I was a NHS health nurse & plus-size model but I lost 9st 8lbs after humiliating plane incident – it still haunts me

FACE red with shame, I stood up as the air steward ordered: “Please move plane seats – you cannot sit in an emergency exit seat if you are wearing a seat belt extender.” A lump formed in my throat as the 100 passengers on the flight to Cyprus, including my daughter Mya, now 24, looked on – before I was forced to utter words that haunt me to this day. Since Liz Trowbridge’s surgery, she has lost 9st 8lb and now weighs 11st 13lb Credit: David Cummings Before her weight loss, Liz weighed 21st 7lb Credit: Supplied When the steward asked the man in front of me to swap seats, his annoyed wife snapped: “Why does he need to swap seats with you?”Humiliated, I replied weakly: “Because I’m too fat to sit there.” As I switched seats, I made a promise to myself there and then – I would finally address my 21st, 7lb, size 22 figure. With my BMI over 40, I was classified as obese for my 5ft 5in frame. I had been overweight from the age of 26, when my cherished dad, Dennis, died in his 60s from leukaemia, and I turned to emotional eating. To comfort myself, I would snack on five Dairy Milk chocolate bars in one sitting, trying to numb my grief as well as snacking on crisps and pastries. Over a year, I went from 11st and a size 12 to 21st 7lbs and size 22 that I have been for the last 20 years. I tried every diet under the sun, from Weight Watchers to the cabbage soup diet, but I’d lose a stone and put it back on again. Being overweight frequently made my job as an NHS GP surgery Health Care Assistant embarrassing. How could I offer patients weight loss advice during routine NHS health checks while overweight myself? Liz opted for surgery as weight loss jabs were not as common at the time Credit: Supplied When Liz was flagged as pre-diabetic and having high blood pressure, she knew her weight needed addressing Credit: David Cummings Not that my case was unusual; statistics show one in four NHS nurses is obese. According to research, long, stressful shifts can make it hard for staff to make healthy choices, and this was definitely the case with me. Against my better judgement, I relied on eating meals at our local TGI Fridays – tucking into cheesy nachos, followed by fried chicken, sides of chips and mash, and chocolate fudge cake with ice cream for dessert. I’d wash it all down with four ‘full-fat’ Cokes. That said, I worked hard to make sure being overweight did not impact the way I lived my life. When my relationship with Mya’s dad broke down in 2014, I took it in my stride and embraced single parenting. I also developed a new side hustle in plus-size modelling after winning a free photo shoot, and a haul of dresses worth £1,000, with plus-size clothing brand Scarlett and Jo. Soon, I found myself in a TV commercial for plus-size clothing store Simply Be, while fuller fashion company BloomChic used me as an ambassador from 2016, sending me £500 of gorgeous clothes every month. But when a routine doctor’s appointment in 2021 flagged that I was pre-diabetic and had high blood pressure, I realised my weight needed addressing. Coupled with the humiliating airplane incident in April 2022, I knew drastic action was needed, so I messaged a mate who had just had weight loss surgery and asked for the lowdown. She’d had a gastric sleeve, an op to remove approximately 80 per cent of her stomach, in a Turkish hospital and went from 28 stone to 12 stone. I decided it would be my best option, as it would help with portion control, and weight loss jabs weren’t common at the time. Being overweight frequently made her job as an NHS GP surgery Health Care Assistant embarrassing, says Liz Credit: Supplied Due to her surgery, Liz now suffers from Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI), which means her pancreas does not produce or release enough digestive enzymes Credit: Supplied There was a wait of approximately three years for the surgery on the NHS, so I priced up a gastric sleeve in a private UK hospital and was staggered that it could cost as much as £11,500. In contrast, getting the op done privately in a hospital in Turkey’s third largest city, Izmir, would cost £2,600. Better still, they could fit me in within months. The hospital had great reviews, and I had the money in a rainy-day savings account, ready to go. “I was aware of the risks of surgery abroad, but I had carefully read the reviews of where I was going and ensured I was going somewhere sensible.” A couple of weeks later, I was given a phone consultation with a surgeon at that hospital, and I was on a plane with a friend for moral support the following September. The enormity of surgery hit me when I landed in Turkey, but I pushed through as I was so excited for a healthy future. The procedure took approximately two hours, and I was amazed to feel no intense pain afterwards – just slightly sick. I stayed in the immaculate hospital for four nights, which was included in the cost of my operation, with a one-night hotel stay before the flight home. For the first two weeks I was on a liquid-only diet, then I moved on to soft foods like scrambled eggs. After that, I could eat small portions of anything, but I prioritised protein and lost a steady 3lb to 4lb per week. Since the surgery, I’ve lost 9st 8lb and now weigh 11st 13lb and wear a size 12 or 14, which my GP thinks is healthy for my 5ft 5in height. Before her weight loss, Liz developed a side hustle in plus-size modelling Credit: Supplied She won a free photo shoot – and a haul of dresses worth £1,000 – with plus-size clothing brand Scarlett and Jo Credit: Supplied Better still, I no longer have high blood pressure or pre-diabetes. My relationship with food has changed, too. If I go for dinner with pals, instead of eating a heavy three-course meal with puds and lots of sides, I’m happy with a healthy chicken breast and salad. There has been a medical side effect to the surgery, however. I now suffer from Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI), which means my pancreas does not produce or release enough digestive enzymes that are needed to break down food. Without these enzymes, my body cannot properly absorb nutrients, so I now permanently take Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT) pills with food to replace them. I found out after getting upset stomachs and feeling dizzy. Doctors found out following faecal samples. The condition is a recognised complication of weight-loss surgery, with one study finding that around 9 per cent of gastric sleeve patients developed EPI. But the truth is that I feel so healthy and happy that regardless of this, I would do the op again. Regardless of the side effect, Liz is happy with her decision to have the surgery Credit: David Cummings Some of Liz’s ‘friends’ deleted her on social media after her weight loss Credit: Supplied Sadly, my plus-size modelling is now a thing of the past and some of the women I met on photo shoots and considered friends have deleted me from their social media. At first, it felt like I was being shunned at the school gates, but maybe people in the plus-size community don’t know where I fit in now? No one trolled me; they simply disappeared from my life. It feels a little like they’ve turned their backs on me, but I see things in black and white and to me, this is simply a chapter that is closed. More importantly, my nursing job is so much easier now, as I can advise patients I care about without feeling like a fraud. I am proud of myself and Mya, and I even share clothes now. I have recently met a lovely man, Scott, 46, who I’ve known since my school days. Not that my size would have ever stopped me from dating, as I’ve always been confident. Friends and family have all been really positive and are really happy for me. But there is something I miss about my old body – my boobs. They look like orangutan t**s now. They hang down. Still, I don’t regret the surgery. This summer, I faced my fears and boarded a Ryanair flight for a mini break with Scott to Dublin – the first time since my surgery. I didn’t need an extender, and I wasn’t asked to move seats. It felt like a huge, happy milestone.