A woman has gone viral on TikTok after debuting her incredible weight loss within only five weeks – but not everyone agrees with the risky procedure.

Lauren Evens, 29, from Chester, has struggled with her weight since childhood and claims she built an unhealthy relationship with food after the passing of her dad in 1999.

Growing up, she recalls being called names while in theatre school, such as “fat dancer” and being told: "You would be so much prettier if you lost weight" where she claims to have been enrolled in a “fat camp” later in life.

After suffering from her mental health, as well as being in a toxic relationship, she finally made the decision to overhaul her lifestyle and shift the pounds.

At her heaviest, she weighed  22 st 10lbs.

But, after trying various diets, she struggled to lose weight and decided to opt for gastric sleeve surgery, where a large part of the stomach is removed, in Turkey – costing £2,000.

“My weight could’ve killed me in years to come,” she told NeedToKnow.Online.

"My mental health was [quite low] and being obese isn't healthy physically, so it would've caused many other health issues down the line.

“I knew there were risks, but there are with any surgery and it was a risk I was willing to take.

“I did loads of research and a lovely lady called Irem looked after me.

“The hospitals are like five-star hotels and you get seen very quickly.

“All the preoperative tests were really good and now, I feel so much happier and confident in myself and my body.

“Before I was severely mentally low and after my dad died in a plane crash when I was six, I grew an unhealthy relationship with food and would use this as comfort.

“Nothing worked, no matter what diet I tried.

“Then, when I turned 29, I decided I didn’t want to be 30 and fat, so I took the plunge and booked it.”

After the surgery in July 2022 and five weeks of recovery, she claims to have lost over 11st and now weighs 11 st – halving her body weight.

In a bid to show her transformation, she decided to upload a video on TikTok documenting the process, racking up 3.8 million views and over 156,000 likes.

She begins showing herself before wearing underwear, and before taking viewers along the journey.

Lauren then clips to a video of her only a few weeks after the surgery while wearing a vest top and tight leggings.

Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many praising the mum of Reese, eight and Lottie, seven, for her transparency.

“Wow, good for you!” one viewer commented.

Another person said: “Proud of u girl,” followed by three love heart emojis. [sic]

“You look amazing and you look so so happy,” user Nikki O’Hagan commented.

Someone else added: “Omg so happy for you your glowing you look amazing.” [sic]

Others warned of the dangers, with user Colette Beesley saying: “I see all the amazing results and then see the horror stories sometime after surgery too.”

“Sleeve. You can never ever reverse it when it goes bad…” someone else added.

Now, she plans on going back to Turkey next year to get any loose skin removed – but claims the procedure has been “life-changing.”

She added: “The surgery has changed my life, and my confidence and I have grown so much as a person.

“The only regret I have is that I wish I did it years ago.

“I am made up, as so many people give me compliments.

“My friends and family have been really supportive and they’re just happy I’m happy.

“I realised I needed to love myself before anyone else could love me and I have worked on my self-love for the past six months.

“I’m very happy now and maybe I’ll have somebody who makes me smile even more, and actually appreciates my body.

“I have taken the jump to better my health and future, which makes me so proud of myself and how far I’ve come.”

ENDS

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