Mum loses 80lbs after GP’s shocking comment changed her life

A Bradford mum has been left stunned by her GP’s brutal weight loss advice which ultimately led her to shed 80lbs. Kelly Cawthra had been seeing a doctor about her weight problems and was shocked when her doctor suggested: “If I locked you in a cell for a year without food, would you lose weight?”

The 43-year-old, who runs KL Beauty and Aesthetics in Cleckheaton, had been battling her curves since giving birth to her first child in 2000, with her weight yo-yoing despite various diet and exercise attempts. After peaking at 16st 11lbs after her pregnancy, Kelly admitted: “I tried various diets and exercise programmes but nothing seemed to work,” expressing frustration at the fleeting nature of her early dieting successes.

Kelly followed the Weight Watchers program and managed to lose 40 pounds, but the victory was short-lived as the restrictive diets allowed her to gain it back. She recalled the experience, saying, “I was able to lose a lot of weight at one point, but I slowly gained it back because the diets were so restrictive,” noting the emotional toll it took on seeing her progress stall.

She explained: “It turned out that my portion sizes were the problem. I didn’t realise how much I was eating. I enjoyed eating and drinking, and I didn’t think my diet was that bad.”

After years of struggling with her weight and unsuccessful yo-yo dieting, Kelly sought help from her GP in the hope of getting a referral for bariatric surgery, given her obese BMI of 37.9. However, she received a response that left her feeling disappointed and disheartened, Yorkshire Live reports.

Recalling the encounter, she said: “I asked if he could do bariatric surgery, but he refused. He asked me, ‘If I locked you in a cell for a year and didn’t feed you, would you lose weight?'”

“I was shocked. It was so dismissive and unnecessary. I left the meeting feeling completely demoralized. But that moment also lit a fire inside me. I wanted to prove him wrong, to show him that I had the strength and determination to achieve my goals on my own terms.”

The turning point came when one of Kelly’s clients walked into her salon with a noticeably slimmer figure. Intrigued by the dramatic change, Kelly asked, “She had lost a lot of weight, and I couldn’t wait to know her secret,” Kelly said.