Life-changing 12 stone weight loss for Leeds woman

A SUPER-SLIMMER has shed more than half her body weight after years of battling the bulge following a horrific childhood accident.
Kerrie Hawthorne.Kerrie Hawthorne.
Kerrie Hawthorne.

Kerrie Hawthorne has lost a massive 12-and-half-stones, with her dress size dropping from a 24 to a 10.

The 32-year-old said her life had been changed: “I’ve lost the equivalent of another person in weight. I’m a totally different person with so much more energy and confidence.”

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Kerrie’s weight issues started at the age of 11 when she almost lost her leg when an iron girder damaged it, leaving her in a wheelchair for a year and needing multiple operations. The pounds continued to pile on as she has struggled with pain and mobility problems since then.

“My downfall was eating big portions,” said Kerrie, from Kirkstall, Leeds.

“I craved carbs – pasta, pizza, bread and rice dishes were my downfall and I was addicted to energy drinks. I tried every diet going as well as slimming pills. Nothing worked long term and I started to get really depressed. Some days I felt like I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again.”

She suffered from shortness of breath and acid reflux, as well as depression and alopecia.

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After joining Leeds-based support group WLSinfo, she learned about weight loss surgery and was referred on the NHS to Abeezar Sarela, consultant weight loss surgeon at Spire Leeds Hospital in Roundhay.

At 5ft 2ins tall and weighing 22-and-a-half stones, Kerrie had a Body Mass Index of 55, and was classified as super obese.

She had the sleeve gastrectomy operation, which restricts the size of the stomach, in 2014 and now weighs 10 stones – with her determination helping her achieve the massive, above-average weight loss.

Kerrie also says support from her partner Yvonne and mum Susan has been invaluable: “I used to live to eat, that’s changed now. Having the surgery was the best decision I have ever made.”

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