'I was so fat I was banned from holiday, now I win beauty pageants'

A mum of three lost 154lbs after having gastric band surgery and found herself so filled with new confidence she entered a beauty contest - and came second. Effy Murphy underwent gastric sleeve surgery three years ago after being told she was too overweight to be granted a visa to visit New Zealand.

Effy, 37, said her food addiction at the time was "ridiculous" and that she would constantly eat, washing high-fat meals down with sugar-loaded drinks. She said: she would eat two takeaways a day, snacking on junk food in between, and was it all down with sugary soft drinks.

The crunch came when Effy's weight issues caused her problems when she attempted to travel to New Zealand with her children and then-husband. The country's government refused her visa application, citing her weight as a "health risk".

With only three months to reapply, Effy turned to the "Shake diet" and lost 42 pounds (19kg), allowing her to enter the country. However, things didn't go as planned, and Effy's marriage soon ended.

Depressed, she gained back the weight she'd lost and then some, leading her to explore a more drastic option. In June 2019, Effy underwent gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey, which involved removing 90% of her stomach to curb her hunger – and cost £2,550.

Gastric sleeve surgery, also known as sleeve gastrectomy, is typically recommended for people who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher, or a BMI of 35 or higher with obesity-related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or sleep apnea.

It may also be recommended for people who have not been successful with other weight loss methods, such as diet and exercise. After the surgery, patients typically follow a strict diet and exercise regimen to help promote weight loss and ensure proper healing.

The diet typically consists of liquids and pureed foods for several weeks, followed by gradually reintroducing solid foods. Effy said: "It was daunting, but it was the best thing I ever did. And I would do it all over again."

However, she also warned that "such a drastic transformation" can elicit mixed reactions from people. "You really have to be mentally prepared for it because it's a huge change, and everything changes. It's not just your physical appearance, but everybody around you changes as to how they cope with the new you.

"They're so used to you being the funny fat friend that the changes might bring out their insecurities in themselves then because they see you doing so well. It's a tough one."

Effy also added that dieting is still a factor because it is "no easy battle" after the surgery. "It's all a learning process. It takes months to get used to it. It's basically like living with a newborn baby's stomach. You're introducing the liquids, the baby food, and then you're back on solids after three months.

"You're finding foods you had eaten before, you can't eat, or things don't agree with you [as before]." In December 2022, Effy had skin removal procedures again in Turkey.

She said: "I put a lot of effort into myself mentally, to be honest, just losing the weight and then setting targets for the year ahead. It's a mental battle. I'll be honest with you from the start - even now, I'm still mentally all over the place."

Despite the challenges, Effy now has more energy and can play with her children, Aisling, Cian, and Ollie, go for walks on the beach, and put her socks on, something she couldn't do before.

She's also won numerous pageant titles, including Mrs Ireland 2017 and Mrs International Curve 2018. Effy even finished runner-up in the Regency International Pageant in Las Vegas.

She said: "When people think about pageants, they think about Toddlers & Tiaras, but that's just the controversial side of it to sell stories and produce good TV. Behind it all, there's a lot of charity work, and the community is amazing.

"Everyone keeps in touch after the events. I have friends now in America and Australia — and it's not just skinny blonde women. There are women of colour, queens, transgender people, it's open to all."

Effy said she hopes to continue sharing her story to motivate others struggling with their weight. "It's incredible," she said. "Even the emotional side of things has improved significantly."