![\"At](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308729878-a387-e1787055438697.jpg\")
\n\t\tAt my slimmest, I was malnourished, and it took a massive toll on my mental health (Picture: Hannah Van De Peer)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tAt my slimmest, I was malnourished, and it took a massive toll on my mental health (Picture: Hannah Van De Peer)<\/p>\n
Stepping on the scales for the first time in 10 days, I saw the result I\u2019d been fearing: I\u2019d lost 21 pounds in under two weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was June 2025, and I was preparing to have my gallbladder removed. Despite the fact that I was in so much pain<\/a> and had virtually no appetite, my hospital had put me on a strict, two-week diet to shrink my liver,\u00a0to\u00a0make it easier for the surgeon to access the gallbladder itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the Ozempic<\/a> era, rapid weight loss<\/a> is seen as an overwhelmingly positive thing.\u00a0But\u00a0throughout\u00a0that diet, I was terrified of losing it too quickly, and the impact it might have on my physical and mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n Sure enough, I soon started experiencing constant fatigue, brain fog<\/a>, fragile emotions \u2013 my hairline even receded. My body wasn\u2019t getting the nutrients it needed to function at a basic level, and my brain was paying the price.\u00a0<\/p>\n Switching diets and restricting food, sadly, has become my new normal.<\/p>\n In the last two years, I\u2019ve been managing symptoms of four chronic illnesses; during which time, I\u2019ve struggled to maintain my weight. <\/p>\n At my slimmest, I was malnourished, and it took a massive toll on my mental health. I felt exhausted, quick to anger (or break down in tears) for seemingly no reason, and I was trying to push myself to function normally despite the brain fog.<\/p>\n I enjoy being a midsize, curvy woman \u2013 because fundamentally, that\u2019s what healthiness looks like to me.\u00a0But, two\u00a0years on, my weight is\u00a0still\u00a0in a constant state of fluctuation, and the tiredness I feel is second-to-none.<\/p>\n My health woes began in June 2024. Unbeknown to me,\u00a0I was living with gallbladder disease which was progressing to a dangerous level<\/a>. <\/p>\n \t\t \t\t\t\t\tAsk Metro<\/p>\n Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about \u2013 powered by Metro and trusted publications.<\/p>\n I had just one gallstone,but it was the size of a golfball and was preventing my gallbladder from working properly, which gave me frequent, excruciating pain attacks and had a domino effect on my appetite.<\/p>\n At the time, I took measures to eliminate all saturated fat and spicy food from my diet, as well as cutting down on alcohol. <\/p>\n I\u2019ve never had any desire to stigmatise food for myself \u2013\u00a0but I developed a phobia of eating socially in case I\u2019d suffer an attack while out and about.<\/p>\n Birthday meals and date nights became anxiety<\/a>-inducing \u2013 and I\u2019d often find myself leaving sooner than I wanted to. <\/p>\n My biggest fear\u00a0was \u2013 and\u00a0still is \u2013\u00a0pain, vomiting<\/a> or diarrhoea<\/a> coming out of nowhere, which happened on several occasions. I\u00a0worry\u00a0about everything from not having easy access to bathrooms, to how long I\u2019ve spent in the bathroom itself.<\/p>\n While preparing to go out for my ex-partner\u2019s birthday dinner last year, I started suffering from terrible stomach cramps<\/a> and diarrhoea \u2013 which has become my new normal \u2013 and I spent the entire Uber ride to the restaurant shaking with anxiety. <\/p>\n \u2018What if my body betrays me?\u2019 I thought. The pain wasn\u2019t just something I could ignore, it was agonising. I managed to get through it, praying no-one would notice I barely touched my meal.<\/p>\n And, of course, I lost a lot of weight.<\/p>\n \t\t To anyone else, dropping from a size 18 to 12 might seem healthy \u2013 I was even praised by a neighbour who said I looked \u2018great\u2019 \u2013 but I was getting more and more frustrated with how physically weak and tired I was, all the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gallbladder surgery was my light at the end of the tunnel. By the time I had to start my NHS-prescribed pre-op meal plan, I was already limited on food choices because of how much pain and discomfort I was in,\u00a0and\u00a0I was looking forward to being able to tuck into a gigantic roast dinner when I was well enough to do so.