A 32 stone woman from Powys who was heavier than her bathroom scales could measure says she lost 11st 10lbs in just nine months after gastric bypass surgery.

Anastasia Morris, 32, from Llanymynech, says she was a "chubby kid" growing up but her weight seriously rocketed in her late teens.

Anastasia would go out for food or get a takeaway six nights a week, moving through fad diets but regaining any weight she lost.

She ate up to 10k calories a day because food was a "comfort" after she had a "surprise" baby, Euan, now 12, when she was 19.

Last year after tipping the scales weighing 31st 13lbs - the highest weight her bathroom scales could record - and wearing size 36  clothes, she decided to make a change.

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She spent £17.5k on gastric bypass surgery in August 2023, and lost more than 3st 7lbs in the first month. She says she has now lost 11st 10lbs in nine months, and now measures 19st 10lbs and is a size 22.

She now aims to lose another 9st 10lbs to reach her goal weight.

Anastasia, a logistics administrative assistant, said: "Growing up, food was my comfort - I would have dinner with my family then sneak out to the chippy and have a second meal.

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"My mum put me on loads of diets - Slimming World, SlimFast, Weight Watchers - but I always put the weight back on.

"After I moved out, I didn't realise how many calories I was consuming.

"I would always be thinking 'what can I eat next?' and after I had my son the weight continued to creep up.

"It got to the point I could barely walk - I was too big for theme park rides and couldn't sit in booth seats at restaurants."

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She added: "Now people see me and don't even recognise me.

"I can go on day trips with my family and walk for miles - my only regret is that I didn't get the surgery sooner."

She and her husband, Daniel, 35, would enjoy Nandos, Frankie and Benny's, and Chinese takeaways six nights a week, then snack late at night - meaning she would eat up to 10,000 calories some days.

She said: "We had a big social life and going out for dinner has always been one of my favourite things.

"I would skip breakfast and have a meal deal for lunch before a huge tea.

"Then I'd have a full-sized chocolate bar and a big bag of crisps or Haribos in bed.

"I never felt full, I completely lost that ability."

After having her son aged 19, Anastasia's bad habits intensified.

Anastasia said: "If I was going somewhere I would try to work out how much walking or standing would be involved.

"I wouldn't want to do things like go to the zoo or an escape room.

"I wouldn't want to go to the beach because if I sat down, I wouldn't be able to get back up again. 

"I hadn't been on a theme park ride since I was 15 - my son would always have to go on with his dad."

One day - after her weight exceeded 32 stone and her bathroom scales couldn't record it - she decided "enough was enough".

She set up a monthly payment plan and booked in for £17.5k gastric bypass surgery.

The surgery involves making the stomach smaller and bypassing part of the intestines so people feel full after much smaller amounts of food.

After a seven-week mandatory diet of calorie-controlled milkshakes to prepare her for the surgery, she went under the knife on August 1, 2023.

After weeks of a liquid and puree diet to reintroduce food, Anastasia began eating solids again - but could only eat tiny amounts.

She said: "You can eat more as you heal but even now, I can only eat a few forkfuls of pasta or two chicken nuggets before I feel full.

"Carbs are too filling - it kills me not being able to have bread - but it's not worth it."

While she plans to lose more weight still, she is already feeling the benefits.

Anastasia said: "All I ever wanted was to shop in normal clothes shops and go on a theme park ride with my son.

"Now I can do that - we went to Disneyland in April and I walked around all day and went on every ride with my son.

"I don't have the constant anxiety that I won't fit in the seat or wondering if my chair will break underneath me any more."

Anastasia's old diet

  • Breakfast - four slices of toast with butter
  • Lunch - Sandwich, crisps, chocolate bar, yogurt, big bag of sweets and bottle of pop 
  • Dinner - homecooked would be two chicken breasts with potato wedges, rice and garlic bread. Takeaway would be nine inch doner pizza and large cheesy chips
  • Drinks - Coke, orange juice, fizzy pop
  • Snacks - pick 'n' mix, biscuits, large family bars of chocolate 

Anastasia's new daily routine

  • Breakfast - 3-4 tablespoons of porridge 
  • Lunch - Chicken skewer with some salad 
  • Dinner - quarter of a chicken breast with some Mediterranean vegetables 
  • Drinks - Protein shakes, squash, water 
  • Snacks - Protein yogurts, fruit, Babybel lights