Obese mother-of-two turns down gastric surgery to drop ELEVEN STONE naturally - and inspires her overweight family to lose 18st between them
- Lisa dropped from 21st 6lb and size 30 to 10st 1lb and size 10
- Turned down NHS gastric surgery, choosing to lose the weight herself
- Ditched junk food in favour of calorie and portion-controlled meals
- Her success inspired her family to overhaul their unhealthy diets
- Her mother Lynda lost 3st, and her brother lost over 7st
- Her boyfriend Andy and her brother's partner also both lost over 4st each
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A mother-of-two who decided to lose 11st in weight through dieting rather than accept the offer of NHS gastric surgery has inspired her overweight family to lose 18st between them.
Lisa Robinson, 33, of Blyth, Northumberland, was offered a gastric band by her GP when she reached 21st 6lb after years of struggling with her weight.
But Ms Robinson decided against surgery and chose instead to lose weight by switching to portion and calorie-controlled meals instead.
By July 2011 Ms Robinson, pictured before she lost weight, was wearing size 30 clothing and was suffering with constant pain in her feet and knees
The family together following their shared weight loss journey. From left to right: Amy Mitchell, 24, David Kidd, 38, Lynda Kidd, 57, Lisa Robinson, 33 and Andy Snaith, 38
Lisa dropped from 21st 6lb and size 30 (right) to 10st 1lb and size 10 (left) by ditching her junk food diet
As the weight fell away, her efforts inspired first her mother Lynda Kidd,57, who lost 3st, then her brother David Kidd, 38, who lost more than 7st, and his partner Amy Mitchell, 24, who lost more than 4st, and finally own her partner Andy Snaith, 38, who lost 4st.
Together, the fabulous fat-fighting family has lost nearly 30st in weight - all thanks to Ms Robinson’s refusal to take the option of taxpayer-funded bariatric surgery
Ms Robinson, a care assistant, said: 'I knew instinctively a gastric band wouldn’t be the quick fix it’s sometimes made out to be. I’d seen people on television having to go on milk diets and becoming really miserable. I just couldn’t bear the idea of going without nice food.
'When I told my doctor ‘thanks but no thanks’ he was sceptical. He thought there was no way I could lose the weight on my own.
'My mum decided to join a slimming club with me for moral support. She was delighted when we lost our first few pounds together, and we kept it up.
'My brother was amazed at what we were doing and decided to give slimming club a go too. He met and fell in love with his partner Amy there. He got on so well that he came to lead a group himself.
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Share'Then I began a relationship with David’s friend Andy. He was so impressed when I’d told him all that I’d achieved that he signed up for David’s class.
'Five months later I went back to the doctor having lost 5st, and he had to eat his words. It’s amazing to think about how much we’ve all changed. Sometimes I don’t recognise myself in the mirror.'
Lisa's brother's girlfriend Amy Mitchell lost more than four st, pictured left after her weight loss
Ms Robinson, who is mother to Dylan, eight, and Caitlyn, six, was taunted by bullies in her teenage years because she was overweight.
She said: 'Classmates called me ‘fatty’ and made thunder sounds as I walked past them.'
When she was 19 she was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries which made weight control a challenge.
She said: 'I ate shortbread and cakes out of habit, which didn’t help. I was trapped in a cycle where I would overeat. I felt there was no way out.'
Lisa's boyfriend Andy Snaith has slimmed down from 19st 10lb (right) to 16st 4lb (left)
By July 2011, Ms Robinson was wearing size 30 clothing and was suffering constant pain in her feet and knees.
She said: 'My GP said I would be in a wheelchair within a year and informed me I would be eligible for an NHS-funded gastric band operation.
'I knew I didn’t want it. I love food. I had been prone to depression over the previous few years and I didn’t know how restricting myself to half a handful of beans at mealtimes would affect me. I couldn’t have that lifestyle. We wouldn’t be able to go out for family meals, for one thing.'
Ms Robinson threw out all the fatty snack food in her house and learned how to cook healthy square meals using fresh, lean ingredients.
Lisa's brother David managed to lose 6st 7lb, dropping down from 20st (right) to the 13st 7lb he is today
Before beginning her weight loss journey she would typically eat two egg and bacon sandwiches for breakfast, followed by tuna sandwiches and crisps for lunch, and finally a Chinese takeaway for dinner. She would snack on a stream of cakes and chocolates.
Today, breakfast is typically made up of fruit and natural yogurt, followed by a chicken salad for dinner, with beef and fresh vegetables for evening meal.
Ms Robinson’s mother, Lynda Kidd, a supermarket worker, slimmed from 13st to 10st after joining the same Slimming World group and following a similar eating plan.
Then her brother David Kidd, a retail salesman, decided to emulate his sister’s success by joining a group in January 2012. He managed to lose 6st 7lb, dropping down from 20st to the 13st 7lb he is today.
Lisa’s mother, Lynda Kidd, shrunk from 13st (right) to 10st (left) after following a similar eating plan
Mr Kidd said: 'I’d completely fallen out of the habit of exercising and watching my food. That I regained my motivation is all thanks to Lisa. I thought, ‘if she can do this, I can too’.
'Lisa and Amy met at the slimming club and that’s how me and Amy came to be together. When I think of the positive way my life has changed, I feel like the luckiest man in the world.”
Miss Mitchell, Mr Kidd’s partner, has lost 4st 4lb since starting her own slimming programme.
Then, in January 2013, Ms Robinson met her partner, port worker Andy Snaith, during a night out.
She said: 'Andy was a big lad then. He couldn’t believe I’d lost so much weight. He surprised himself that he got on so well in David’s class.'
In total the group have lost an astonishing 30st between them and have transformed their lives
Mr Snaith has slimmed down from 19st 10lb to 16st 4lb.
In the 18 months Ms Robinson shrank down to 11st 4lb. Today she is 10st 1lb and can wear size 10 dresses.
In June 2013, Ms Robinson travelled to Poland for an operation to remove excess skin on her stomach which was causing constant irritation. She decided to pay £3,500 to fund the operation privately because the NHS requires a two-year waiting period for such procedures.
This year Ms Robinson secured NHS funding for a final operation to remove excess skin from her chest, arms and legs. She is now looking forward to a healthy future with her new-look family.
She said: 'I feel completely different. All our lives have been transformed - even my children’s. Dylan once battled with ADHD but since I removed the additives and junk food from our family diet, he’s so much better.
'I’ve had to get used to the new person I see in the mirror.. I feel just wonderful.'
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