'Secret snacker' from Luton sheds 8 stone after travelling to Latvia for gastric bypass surgery

A self-confessed 'secret snacker' has lost an incredible eight stone in just ONE YEAR after travelling to Latvia for life-changing gastric bypass surgery.

Kelly Conway, 40, was eating up to six packets of McCoys crisps a day and binging on sweet treats at night while her family were asleep before ballooning to 19 stone.

Despite attempts to control her weight the mum-of-two would often scoff a whole packet of Jaffa Cakes before going home for an evening meal.

The turning point came in December 2021 when Kelly, then a size 24, was shopping and "couldn't fit into anything" she tried on.

Making the call to a clinic she's researched in Riga, Latvia, Kelly booked in for a £6k gastric bypass surgery.

After her operation, in March 2022, which saw 80 per cent of her stomach removed, she's slimmed down to a svelte 10st 7lbs and dress size 10.

Kelly, a make-up artist, from Luton, said: "It might seem extreme, but I thought I was eating myself into an early grave.

"If you've been overweight you get it, but if you haven't you might see it as a quick fix, or any easy way out.

"My portion sizes were on par with my husband, and I would have exactly what he had. I was a massive savoury snacker.

"I would have dinner and then by 9pm I'd be raiding the cupboard for the chocolate, I'd never feel satisfied. For me, it was like my comfort blanket, kind of like a friend. I guess it's an addiction, you don't even realise. I was sitting watching the TV and I'd have to be eating at the same time.

"Lots of people have told me I look younger now. I always used to put filters on photos and now I don't, that's a confidence thing."

The mum-of-two, began struggling with her weight in her late teens when she took on a part-time job at Pizza Hut after getting a ''free meal each shift''.

She met husband, John Conway, 40, dry liner, aged 19 and found even more weight creeping on after having children, Ruby, 12, and Shay, six.

She said: "It was hard to lose the weight as I worked in London doing fashion retail work at the time, so I would just make unhealthy choices when commuting out of convenience. I would grab a full fat latte at the train station with a croissant for breakfast.

"Then for lunch we had a subsidised canteen at work, so I would have fish and chips, or chicken and rice. Sometimes I would even skip lunch buy a meal deal for the train journey home and eat a pack of Jaffa Cakes before dinner.

"For dinner we would have lots of carbs and meat, and then before bed I'd eat crisps and something sweet. I'd often have six packets of crisps and think nothing of it.''

Desperate to shed some weight, Kelly tried a number of methods, including Weight Watchers, The Cambridge Diet, Herbalife and Slimming World- without any success.

After becoming ''increasingly worried'' about her health due to having diabetes in her family and a post-partum thyroid diagnosis, Kelly decided surgery was her only option.

Kelly said: ''It was like I had a wake up call and after debating it for a long time, decided to go for a consultation. I had a UK consultation first, and it was £11,000 for a bypass, but in Latvia it was £5,500.

"I was nervous about going abroad because most of the TV shows you see show a negative experience. Family were also worried about me going abroad, and so that was playing in the back of mind.

"I was worried but I was so desperate to have the surgery I was willing to risk it in a way, but I did do as much research as anyone can do. I spoke to people who had been there and got their warts and all feedback. I wanted to make sure I was going somewhere that was reputable.

"I did have a pot of money I was saving, so I saved £3,500 and I put £2,000 on a credit card at the end."

Kelly flew out to Riga, Latvia in March 2022 alone to have a gastric bypass operation which lasted three hours. The surgery was successful and she was able to fly home just one week later.

She said: "I remember they gave you paper knickers, and I was lying on the table like a slab of meat. I woke up pumped up with gas, and they had everyone up and walking to release it. There were so many men and women walking around like they'd just given birth.

"I had five incision marks on my tummy but they've all faded now. I had no problems with healing and no complications."

Kelly said she had "a lot of nausea" for the first 10 months of her recovery, but this is much better now.

"There are various options, but the bypass is known as the 'golden' one as it's the most severe," she explained.

"I've had 80% of my stomach removed, and my large intestine is detached from my stomach, so I no longer use it.''

Despite a successful procedure, Kelly struggled to adjust afterwards and couldn't ''even eat a whole egg''. She also suffered intense nausea for the first ten months but is now on a protein-heavy diet, swapping sweets for chicken or fish with rice and veg.

"It takes a while to get used to," she said. "I was going food shopping and buying the same amount and throwing it away. I keep it healthy, and my portions are so different, there's that mentality of not over piling as you can't physically eat as much as you used to.

"Before I was just wearing black leggings and clothes, now I wear fitted clothes and skirts. It's given me a new lease of life and I'm not hiding away in the house anymore."

Follow Kelly's incredible weight loss journey on her Instagram page @weightlossdiary.kelly.

DIET BEFORE:

Breakfast - Full fat latte and a croissant

Lunch - Fish and chips/ chicken and rice from the work canteen

Dinner - Meat and potatoes or a carb heavy meal

Snacks - Jaffa Cakes and McCoy's crisps

DIET NOW:

Breakfast - Protein shake and a yoghurt

Lunch - Soup and a protein shake, with a protein bar

Dinner - Chicken or fish with rice and veg

Snacks - Nature Valley Cereal Bar or fruit and cooked chicken