20:57to explore the impact of Claire's dependency on her daughters.
21:01You want your children to be able to go out for them
21:03because they need some freedom
21:04and at the same time you can desperately want them to stay here
21:07because it's very frightening.
21:08Yeah, and I did that.
21:09I would say to them, go out and then please don't be long.
21:12Yeah.
21:13For Tracey and Jasmine, being shut in
21:17isn't about being in that room in their house.
21:19It's about the nature of the relationship
21:22as it is with Claire at the minute
21:24and possibly at times it's close to the point of stifling.
21:33Having stuck to the diet and losing almost 13 kilograms,
21:38Claire was ready for surgery.
21:39But she needed a specialist bariatric ambulance team
21:43to take her to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
21:47It was very hard getting your head round what was happening.
21:53You do really lose yourself in the process.
21:56You've been this person for so long,
21:59you don't know how it's going to be afterwards.
22:06Can you wait a little?
22:07Yeah, OK.
22:09Claire's surgeon was planning to reduce the size of her stomach
22:14by three quarters.
22:17But she'd also recently reported
22:19that she'd been having persistent gynaecological bleeding.
22:23There's always an anxiety in ladies of her age and her size
22:27who present with bleeding
22:28that there might be an underlying cancer.
22:32Biopsies were taken from her uterus
22:34before Nick was able to start work on the bariatric surgery.
22:37So I'm dissecting the stomach now.
22:46So you can see that everything to the right is coming off
22:49and that tube is all we're going to leave her with, this bit here.
22:55Although Nick was happy with how the surgery had gone,
22:59the biopsy results were not so good.
23:01It's cancer.
23:07I'll deal with it, like I deal with everything else.
23:10And I'm sure that there'll be times where I'll get a little bit of a,
23:14you know, wobble.
23:15You can't be strong all the time.
23:18It's fine.
23:19It's fine.
23:20It's fine to worry, Dad.
23:21Three months later, having lost more weight,
23:34Claire was ready for this incredibly complicated double surgery,
23:37which required extensive planning.
23:39I think the risks to Claire today are much more than the last operation.
23:46She has a much more significant chance of dying on the table.
23:51If you do that, you can get some idea of where you are.
23:54Yeah.
23:58Nick cut away the 13-kilo abdominal lump of fatty tissue
24:02caused by a skin infection.
24:03Then the gynaecological team took over.
24:08So what you see here, it's a big uterus.
24:12The uterus is full of cancer.
24:14So what are we going to do?
24:16We're going to take all this uterus together with the cancer out.
24:23What's this blue?
24:24This one, 30-30.
24:28Finally, the operation was over.
24:30The next 12 hours is critical
24:35in terms of getting her stabilised from the operation
24:38back to normal and steady.
24:45Just weeks later, and for the first time in over a decade,
24:49Claire was attempting to leave her house on her own two feet.
24:53Here we go. Are you ready for this?
24:54Yes.
24:54Right, OK.
24:57Be careful when you come over the threshold.
24:59Is it right?
25:00That's it.
25:01Hello, world.
25:02In six months, she'd lost 51 kilograms
25:04and now weighed 146 kilograms.
25:08Stop.
25:09Stop here?
25:10Yeah.
25:10The last time I went outside on my feet,
25:14it was probably 10 to 12 years ago.
25:16So what I did today is not just a little step.
25:19That's a huge step for me.
25:20I didn't have any hope of getting out.
25:26I didn't think there was going to be anything.
25:29I thought this is, you know, being in bed is where I would end up, where I would die.
25:34This one?
25:36This one?
25:36Yeah.
25:37Now Claire is reaping the benefits of her 64 kilogram weight loss.
25:41When you saw me last, almost all of that was under my tummy to there.
25:46So, yeah, that's how far it's sort of come back.
25:49Yes, that feels good, William.
25:52She is no longer so reliant on daughter Jasmine for her personal needs.
26:00I've just turned 21 and 21-year-olds go out clubbing and hang around with friends.
26:11And I wasn't really doing that beforehand, but now I am, so I am happier.
26:17Yay.
26:21And now Claire has her own bedroom to use,
26:24life for the family is no longer confined to just one room.
26:27It's lovely being able to come out and sit in my living room.
26:32This place being back to the way it was.
26:34Morning.
26:35Hello.
26:36We can do proper family stuff together and I can join in better as well.
26:41It makes a difference to the family.
26:44Oh, good boy.
26:47But it hasn't all been plain sailing.
26:50Unfortunately, my leg has started to swell up and that's putting weight on.
26:55But it's not limiting me to what I can do.
26:59I don't think mum will ever get to 100%, but it's an improvement, yes.
27:07We're getting there.
27:12Claire can at least get outside every day.
27:14It's nice just to put her away and pick up the weeds.
27:20I just don't ever want to take it for granted to sit out.
27:24Just having freedom.
27:26It's been great.
27:27Now she is fulfilling a long-held dream to go on holiday to Devon.
27:33Going to give this to Nanny so she can keep it safe, yeah?
27:36The last time, you know, I went on holiday, it was about 14 years ago.
27:41Oh, I'm not coming then.
27:42To take the grandkids away was something I couldn't even think about before.
27:45It was never, wasn't even a glimmer on the horizon.
27:49They're excited, I'm excited, everyone's excited.
27:56Right, let's go.
27:58And there's added excitement for Tracey and Jasmine.
28:02It's their first time taking the grandkids on holiday herself.
28:06Eric, come on!
28:07It's a little holiday for me and Jazz.
28:09It's some time to ourselves.
28:11Bye, darling.
28:12Bye.
28:19Eric, quick, what's this?
28:30Boo!
28:33Although she has a friend along to help out,
28:36Claire is enjoying being in charge of her grandchildren.
28:39You know, I've had all that time in bed to work it all out
28:43and what I want to do and be a proper man.
28:46Oh, it's the best.
28:47Come on then, kids, we're off.
28:49I'm happy.
28:52I'm really, really happy.
28:54Wait by the gate, guys!
28:57I don't feel shutting at all now.
29:00Hey!
29:10In the Northamptonshire countryside...
29:13Go, go, go!
29:1526-year-old single mum Emily is enjoying a kickabout with her two young sons.
29:22Cheeky!
29:24Like Andrew and Claire, her life has completely changed.
29:27Two years ago, she was shut in and weighed 165 kilograms and avoided taking her children out.
29:37Now she's 64 kilograms lighter.
29:39I can actually do stuff with them now and it's a good feeling.
29:44I can be the energetic mum that they want me to be.
29:48I don't find myself saying, oh, hold on, I've just got to sit down.
29:51Like, I don't have to do that anymore.
29:53Yeah!
29:55But in order to turn her life around, Emily has had to overcome a deadly addiction.
30:00She was hooked on a diet of high fat, high sugar and high salts junk food.
30:08Normally, if I get a breakfast, it will be a breakfast muffin with sausage and egg in it.
30:17I get breakfast wraps and then I get about five or six hash browns and a chocolate milkshake.
30:24When I'm eating, I'm on a bit of a high, I'm happy, I'm in my little zone.
30:27But once it's gone, I'm sort of out of that straight away and it's back to sort of reality again.
30:33Putting on 13 kilograms every year, Emily was in danger of reaching almost 250 kilograms
30:39and being completely stuck in by the age of 30.
30:42Some days I do eat all day, non-stop, but most of the time it's sort of big binge in the morning,
30:50a light afternoon and a massive binge again in the evening.
30:53A single day of binge eating could exceed 15,000 calories, nearly ten times the recommended daily amount.
31:03Done. Mission accomplished.
31:08So, Emily hid herself from the world, ordering in her food supplies.
31:16My fingers are tight enough against the side.
31:19It's sort of the feeling that I can't wait, I just need to eat it, like, now.
31:24It's yesterday.
31:26If I got asked to go out, I'm like, what reason can I think of to say no?
31:31I do feel judged and I feel like people look at me and just, yeah, see a big, fat, ugly person,
31:38because that's how I feel.
31:41Ready? Spin. Spin.
31:44Stuck at home with Emily were her two children, Riley and Harry.
31:48Mummy, just go sit back down for a minute, OK?
31:50Day-to-day life became increasingly difficult, and she was finding it hard to be the mum she wanted to be.
31:59Riley is starting to notice now that I'm struggling.
32:02Where do you come sit with me?
32:03Your belly's like a bouncy castle, he says to me.
32:11That's a nice one of them, though.
32:12Emily's parents, Tony and Steve, had been worrying about her weight for years.
32:18I would say probably around six and eight, we realised that there was an extra packet of crisps going out the cupboard each day.
32:25You could hear the cupboards going at night.
