I’d been dreading my wedding, but when the big day arrived, I was finally ready to wow my guests. By Natalie Far, 27
I got to the supermarket checkout and began putting my groceries on the conveyor belt. Moments later, I was panting with the effort of it.
At 31 stone, I was finding even simple things like doing the weekly shop exhausting.
‘I just need a minute,’ I told my fiancé Aidan when we got back to the car.
My size had always been a problem and, over the years, I’d tried loads of different ways to lose weight.
When I’d tried the keto diet, I’d managed to lose seven stone. But then I’d fallen off the wagon and put it all back on — plus some extra.
I didn’t eat badly, but I had large portions and often went back for seconds.
When Aidan had popped the question a year earlier, we’d started planning our wedding. But I knew that it was going to be tough finding a gown big enough for my size 34 frame.
And that wasn’t my only worry about our big day. The thought of having to stand for the full 20-minute ceremony filled me with dread too.
‘What if we put a chair at the end of the aisle?’ I suggested to Aidan.
Even as I said it, I knew sitting down to say my vows wasn’t what I wanted. But I didn’t know what else to do.
Then soon after, we were on a family holiday in Turkey, and walking around the town, a local man rushed over and asked: ‘Are you here for the surgery?’
'Are you here for the surgery?'
I stared at him, confused for a moment, and he added: ‘The weight-loss one, you’re fat.’
That’s when the penny dropped. Turkey was renowned for weight-loss surgery and, at my size, he’d assumed that’s what I was there for.
I didn’t blame him, though I was utterly mortified.
But it got me thinking. And when we arrived back home in London, I did some research.
‘I’ve been looking into a gastric sleeve,’ I told Aidan.
‘I’ll support you,’ he replied.
He’d seen how my weight impacted both my mental and physical health. And while my mum had too, she was concerned about me taking such drastic action.
‘I want you to be happy, but isn’t it a bit risky?’ she asked, worried I wouldn’t survive the procedure.
But while I had lots to look forward to with the wedding, a small part of me didn’t care if I died on the operating table. Because what I was doing now wasn’t living — it was just surviving.
This felt like my only hope and, after lots of research, I found the perfect surgeon in the UK.
There was just one problem — it was going to cost more than £10,000 to have it done privately.
Luckily, I had some savings. And seeing that I was serious, Mum offered to contribute
as well.
After my first consultation I began recording my journey on TikTok, starting with the first step — a liver-reduction diet of meal replacement shakes.
Before long, the day of my operation arrived.
‘I love you,’ I said to Aidan as he kissed me goodbye at the hospital doors.
During the operation, I had 75 per cent of my stomach removed.
When I came round, Mum and Aidan were by my side.
‘How do you feel?’ Mum asked.
‘A bit sore,’ I replied.
At first, I could only have liquids. But back at home, I moved from that to a heavy protein diet.
Soon the weight was dropping off me, and I began going out for short walks too.
Three months on, Aidan and I joined a gym so I could tone my slimming figure.
‘I’ve actually got a waist and quite a cute bum,’ I said, examining myself in the mirror.
Finally, the figure that had been hiding under layers of fat for years was beginning to emerge.
And for the first time since we’d got engaged, I felt genuinely excited for the wedding.
Knowing I’d continue losing weight right up until our big day, I waited until just three months before it to choose my dress.
By then I’d got down to a size 16, and I felt overwhelmed by the number of dresses I had to choose from.
I fell in love with the first dress I tried on — a beautiful ballgown with a laced corset so I could tighten the dress more as the weight came off.
As I made my vows to Aidan on the day, I felt so amazing that I couldn’t stop smiling.
I never imagined I would walk down the aisle in my dream dress, a whopping nine sizes smaller than when we’d got engaged.
Now, I’ve lost more than 16 stone and I’m still going.
Although I didn’t lose weight specifically for my wedding, I’m so glad I had the surgery before my big day.
Every time I look at my wedding photos, rather than seeing my size, I see a woman who is happy and in love — with her husband and herself!
● Follow Natalie’s story on TikTok @natalieislosingit_vsg