‘I paid $53,000 to completely transform my body’

Melbourne woman Gabby Wilson weighed 114kg and wanted to make a change – but that change led her down a dark path.

Melbourne woman Gabby Wilson had struggled with her weight for most of her life.

“I’ve always been big,” the 26-year-old says. “I’ve had a lot of injuries and surgeries which required a decent amount of downtime during my childhood. This resulted in a lot of weight gain. I reached 114kg, and once I hit about 23 years old, I was struggling to exercise due to a major knee injury and surgery I was waiting on.”

Gabby sat down with her dad and asked him for help.

“We discussed all the options available, and I began to do a lot of research into weight loss surgery,” she says.

“I had a consultation with a surgeon and we spoke about sleeve surgery.”

A sleeve gastrectomy – or gastric sleeve surgery, as it is commonly known – is an operation whereby a large percentage of a patient’s stomach is removed, leaving a ‘sleeve-like’ pouch which can only hold small amounts of food at a time.

In the process, many of the hormones responsible for creating hunger are also removed, changing important metabolic factors.

Gabby Wilson was 114kg and unhappy. Picture: Instagram

She decided to have gastric sleeve surgery. Picture: Instagram

“I was so impressed with my surgeon, I booked the surgery that day.”

In 2018, Gabby underwent the procedure – which, without private health insurance, cost $22,000.

“My dad paid for the surgery out of his savings, which I was incredibly grateful for,” Gabby says. “All along, my family has been so supportive.”

Once the surgery was completed and Gabby adjusted to “reintroducing food all over again” the weight began to fall off, and she was thrilled with the results.

“I reached my goal weight of 70kg in just seven months,” she says.

Gabby lost 44kg after gastric sleeve surgery. Picture: Supplied

But having lost a substantial amount of weight in a relatively short time period, Gabby was left with another problem – loose skin around her thighs and abdomen that was both painful, and affected her self-esteem.

Gabby was left with sagging skin. Picture: Supplied

She decided to have further surgery to remove it. Picture: Supplied

“I hated the loose skin, as I was still so young and just didn’t feel comfortable in my body,” she says.

“My thigh skin would fold and rub on itself when I exercised, it was very painful.”

Again, Gabby and her dad sat down, and with her parents’ support, she decided to look into loose skin removal.

“I found a surgeon I liked and ended up having an extended tummy tuck, medial thigh lift and breast implants done all at once. Basically, they remove the excess skin from the stomach and thighs and pull [the remaining skin] up tight to create a taut look.”

At $53,000, the surgeries did not come cheap, but Gabby couldn’t be happier with the results.

“There is a tiny, thin scar, but it’s underneath my underwear and barely noticeable,” she says.

President of the Australian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons Dr Rob Sheen says demand for loose skin removal has skyrocketed in recent years.

“Because of the increasing popularity of weight loss surgery procedures, the amount of people left with significant excess skin after weight loss has also increased,” he says.

“People are often left with hygiene problems, fungal infections and things in the moist skin folds. So that’s really disabling for people. Loose skin can also really impair mobility, and make clothing very difficult if there is a substantial amount. For that reason, doing these kind of surgeries – we call them ‘body contouring procedures’ is very satisfying, because patients come away very, very happy with the results. It’s life-changing for them.”

After her surgery, recovery was a lot more intense than Gabby expected.

“I spent six to eight weeks in a full body garment, not being allowed to fully shower as I couldn’t get my incisions wet,” she says. “I was also hunched over for three-and-a-half weeks as my tummy tuck was pulled super tight to give me the toned look I was after.”

While Gabby recovered well physically from the changes her body had been through, mentally it was a much tougher slog.

“Because of the increased focus on food and restriction, I developed an eating disorder,” she admits.

“By February 2020 I was 56kg and at my lowest weight,” she says. “I looked incredibly sick, bones showing, bruising, hair falling out. I started weighing myself several times a day, I would exercise twice a day for over an hour each time, and I even counted the calories in my vitamins. I knew I was hitting rock bottom when I started doing that.”

With the help of her parents and her GP, Gabby has spent the past 18 months improving her relationship with food and comfortably gaining weight to reach a healthier balance – something that can be a struggle for people who have undergone weight loss surgery, but something she is deeply committed to.

Gabby has gone through a long weight loss journey. Picture: Supplied

Part of that journey has been embarking on study in the sports nutrition field.

“I now realise how much food is required for the body to function and to feel human,” Gabby says.

Ultimately, Gabby believes the support – both financial and emotional – that she received from her parents has been the catalyst for a whole new life.

“I’m so grateful for that ongoing family support,” she says. “It has been a lot to overcome and come to terms with, but ultimately it’s been one of the best and most challenging journeys I’ve ever been on.”

Bek Day is a freelance writer.