32:27We knew that she was trying to raid them and we'd have to sort of jump on her pretty quickly.
32:31But Emily's eating spiralled out of control when she left home and moved in with her boyfriend.
32:37We would sit there and we'd sort of have our dinner, and then we'd sit there and we're like,
32:41should we get a pizza?
32:43And then we'd order a pizza after our dinner, so it was like a second dinner.
32:49What's the date today?
32:50No, don't.
32:52Dad Steve was desperate to help Emily quit the binging.
32:55I see a sad young girl.
32:57I can see in her eyes that she's not, she's not happy.
33:02What's this for?
33:03Chocolate fudge icing.
33:05That's the stuff you put in cakes.
33:07You just eat that straight out of the tub?
33:08Mm-hmm.
33:09With a spoon.
33:11That's just pure fat and sugar.
33:13Oh.
33:20It smells really nice.
33:21She's on our mind every single day.
33:27She is addicted to food, and I'm desperate for her to get help.
33:31I can see her not being here in ten years' time.
33:37I had no confidence whatsoever.
33:39Didn't want to see anybody.
33:41Just walking out of the house, I just felt like everyone was just looking at me because of how big I was.
33:47I was in such a dark place, I didn't want to do anything.
33:50I mean, it's difficult to look back on how bad things were.
33:54It just wasn't, it wasn't a life at all.
34:06Shut-in single mother of two, Emily, had been binge-eating herself into an early grave.
34:11That's 164.8 kilograms.
34:16OK.
34:17In a bid to control her addiction, she went to meet one of Britain's leading bariatric surgeons, Mr. Sharif Awad.
34:25She is 24.
34:27She's in the prime of her life, and she is trapped and imprisoned in her body.
34:33Mr. Awad could see where things were heading.
34:35So, with you being BMI 62, you've gone beyond super obesity, and you're now super, super obese.
34:42So, at present, your obesity has probably reduced your life expectancy by about 10 to 15 years.
34:50No young mother wants to hear that she's expected to die so early, and that's time she could be spending with her children and her grandchildren, in fact.
35:01I go to bed and worry that I won't wake up, and that scares me, because I want to be here for the boys.
35:11I don't want to have them lose their mum.
35:14Oh.
35:16Oh, thank you.
35:19Mr. Awad wanted Emily to prove that she could stop binge-eating.
35:24Before he offered her any surgery, he wanted her to lose at least six kilograms in weight.
35:29Cherry bakewells.
35:31Her secret stash had to go.
35:34This is the hardest to let go of, I think, but I know it's not good for me.
35:47But it wasn't long before Emily's willpower was tested.
35:51That was not very nice.
35:54Say sorry.
35:55Daddy!
35:57Daddy!
35:57Daddy!
35:58Daddy!
35:59Daddy!
36:01I'm not having the best day.
36:07I feel a bit stressed and upset.
36:12Normally, like, a day like today, I'll just go and get a takeaway later.
36:16But no, and I can't even do that.
36:17I knew it was going to be hard, but it's really hard.
36:26And I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel at the moment.
36:32I just feel like I'm never going to be able to eat again.
36:34To help Emily break her addiction to eating, she was seeing clinical psychologist Laura Keyes.
36:48I think for most people there's a really high level of shame.
36:51Hi, Laura.
36:53Yeah, come in.
36:54If you haven't had a struggle around some kind of addiction, it can be really hard outside that to understand that cycle that somebody is stuck in.
37:05I'm a mum of two children.
37:07Their dad still is in the picture, but he doesn't live with us.
37:10Yeah.
37:10So that gets a bit hard sometimes, and that's where stress always leads to my problem, which is food.
37:17It's not just a little bit of food, it's always a lot of food.
37:20It's all just a way of kind of pushing away the feeling, I guess.
37:23Yeah.
37:24And when I'm eating, I'm in my little bubble, and nothing can hurt me or upset me at that time.
37:29Why is it important, do you think, for you to be able to have the surgery, or what's that for?
37:33I just...
37:34I don't want to start crying.
37:36I just want my life to be better again.
37:41I don't feel like the same person.
37:45We're going to start off with a little warm-up.
37:48OK, let's go!
37:50As well as eating less, Emily had also started to exercise, encouraged by Dad, Steve.
37:57I feel dead.
38:01And her dad's tough love meant there was no respite.
38:06All right, you're almost there now.
38:08I'll get one more quick one in.
38:10No, you won't.
38:11OK, have a quick breather.
38:15How are we doing?
38:17I just feel so tight.
38:19Yeah.
38:21Just take it easy, keep walking round, keep moving.
38:24Just deep breaths.
38:25Two months later, and over six kilograms lighter, Emily was daring to think about the future.
38:36I'd love to get back to, like, a size 14 or a 16.
38:39There's no bingo wings.
38:41There's no double chin.
38:43I've got a feeling the self-esteem will start to creep up again from that point.
38:48I think.
38:50I hope.
38:51Are we ready?
38:53Yep.
38:54Let's go.
38:55Having proved she was on top of her binge-eating demons, Mr Awad agreed to give her surgery.
39:03These procedures are not reversible.
39:05There is no going back.
39:09Emily was having the majority of her stomach removed, which is normally the size of a melon.
39:15She would no longer have the room to binge.
39:17So the width of Emily's stomach is roughly going to be the thickness of my thumb.
39:27And with that fire, Emily now has a new stomach.
39:35For the first few weeks, post-surgery, Emily was only allowed liquids and protein-rich purees.
39:42It just looks horrible.
39:43If you try not to look at it, it just reminds me of, like, I'm having cod chips and curry sauce from the chip shop.
39:57That is what I'm having.
39:59But it wasn't long before she gave in to temptation.
40:04I had a tiny bit of vegetable chow mein last night and a couple of mini spare ribs from the Chinese.
40:14So I'm guessing this is what's done it to me.
40:18I feel awful.
40:20I don't think I ever thought I'd have the fear of food ever.
40:25And I do at the moment.
40:26I'm a bit scared of it.
40:28It's got, like, the opposite effect before I started.
40:3018 months on, and Emily is seeing the results of a dramatic 64-kilogram weight loss.
40:46I'm in.
40:47How mad is that?
40:50What's this?
40:52That's mad.
40:55Her kitchen is no longer crammed full of sugary snacks.
40:58I don't think I've had cheesecake since before my surgery.
41:07It's not embarrassing to open my fridge any more.
41:10It's 100 times better than what it used to be.
41:13Food was my best friend.
41:15I've literally had to try and let go of that.
41:17And in some sense, grieve over the fact that I haven't been able to turn to that any more.
41:23Emily's portion sizes are dramatically different, too.
41:26That's my breakfast.
41:28Nowadays, mornings start with a single yoghurt.
41:33This is actually filling me up, to be honest.
41:36I'm fine with it.
41:37Absolutely fine with it.
41:39Eating this now and thinking back to what I used to have, I'd opt for this any time now.
41:45People say, like, oh, you have weight loss surgery.
41:47It's so easy way out.
41:48And it's really not.
41:50It's really not.
41:51It is so hard.
41:53I've had times where I've cried and had tantrums and everything.
41:56But a slimmer, more confident Emily no longer has time to think about food so much.
42:02I'm studying to be a teaching assistant.
42:05I go to college once a week and then I work in a school.
42:07It is something I've always wanted to do, stuff that I never thought would ever happen.
42:13But I just, I absolutely love it.
42:16Food is taking a back seat.
42:18And Emily is no longer reluctant to take her children out and about.
42:22Whee!
42:23The boys have been my main focus to get me through it all.
42:31They really have and they don't even know it.
42:33One, two, three, up.
42:34Grab on.
42:36They've kept me going.
42:37They really, really have.
42:39It's not only her kids enjoying more freedom.
42:42So before, this sort of situation I'd markedly avoid.
42:46I'd make up stuff to get out of things because I never used to feel comfortable in a social situation.
42:50If anyone ever asks me if I want to go out anywhere, I'm like, yes, yes I do, yes I do.
42:57Tonight, Emily is celebrating with friends after being offered a full-time job at her school.
43:03I feel like I sort of, I fit in more now.
43:06I don't think people look at me and judge me anymore.
43:08I'm there and I fit in.
43:09Thank you!
43:11Yay!
43:12I look at the future and I think, where is it going to take me?
43:15What else can I do?
43:17This isn't the end.
43:18What more can I do?
43:19Do you reckon they do kids' portions?
43:21No!
43:22You can take out the doggy bag.
43:24Doggy bag!
43:26I'm so much happier in myself.
43:28I do feel like a different person.
43:30I'm still me, but a better version of me.
43:34I'm still me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me, but a better version of me
44:04Transcription by CastingWords
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