Nottingham woman who used to eat McDonald's three times a day loses nine stone in weight

A woman who used to eat McDonald's three times a day has lost 85 per cent of her stomach and is now nine stone lighter.

Ashleigh Pomeroy, 22, weighed 19st 8lbs at her heaviest and would frequently gorge on fast food, roast dinners with 25 potatoes and big bags of pasta. But Ashleigh now lives on a diet of salad and smaller portions - and weighs in just over 10 stone.

She jetted off to Turkey in April last year after realising she would not qualify for surgery on the NHS. The NHS says anyone thinking of travelling abroad for surgery should "understand the risks involved" and consult with their GP before making any final decision.

Ashleigh, from Nottingham, said: "For years I'd be on Weight Watchers, Slimming World, everything. But because there wasn't an instant fix I would just get bogged down with it. I knew with surgery you could see results quickly and make them better in the long term.

"I actually wasn't that nervous to go and get it done. I was at a point where I just wanted to feel better.I was at 19.8st at my heaviest - I hated it. I would try not to go out, I never bought new clothes and I didn't feel I could go out and enjoy myself.

"I felt I stood out massively and I had very little confidence. But now I feel like a new person."

"Lookswise, I feel like it's opened up so many opportunities in life. I'm more confident and it's like a whole new lease of life."

Before surgery, Ashleigh says she would eat "anything and everything possible". Ashleigh struggled with her weight for most of her life and always felt affected by it.

She said: "All throughout school I was always conscious of it. As I got older I got used but then it started to affect me more. A lot of my friends were all very small so I wouldn't want to go out.

"Due to the fact I was unhappy it would be like a vicious circle. Not so much bad food but just the fact I would eat all the time. With life struggles, I would just deal with it like that. I'd always eat a lot of carbs.

"I'd cook myself lunch and probably have three-quarters of a bag of pasta and then have a sweet dessert. Then for dinner I'd cook a roast dinner and do like 25 roast potatoes.

"I would maybe have McDonald's three times a day."

Ashleigh began to notice changes almost immediately after the surgery, which saw 85 per cent of her stomach removed. Since surgery, Ashleigh has adopted a new training regime and has lost a whopping nine stone.

She said: "I used to enjoy going to the gym but I wouldn't go as I didn't like how I looked in the gym before surgery. But after, my mum built me a home gym to workout in and once I'd lost a bunch of weight I then felt more comfortabale to go to public gyms.

"I don't do as much cardio-based stuff, I do mostly weights for toning up now. I go about three times a week. To be honest, I was happy within the first three weeks. I was buzzing because I'd lost at least two stone.

"I remember putting on a dress for a birthday and everyone was saying how different I looked. It's the best feeling when people say how different I look.

"I don't notice it as much as I look in the mirror every day but still a year down the line people are complimenting me."