Losing the kilos was the first battle but coming to terms with that weight loss is just as difficult

FIONA Wardrop lost almost 80kgs to be the fit, healthy woman you see today. But when the 32-year-old mother-of-three looks in the mirror, she still sees the 135kg woman she was.

FIONA Wardrop lost almost 80kgs to be the fit, healthy woman you see today. But when the 32-year-old mother-of-three looks in the mirror, she still sees the 135kg woman she was.

Three years ago Wardrop had a procedure called Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy where 80 per cent of her stomach was removed. The idea behind the surgery is that the patient will fill up on much smaller portions and therefore lose weight.

The surgery was a success and Wardrop lost 42kgs in the three months after her surgery. Over eight months she lost 77kgs leaving her a trim 58kgs.

But she says her battle is far from over.

“Physically I lost weight, but mentally I haven’t got there yet,” the Wattle Grove administration officer says. “I lost the weight so quickly my mind didn’t have time to get used to it. I have kept the weight off for more than two years and I’m healthier and fitter than I have ever been. But when I look in the mirror every morning, I still see a size 26 woman staring back.

“People think this type of surgery is a quick fix solution to weight loss, that it’s an easy way out.

“But let me tell you, my battle is far from over. I fought food and won, but the battle with my mind remains.”

Fiona says she has more energy and is fitter than ever after losing 77kg.

Wardrop’s weight issues began when she was just 10. In her late teens her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and she gave up her job to nurse her, spending up to eight months sleeping in a hospital by her mother’s side.

She gained 30kgs in just six months on a diet of takeaway food and no exercise.

As an adult she continued to battle her weight trying every gimmick she came across: diet pills, meal replacement shakes and even a baby food diet. Three years ago with her weight ballooning to 135kgs after having three children, Wardrop realised she had to do something drastic.

“We were sitting around the dinner table one night and my eldest son Jacqob, who was six at the time, said ‘you look like a cow, mum.’ I got quite emotional, but let it slide.

“Later we were at a footy BBQ and a woman was talking about weight loss surgery for her husband.

“The very next morning, almost without thinking, I picked up my phone and Googled ‘weight loss surgery,’ called the first business that came up and booked a consultation.”

Fiona says the surgery has given her a new lease on life her husband Steve and their 3 boys Jacqob (9), Adam (5) and Zac (3).

Wardrop had to be evaluated and approved for surgery by three medical professionals; a psychiatrist, dietitian and endocrinologist. By her own accord, she gave up smoking and started to eat a little better, mentally preparing for a healthier life ahead.

After the 2.5-hour surgery and four days in hospital, Wardrop was allowed to go home. She was put on a liquid diet for the first two weeks, followed by a fortnight of pureed foods and a three-week soft food regimen after which she was allowed to introduce solids.

“Before they let me leave hospital, I had to prove I could drink 100mls of that nutritional drink, Sustagen, and I remember it took me an hour,” she recalls. “With every little sip, I felt full.

Fiona with husband Steve when she weighed in at 135kgs.

A year after her surgery, Wardrop had full reconstructive breast surgery through Broadway plastic surgeon Dr Laith Barnouti, as she had lost all her breast muscle due to the weight loss.

She also had two tummy tuck operations to remove excess skin.

But the mental journey really began when she started eating proper food again, she explains.

“I panicked when I realised I was able to eat more and more food but the doctor explained my stomach would naturally stretch out a little, just not to the size it was before,” she says. “To this day I am petrified I will put weight on, I live in fear. I eat a really healthy diet now but occasionally I will eat a tiny piece of chocolate or have a small piece of cake at a party. I immediately feel guilty and scared of going back to what I was.”

It hasn’t all been tough though. Last year Wardrop and her ever-supportive husband Steve had a wedding renewal ceremony complete with a white bridal dress because she says she missed out feeling like a princess at her wedding.

Fiona and Steve at their wedding renewal ceremony last year after she lost almost 80kgs.

And she will never get sick of her son telling everyone how beautiful his mum is now.

“I am so proud of myself for keeping the weight off and choosing a healthier lifestyle and I do feel good,” she says. “But I want people to know this is not the easy way out. I get really upset when I see people who don’t really need the surgery having it because they think it’s easy.

“My journey is not over, it’s a battle for me every day that I wake up and think about food. But I’m determined to get there.”