A FORTY-ONE stone Brit was left devastated after doctors told them they were too big to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Morbidly obese AJ, 24, who identifies as non-binary and uses “them” and “they” pronouns, was told they might die if they went under the knife. There were also fears that AJ’s 5,000 calories-a-day habit could […]
A FORTY-ONE stone Brit was left devastated after doctors told them they were too big to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Morbidly obese AJ, 24, who identifies as non-binary and uses “them” and “they” pronouns, was told they might die if they went under the knife.
There were also fears that AJ’s 5,000 calories-a-day habit could see them dead in five years.
Now, speaking to The Sun, AJ says: “I knew if I didn’t change, I wasn’t going to see 30.”
AJ’s plight features as part of a powerful documentary on Monday night about Britain’s “shut-ins” – people so obese they rarely leave their home.
But the Channel 4 show has given AJ the opportunity to turn their life around through weight loss surgery – and they have lost a whopping 12st 8lb since.
Now, AJ has opened up on how they transformed their life.
They say: “I’ve lost the equivalent of a whole other human being. It blows your mind… I feel quite proud of myself.”
Not only that, their hopes of having gender reassignment surgery in the future now seem possible.
AJ – who used to be called Amy and started identifying as non binary four years ago – struggled with their weight from a young age.
By 14, they weighed 15st and were badly bullied at school over their size.
AJ sought comfort in food and fizzy drinks – eating up to 12 teacakes and six litres of cola a day – and by the time they left school aged 16, their weight had shot up to 25st.
The programme, Shut-Ins: Britain’s Fattest People, shows how virtual recluse AJ – who has never worked because of their size – spent up to 19 hours a day on a mattress on the living room floor at the home they share with mum Sharon, 44, in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.
AJ says: “I basically became stuck inside because my weight went up and up.
“If I ever went out, people would give me looks and you’d know what they were thinking.
“I’d stay in all day, every day. It was quite lonely. I didn’t have any friends. It was just me and my mum against the world.”
AJ’s mum Sharon, who is separated from AJ’s dad Thomas, 54, had to help with basic tasks, such as showering.
She also had to sleep next to AJ because the excess weight put pressure on their airways.
Speaking on the documentary, Sharon, who is unemployed, says: “My role is mother to a giant baby.”
Most days AJ would consume 5,000 calories but they admit: “I never felt hungry. I ate to survive.
“My mum would put the food in front of me and I’d eat it. I guess it was boredom.”
AJ applied for weight loss surgery on the NHS but they say they were turned down because their health was not deemed a high enough risk.
They say: “The NHS declined because I didn’t have diabetes and then because I wasn’t dying basically.
“It’s not as easy as people think to lose weight. The surgery was my lifeline. I needed that restriction.”
My mum would put the food in front of me and I’d eat it. I guess it was boredom.
AJ
And in another blow, AJ was told gender reassignment surgery was considered too dangerous because of their weight.
AJ says: “I want the first stage, a mastectomy and a hysterectomy. It’s something I’ve always wanted so it was a real kick in the teeth to be told no.”
AJ adds: “It was like a lose, lose situation. I felt like I was never going to get a chance or a break.”
But they were thrown a lifeline when the Channel 4 show arranged for them to have a gastric sleeve operation in February 2020 – a procedure that costs around £15,000 privately.
Before surgery, AJ had to take part in therapy as well as losing 5st on a special 800-calorie a day diet.
They say: “It was quite challenging at times, but I was determined to do it.”
Initially, AJ could only eat up to 20 teaspoons of pureed food a day after the operation, before slowly reintroducing solids back into their diet.
They add: “It’s not a quick fix and you have to work with it. You can’t over eat.”
AJ now weighs 28st 9lb and is continuing to shed the pounds.
They say: “I’ve been told I need to wait for my gender reassignment surgery because testosterone injections can increase your appetite.
“They want me to lose a bit more weight. But I know it is there and that motivates me.”
AJ is no longer confined to the house. They have started to learn to drive and the animal lover hopes one day to set up a dog chauffeuring business. And they are thankful for being given the chance to transform their life.
AJ says: “If I’d have waited to have weight loss surgery on the NHS I would have been dead.
“It’s saved my life and changed my life in a big way… It’s like I’m a Phoenix rising from the ashes.”
