A mum who suffered from gall stones was shockingly told by her dietary consultants that she wasn't eating enough to lose weight. However, she went on to defy odds, and lose six stone in order to get life-changing surgery.
Valerie Lunt, 65, was initially told by doctors that she needed to lose weight after suffering from stomach pains.
But after the pains persisted, Valerie was sent by her GP to get scans. They showed she had been suffering gall stones, and was told she would need to reduce her BMI in order to be eligible for gall bladder surgery.
Speaking about the diagnosis from doctors, the mum from Great Sutton, in Ellesmere Port, told the Liverpool Echo : "They didn't say how much I had to lose, I just had to get my BMI down.
"I managed to lose a stone when I came out of hospital but I just couldn't lose anymore weight."
Valerie continued to say that her daughter gave her some options in regards to weight loss, saying: "My youngest daughter Kelly said 'come along with me mum to Slimming World, they're really good.'
"I didn't realise how much the weight had gone on and I was so depressed by the time I'd gone to Slimming World."
After plucking up the courage to join her local Slimming World group in October last year, she says she was required to fill in a food diary - which showed she wasn't eating enough food to lose weight.
Valerie revealed that she spoke to her consultant about the lack of movement on the scales, saying: "I got on the scales the first week and I hadn't lose anything, I'd maintained. I was really upset because I was depressed because of my weight anyway.
"I had a lovely phone call off Chris, my Slimming World consultant. She said 'I know why you're not losing any weight' - and I wasn't eating enough."
This was, as Chris explained, because she was only eating one main meal a day. He went on to clarify that her body was storing the fat, and so this was making it difficult for her to lose weight.
Feeling a bit more motivated, Valerie began following the advice from Chris and utilised the Slimming World’s Food optimising plan.
The 65-year-old says she was able to find low fat foods that she was able to eat, while still suffering with her gall bladder.
Since, she has gone on to lose a whopping six stone in total. Following this, she was also able to undergo the life-changing surgery to have her gall bladder removed in September.
A 'lucky' Valerie said: "When the weight just started coming off it gave me more insensitive to carry on and to get it done. The group - they're so lovely and no one judges you at all.
"I've been lucky that I've lost weight every week but you're never judged, and if anybody does put any weight on that week Chris says 'draw a line under it, start again.'"
An example of Valerie's diet before she joined Slimming World
Snack: A sausage roll or pork pie
Dinner: Fish and chips or homemade pie and mash
An example of Valerie's diet now
Breakfast: Bacon, low fat sausages, eggs cooked in fry light and baked beans or Oats so Simple with banana and cinnamon
Lunch: Salad with soup or Slimming World cottage pie
Dinner: Roast chicken dinner
Symptoms of gallstones:
Gallstones form in the gallbladder, and are small stones, usually made of cholesterol. The gallbladder is a small pouch-like organ found underneath the liver, and its main purpose is to store and concentrate bile.
However, gallstones often present no symptoms.
But if a gallstone becomes trapped in an opening (duct) inside the gallbladder, it can trigger intense pain in the tummy - usually lasting between 1 and 5 hours.
According to the NHS, some people with gallstones can also develop complications - such as inflammation of the gallbladder cholecystitis. This can cause:
-
yellowing of the skin and eyes - also known as jaundice
- persistent pain
- a high temperature