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, though, my health issues didn\u2019t end there.\u00a0<\/p>\n Two months post-op, I began experiencing more pain \u2013 this time at the very top, midsection of my stomach. Again, these were 10-out-of-10 on the pain scale, and would often result in violent vomiting. Sometimes it would start after a glass of wine; occasionally, it would be triggered by stress or a big, bloaty meal.<\/p>\n \t\t While my appetite wasn\u2019t necessarily smaller, I was incredibly selective about which food I \u2018allowed\u2019 myself to eat. I subscribed to anti-inflammatory\u00a0diets\u00a0and would only stick to\u00a0what I deemed to be\u00a0\u2018safe\u2019 meals.\u00a0<\/p>\n My symptoms stumped various GPs for months, and I was referred for a gastroscopy \u2013 a small camera fed through the throat, into the stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n In January 2026, I was diagnosed with stage three gastro-oesophagus reflux disease (GORD) as well as chronic oesophagitis (inflammation in my food pipe), and placed on a lifelong prescription of omeprazole, which decreases stomach acid production.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even now, I\u2019m in the middle of more abdominal investigations and a potential fourth diagnosis. Food of any type has been causing sudden, intense lower tummy cramps and diarrhoea on a daily basis for months.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t My diet \u2013 if you can call it that \u2013 has been pared down to fruit, plain carbohydrates and protein. Fibre<\/a>, while healthy and important for most, is a major trigger for me; and, without a gallbladder, I need to be careful about how frequently I tuck into a sweet treat nowadays. <\/p>\n I rarely eat takeaways and restaurants are mostly off-limits, because I need to be aware of every single ingredient.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a foodie\u00a0<\/strong>who used to feel genuinely ecstatic about trying new meals, it all feels like a bit of a cosmic joke. My chronic digestive illnesses are debilitating, and it can be exhausting trying to plan my days around them.<\/p>\n I feel like I\u2019ve lost a little part of myself \u2013 the person who used to love a morning coffee and croissant, as well as a weekly takeaway without a care in the world, is long gone.<\/p>\n Constantly having to keep an eye on my body, in case it decides to freak out, is really fatiguing \u2013 and I wish it wasn\u2019t my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n My weight is still not stable, having\u00a0recently\u00a0lost\u00a0seven\u00a0pounds\u00a0in under a month. My confidence now is tied to how physically strong I feel \u2013 all I want is to build muscle, not lose fat.\u00a0<\/p>\n And so I despair when I hear people lauding skinniness as their ultimate goal. Though I appreciate (and feel endless empathy for) those who find Ozempic helpful for existing health issues, it\u2019s hard to not feel frustrated when others treat it as a silver bullet. <\/p>\n Skinniness, often, isn\u2019t actually the pinnacle of health. That certainly hasn\u2019t been true for me.<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing izzie.price@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Hannah](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308729976-f678-e1787055548648.jpg\")
\n\t\tMy hairline even receded when I lost 21 pounds in under two weeks (Picture: Hannah Van De Peer)<\/p>\n![\"Hannah](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308729975-cb27-e1787055642714.jpg\")
\n\t\tI was getting more and more frustrated with how physically weak and tired I was (Picture: Hannah Van De Peer)<\/p>\n![\"Hannah](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308729978-49f3-e1787055398518.jpg\")
\n\t\tAt the moment, I feel like I\u2019ve lost a little part of myself (Picture: Hannah Van De Peer)<\/p>\n![\"Hannah](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_308729977-78fb-e1787055884167.jpg\")
\n\t\tMy confidence now is tied to how physically strong I feel (Picture: Hannah Van De Peer)<\/p>\n
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