A woman who spent £15,000 on weight loss surgery believes it was worth every penny – because it saved her life.
Emma Docherty weighed 23st after struggling with a lifelong food addiction but is now a size 12 gym addict.
And she reckons she is earning back some of her outlay by saving a fortune on food bills and no longer having to shell out on specially made clothes.
The 46-year-old, a care home worker from Ibrox, Glasgow, worked in addiction services and knew her daily struggle was similar to a fight against drugs and booze.
She described eating carbs as a “dopamine hit”. In 2015, Emma spent £5000 on a sleeve gastrectomy in the Czech Republic, which removed a large part of her stomach.
She slimmed down to 16 stone and went to the gym every day. But, after gaining three stone in lockdown, she decided to have a gastric bypass, a boob lift and a tummy tuck.
She now weighs 13.5 stone and hopes to slim down further.
Emma said: “I just love eating but it was killing me. It’s like alcohol or cocaine. You get a dopamine hit from carbohydrates – I was addicted to carbs.
“I can still enjoy food just in much smaller portions. I love going round the charity shops and getting size 12s, when I was a size 22 before.
“I’m saving probably £60 a month on groceries and I can buy clothes in normal shops so I’m not spending £50 on trousers any more.”
Emma’s first op cost £4000, and she paid out £11,000 on her other surgery.
Emma said: “Being that obese in your mid-40s is going to kill you. It’s been the primary relationship with a substance in my life. To get these ops and be free of it is amazing.”
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