By Scott Thompson
THIS WOMAN didnât realise she was âOBESEâ until she saw a picture of herself at a family wedding â leading her to lose THIRTEEN STONE in THIRTEEN MONTHS.
Executive assistant Kaity Petulla (36) from Howard Beach, New York, USA was completely oblivious to how much weight sheâd piled on over the years even though she ate an âunlimitedâ amount of calories every day.
With a daily routine of eating extra-large meals, particularly at night, and zero exercise, Kaity managed to tip the scales at a very heavy 26st 10lb and wore a dress size 30.
At that weight she wasnât able to shop for clothes she really wanted, instead she had to go to specialist stores that stocked size 30 clothes.
Even though people made comments about her weight she still continued to ignore how bad things were.
That was until June 2018, when Kaity dressed up for a family wedding and she believed that she looked beautiful that day. As weddings go, lots of photos were taken to remember the celebration, then when Kaity saw the pictures of herself she was absolutely gobsmacked.
She realised she wasnât just a little overweight, but obese. Suddenly Kaity started to think about her life and knew she wanted a long and healthy one. So, she started to make some drastic changes in her life.
Kaity tried a few different diet plans but she wasnât getting the results she needed. So, in November 2018 she had a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Through a combination of diet, exercise and her surgery she has now lost an incredible 12st 12lb in just 13 months. She now weighs 13st 12lb and wears a dress size 12 but she is still losing weight.
âThe main factor for my weight gain was poor eating habits; I was constantly eating out and having large meals, often as my last meal before bed. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to,â Kaity said.
âThere were lots of high calorie, high fat greasy meals like bacon, cheeseburgers, pizzas, fries, egg and cheese burgers, hash browns, salad drowning in dressing and loaded with cheese and numerous snacks through the day.
âTo top it off I washed it all down with soda, but the funny thing was that I wouldnât have sugar with my coffee because I thought it was just too much. Itâs kind of comical really, looking back.
âIt didnât help that I had never exercised either. I took our dog for a walk sometimes but that was the only exercise I really did. At my heaviest I couldnât walk into just any store for my clothes, I had to go to special plus size ones. Choices are very limited in both selection and availability for someone who is 26st 10lb.
âPeople would say âyou have a pretty face for a big girlâ and once someone else said âyou should really watch your weightâ. But I ignored it, I was in a state of ignorance until I attended a family wedding.
âIâd dressed up for it and I thought I looked really good that day, that was until I saw the wedding photos. Itâs not like I hadnât seen photos of myself before, but these absolutely shocked me.
âI realised I was very overweight. No, not overweight, obese. I didnât want to be like that for the rest of my life. I wanted a live a long and healthy life and I knew I needed to change.
âI tried such as meat free, high fat, low fat and diet pills and none of them were working out for me so in November 2018 I decided to have LSG weight loss surgery at New York Bariatric Group. It certainly isnât the easy way out as many people think it is. You have to be physically and mentally prepared for it and it takes a lot of hard work and determination after the operation.
âMy diet has changed drastically and I now nourish my body with low carb, low fat, low sugar and low sodium foods and all my meats are lean. Post-surgery my stomach is much smaller than it used to be so I measure out my meals and they usually weigh from 125g to 155g each. I also drink about 2.5 litres of water every day.
âThrough doing these things consistently I have managed to lose 12st 12lb in just thirteen months and Iâm still losing weight now. Iâm currently at 13st 12lb.â
Kaity said that her support network has been incredibly important in her weight loss journey. She said her husband Frank (39)Â has been incredibly supportive and he himself went on to have weight loss surgery and has already lost over 8st 8lb.
Although she is still losing weight and has been suffering with the effects of excess skin from extreme rapid weight loss, Kaity says that her life is completely unrecognisable to how it was before. She says the key to success are small steps built up over time and a little determination.
âI do have some excess skin in my stomach and abdomen area, as well as my thighs and arms. I have had some consultations to have these removed but I am still losing weight so that will be the next phase of my journey. Iâll continue to do my research and work hard until then,â Kaity said.
âMy support network has been amazing. All of my friends and family have been really rooting for me. My husband Frank is my biggest supporter. He even went on to lose over 8st 8lb himself after having LSG surgery in February 2019. He has been simply amazing.
âPeople are shocked to see my transformation. To lose 12st 12lb in thirteen months can really change your appearance very quickly.
âMy quality of life is off the charts now; since losing the weight I have been so much more active. Iâve had three holidays, Iâve been to twenty concerts and Broadway shows, and Iâve seen several sports games.
âIâm really making up for those times I couldnât go. I was always confident before but now I just feel even more so. I simply love my second lease on life.
âJust start right now, today. Do not wait. Even if you just make the smallest change. Perhaps you can start by meal prepping instead of eating out.
âMaybe you can start by going for a short walk once a day and build this up over time. If you have been thinking about weight loss surgery as an option or would like more information, do some research and donât be embarrassed about seeing your doctor. Again, this tool, accompanied with hard work and determination can be a life saver, it was for me.â
You can follow Kaityâs story on Instagram
