A woman who once weighed 70 pounds (she became so heavy the bathroom scale couldn’t measure her) has lost half her body weight through gastric bypass surgery.
Anastasia Morris, 32, from Llanymynech, Wales, said foods such as pizza and “big cheesy fries” became her “comfort” after having surprise baby Euan, now 12, when she was 19.
She admitted to being a “chubby kid” but said her weight skyrocketed in her late teens, when she began consuming 10,000 calories a day and eating out or ordering takeout six nights a week.
In August 2023, Anastasia tipped the scales at 31.13 pounds, the highest weight her bathroom scale could register. And after reaching a size 36, she decided to spend £17,500 on gastric bypass surgery.
Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure in which surgeons reroute the intestine into a small stomach pouch that shrinks the stomach.
Anastasia Morris, 32, from Llanymynech, Wales, once weighed 32kg and became so heavy her bathroom scales couldn’t measure her.
Anastasia, a logistics administrative assistant, has lost an astonishing 11 pounds, 10 pounds in just nine months and weighs 19 kilos. She said her only regret is not having the surgery sooner.
“As a child, food was my solace: I would have dinner with my family, then escape to the chippy and have a second meal,” Anastasia said.
‘My mother put me on a lot of diets – SlimFast World, SlimFast, Weight Watchers – but I always gained the weight back.
‘After I moved, I didn’t realize how many calories I was consuming. I would always be thinking “what can I eat next?” and after having my son, the weight continued to increase.’
Anastasia said additional motivation to lose weight came after she was barred from theme park attractions.
“It got to the point where I could barely walk; I was too big for theme park rides and couldn’t sit at restaurant tables,” Anastasia explained.
‘I realized that it existed, but it did not live. Now people see me and don’t even recognize me.
“I can go on day trips with my family and walk for miles; my only regret is not having surgery sooner.”
The mother-of-one said junk food became her ‘comfort’ after having a surprise baby, Euan, now 12, when she was 19 (pictured before her weight loss).
She admitted to being a “chubby kid” but said her weight skyrocketed in her late teens, where she began consuming 10,000 calories a day (pictured before surgery).
Anastasia was always the biggest in her family and despite dieting she was never able to keep the weight off.
When he moved at 17 years old, he took the opportunity to eat whatever he wanted and as much as he wanted.
She and her husband, Daniel, 35, enjoyed Nandos, Frankie and Benny’s and Chinese takeaway six nights a week.
He would then gorge on late-night snacks, which meant some days he ate up to 10,000 calories.
She said: ‘We had a great social life and going out to dinner has always been one of my favorite things.
“I would skip breakfast and have lunch with a meal deal before having a big tea. “Then I would have a big bar of chocolate and a big bag of chips or Haribos in bed.”
At one point, Anastasia’s weight prevented her from accessing theme park attractions. She is now beaming at the opportunity to travel with her son (pictured: Anastasia at Disneyland Paris after losing 5 kilos).
Anastasia currently weighs 19.10 pounds and has dropped to a size 22. She can also weigh herself on the bathroom scale with ease (The mother after her surgery)
At the time, the mother said she had “lost the ability” to feel “full.”
After having her son at age 19, Anastasia’s eating habits continued and her weight increased even more.
Now she is a size 36 and could only buy clothes in specialized stores; She became so big that he could barely walk or do anything he liked.
I also avoided exercise and movements like walking whenever I could.
“If I went somewhere, I would try to calculate how much walking or standing would be involved,” Anastasia said.
‘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 up again.
“I haven’t been to a theme park since I was 15. My son always had to go with his dad.”
Anastasia and her husband Daniel, 35 (pictured), enjoyed Nandos, Frankie and Benny’s and Chinese takeaway six nights a week (Anastasia pictured after losing weight).
One day, after his weight exceeded 70 pounds and his bathroom scale couldn’t register it, he decided “enough was enough.”
He set up a monthly payment plan and booked gastric bypass surgery worth £17,500.
The surgery involved making Anastasia’s stomach smaller and bypassing part of the intestines so she can feel full after eating smaller amounts of food.
The mother had to follow a mandatory seven-week calorie-controlled shake diet to prepare her for surgery. She went under the knife on August 1, 2023.
He lost 3.7 pounds in the first month and has now lost a staggering 11.10 pounds in just nine months.
Anastasia currently weighs 19.10 pounds and has dropped to a size 22. She can also weigh herself on the bathroom scale with ease.
He hopes to lose another 9 pounds and 10 pounds to reach his goal weight of 10 kilos.
Immediately after surgery, Anastasia began eating solid foods again, but only in small amounts.
She explained: “You can eat more as you recover, but even now, I can only eat a few bites of pasta or two chicken nuggets before I feel full.”
‘Carbohydrates (carbohydrates) are too satiating. It kills me not to be able to have bread, but it’s not worth it.”
While she plans to lose more weight, she’s already feeling the benefits, especially not being able to eat more “junk.”
‘All I ever wanted was to shop in normal clothing stores and go to a theme park with my son.
‘Now I can do that. We went to Disneyland in April and I walked all day and went to all the attractions with my son.
‘I no longer have the constant anxiety of not fitting into the seat or wondering if the chair will break further under me.
“I miss food, but I physically can’t eat junk anymore and it’s worth it for how I feel now.
‘I look and feel much better and I am very proud. My only regret is not having done this ten years ago.”
