Obesity in Lincolnshire costs NHS thousands of pounds
Figures released by the Department of Health reveal that 73 Lincolnshire patients have undergone the knife as a last resort to tackle their obesity.
The surgery is known to be risky to vastly overweight patients – but the extent of their obesity means that few will survive without it.
Andrew Mather (47), formerly of Friskney, near Boston, weighed in at 44 stone prior to undergoing a gastric bypass operation in 2006.
Mr Mather now weighs 18 stone and has set up Bodyblitz, his own weight loss clinic in Skegness.
"I knew I was never going to reach 50 if I did not have the operation," said Mr Mather.
"But I'm a totally new person now and am literally less than half the man I used to be.
"I did not want to go out because of the abuse I used to get from people on the streets.
"I went from a 78 inch waist to 38 inch.
"Surgery gave me my life back. But it's not a magic cure as surgery alone does not lose the weight.
"It is a tool that will enable you to change your life."
Mr Mather, who has since moved to Fulstow, near Grimsby, said he was always a chubby child but started piling on the weight in his adult life.
"My problem was eating at the wrong times, eating the wrong foods and a bit of genetic make-up as the whole family is large," he said.
"The thing is that there should be help available on the NHS before you get to the stage I did."
The county's first extra-strong ambulance was delivered to Lincoln's South Park ambulance station in November.
The vehicle which cost £100,000 has extra strong stretchers and a tailgate capable of bearing up to 55 stones in weight.
The special ambulance has been called out 17 times over the past six months.
For more on the cost of obesity to the county's NHS, see Thursday's Echo.
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