Consultant Bariatric Surgeon Shaw Somers, who practices at BMI The Clementine Churchill Hospital and BMI The Hampshire Clinic, has helped Britain’s fattest man Paul Masonregain his mobility and lose over 20 stone with a gastric bypass operation at St Richard's Hospital in West Sussex. Paul’s journey, including consultation and surgery with Mr Somers, was captured by documentary film makers from Channel 4 and is being shown on TV this January.
The documentary follows Paul, who made headlines around the world in 2009 when it was revealed he was the world’s heaviest man, as he looks to save his life. His addiction to food saw his weight increase to an estimate 60-70 stone, leaving him bedbound for more than a decade. Mr Somers, who has performed more than 2,000 gastric band and stomach bypass operations, became involved in Paul’s treatment in December 2009, because of his expertise and pioneering work in the field of weight loss surgery.
After several consultations with Mr Somers, the documentary charts Paul’s surgical treatment in which he receives a gastric bypass. Gastric bypass is an effective, surgical weight loss procedure that restrict the amount of food patients like Paul are able to eat. After the surgery, Paul’s calorie intake went from over 20,000 calories to just 2,000 calories allowing Paul to achieve substantial, long-term weight loss and regain control over his life. After the operation, it took just 6 weeks for Paul to begin eating normal food and he has since started to regain his mobility while losing more than 20 stone in weight.
“While Paul’s story is an extreme example of the rising obesity in the UK it highlights the looming health issues faced in the UK.” Mr Somers commented. “Everyday in my practice, I see the devastating impact obesity can have on people’s health and quality of life. I hope that programmes like this Channel 4 documentary help alert people to the dangers they face if they don’t take more positive steps to improve their diet and exercise more”.
Select a suggestion below...