Carolyn Bowles had struggled with her weight ever since she was a child.
She had tried every diet out there but to no avail.
However, the Dublin woman has now shed a massive 16 stone and her life has transformed for the better.
Read more:Kerry woman Lorraine Harney dropped over five stone in preparation for her wedding
Speaking to RSVP Live, Carolyn said: "I have been struggling with my weight ever since I can remember.
"I have literally done everything; I was attending a dietician when I was seven and eight, and then I was in Weight Watchers when I was 10... I've tried every single diet and food plan and exercise you can think of. I've done it all and nothing ever worked long term.
"When I was 19, my GP suggested attending a bariatric clinic with the potential of having bariatric surgery. I had it in my head that I could do it myself, but I couldn't. Then February last year, I said enough is enough and started looking into surgery."
For Carolyn, she was unable to lose weight naturally due to her mental issues with food. Weight loss surgery was just a tool to kick start her physical and mental transformation into being a healthier person.
"I had an emotional dependency on food," she admitted. "If I was happy, I ate, if I was sad, I ate, if I was going to celebrate, I would eat, if I was commiserating, I would eat."
Now over a year on from her surgery, Carolyn has dropped 12 and a half stone from the date of the surgery and 16 stone from her heaviest weight. She feels so much more freedom in doing day to day things now she is no longer carrying that weight around all day everyday.
"For example, I just went to collect an outfit I had ordered for in-store collection," she said. "When I was in that shop, I saw something I liked and I was able to just buy it off the rack, in a normal shop. Then going into Penneys, I was able to buy matching Christmas pyjamas for me and my mam. I've never been able to do that before.
"I had so many little daily worries that wouldn't have entered anyone else's head but because I have lived my whole life in a bigger body, they were my daily thoughts. I'm actually able to move and do things."
You can keep up with Carolyn's journey on her Instagram here.
Get the latest RSVP headlines straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this LINK to receive your daily dose of RSVP Live content. We also treat our community members to wonderful competitions, promotions, along with great stories. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice
