Nicola's story of how surgery broke the cycle of obesity

With Department of Health figures indicating that by 2050, 70 per cent of people in Yorkshire and the Humber could be obese compared with 60 per cent nationally, the campaign hopes to raise awareness that weight-loss surgery is an accessible and viable option for people suffering from morbid obesity – whether they pay for the procedure themselves or meet the criteria to betreated by the NHS in Spire Hospitals across Yorkshire.

Nicola had fought a long battle with her weight over the years and, after much consideration, elected to pay for the surgery herself.

As a result she has lost a staggering seven-and-a-half stone. Her story highlights how emotional factors can play a major role in leading obesity sufferers to over-eating. Nicola explains: "Obesity is a vicious cycle. I used to seek comfort in food and yet it was severely impacting my life and health. I constantly fretted about my weight, which made my work and social life a real struggle, and I couldn't imagine any diet ever working for me. I became a spectator in my own life and felt powerless to stop it. Weight loss surgery was not an easy option, by any means, but my surgeon Mr Pollard and the dietician and nursing team explained the procedure and what my

life would be like post-operatively.

"Losing the weight has been fantastic and I get a huge kick out of shopping for lovely new size 12 clothes. People don't even recognise me now and often walk right past me, then stop to look in amazement. My husband and children are really thrilled to have a happy and healthy me."

Another patient from Leeds, Mark Goldsmith, will also feature in the campaign on a new national online podcast.

Mark explains: "Obesity is a disease that led to depression and type 2 diabetes for me. As an MS sufferer, I found that it also made my attacks more frequent and resulted in me having to give up my career as a world-class arm-wrestler. I felt alone and isolated myself from others as I was afraid of their scrutiny. After surgery my symptoms of diabetes look to have resolved."