PAYING for her shopping at the supermarket checkout, Amy Salmon turned to see an old friend in the queue.
“Hello,” she said cheerily, but the friend stared at her blankly – and there was an astonishing reason why.
After a gastric sleeve surgery overseas and a series of tweakments, Amy Salmon is unrecognisable compared to her previous self Credit: Lorna Roach
Amy shed 9st and is now half her former size Credit: Jam Press/@amysaidit
Amy had lost so much weight, she was unrecognisable. And it is hardly surprising.
After overseas and a series of , 5ft 4in Amy is now half her former size – a trim 9st and a size 6-8, down from 18st and size 22.
Her sensible blonde bob has been replaced by swishy, dark brown locks and even her skin has changed.
Once dull and puffy, it is now smooth and clear, thanks to regular and microneedling facials.
The shapeless maxi dresses that once shrouded her body have been replaced by figure-hugging shorts and sexy bandeau tops.
Quite simply, Amy, 32, looks like a new woman. And after a painful split from the father of her two sons, now four and two, she has also bagged herself a new man.
“When I see old photos of myself, I feel emotional,” says Amy, who runs an aesthetics business and lives in Hertfordshire. “I think: ‘Oh my God, how was that ever me?’
“It’s been a whole rebrand and I’ve entered a new chapter in my life.
“I definitely have noticed more attention from men, too. They approach me more and chat me up.”
While there are no official figures on how many women travel abroad for , The British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS) estimates that around 5,000 people a year may be undergoing bariatric surgery overseas.
Prior to her life-changing op, Amy had struggled with her weight for most of her life.
“I’d eat family-sized bars of Dairy Milk and big share bags of Maltesers,” she says.
Amy pictured before weight loss and a series of tweakments to her face Credit: Jam Press/@amysaidit
Amy injected herself with so-called skin boosters, Botox and chin filler twice a year Credit: Jam Press/@amysaidit
“Or I’d go to the bakery and get a pack of four jam doughnuts and eat them all.
“I’d eat takeaways all the time, like McDonald’s and pizza. If I had a rubbish day I’d eat, and if I felt happy I’d eat.”
Desperate to break the cycle, Amy tried every diet under the sun – Slimming World, weight loss shakes and even
“I took for three months from December 2024, but I didn’t get on with it at all,” says Amy.
“It made me feel really sick and I only lost a few pounds.”
The turning point was the collapse of her ten-year relationship with her partner, the father of her two sons, at the beginning of 2024.
“I’d reached an all-time low and wasn’t living the life I wanted,” she says.
“I knew something had to change – not just how I looked, but how I felt.
“I’d struggled with my confidence for a long time and often felt stressed and unhappy.”
Desperate to break the cycle, Amy tried every diet under the sun Credit: Jam Press/@amysaidit
Amy underwent a three-hour gastric sleeve operation to remove 80 per cent of her stomach Credit: Jam Press/@amysaidit
Amy felt that only drastic action would work and looked into gastric sleeve surgery.
“A couple of my clients recommended a surgeon in Egypt who they’d been to,” she says.
“He’s based in Alexandria, but 80-90 per cent of his clients are from England and he trained over here.”
In June 2024, Amy flew to Egypt alone. The surgery, which in the UK can set you back anything between £8,500 and £14,000, cost £3,200, plus an extra £1,000 for flights and accommodation.
“It was a big thing to do, leaving my two children behind with their dad,” says Amy.
“I was hesitant about doing it because I’ve read plenty of stories about botched surgeries, but I did my own research and felt reassured.”
Shortly after arrival, Amy underwent a three-hour gastric sleeve operation to remove 80 per cent of her stomach.
Prior to her life-changing op, Amy had struggled with her weight for most of her life Credit: Jam Press/@amysaidit
Amy wants to get a boob job and have a tummy tuck next Credit: Jam Press/@amysaidit
“I was so nervous, but it was a breeze and went really well,” she says. “I had a smooth recovery and I’ve had no problems since.”
As soon as she returned home, Amy felt compelled to shake up her look.
“The short blonde bob didn’t suit me, so I had 22-inch dark brown extensions put in,” she says. “They cost £600, but it was worth it. I love them.”
With a vastly reduced stomach, Amy felt fuller more quickly and began eating healthily.
She says: “A typical day might include eggs on sourdough, or Greek yoghurt with protein and berries for breakfast, chicken with salad or an omelette for lunch, and lean meat or fish with vegetables for dinner.
“Before, I’d have skipped breakfast and had a sugary coffee, followed by a sausage roll or a shop-bought sandwich for lunch and either a takeaway or an oven pizza for dinner.”
Amy still allowed herself the occasional treat, but instead of a family sized bar of Dairy Milk, she’d have a Fredo.
It was a sensible approach, as studies estimate that 30-35 per cent of gastric sleeve patients regain “significant” amounts of weight within five to ten years.
“You have to be mindful,” she says.
“Gastric sleeve surgery is not a permanent fix and it’s possible to stretch your stomach again.”
She also hit the gym, signing up for reformer Pilates classes before moving on to weight training.
Next, she turned her attention to her face, injecting herself with so-called skin boosters.
Amy admits she still gets a few double takes these days Credit: Lorna Roach
While losing weight doesn’t automatically fix every problem in your life, Amy says it has boosted her mental health Credit: Jam Press/@amysaidit
“You can inject anywhere – and I do,” she says. “Under the eyes, lower face, sometimes the neck and jowl area.
“I’d inject a skin booster of hyaluronic acid at the start of the month and two weeks later inject my face with polynucleotides – made from salmon sperm – which is said to improve wrinkles, collagen production and elasticity.
“Because I work in the aesthetics business, I’d pay cost price, which is about £50 per injection.
“My skin soon started looking younger, plumper and healthier.”
Eight months after her surgery, in February 2025, Amy began to notice fat loss in her face. Feeling she looked gaunt and older than her years, she started giving herself microneedling facials to “plump up the skin”.
She also continued to inject herself with Botox every three to four months and had chin filler twice a year, which she says makes her profile “more feminine”.
“When I was overweight, my face looked puffy and tired – older than I actually was,” says Amy.
“Now people say I look younger than my age, with some assuming I’m only 25.”
After a year, Amy had lost an incredible 9st – half her body weight – and finally had the confidence to wear the sort of clothes she used to avoid.
“Two years ago you would not catch me in a pair of shorts,” she says.
“But now I could wear shorts and a tight bandeau top and feel good about it.”
It’s no coincidence that Amy soon began a new relationship with Aaron, a 42-year-old laser tattoo removal specialist.
“We met a year ago when I was getting a tattoo removed, which was another part of my rebranding,” says Amy, who has been sharing her journey on , where her videos have gained over a million views.
“A year later, we’re still going strong.”
However, Amy’s transformation is not quite over.
She has already had laser treatment on her stomach, to tighten the loose skin left by her weight loss, but there is more serious surgery on the horizon, too.
“My boobs are also very saggy, so a boob job will be next,” Amy says.
“That and a tummy tuck are the two procedures I still want to do. I’m just not financially able to do it just yet.”
Unsurprisingly, Amy gets quite a few double takes these days.
“A few weeks ago I bumped into a friend in Sainsbury’s. She said: ‘I didn’t recognise you, you look completely different.’
“Comments like that take me aback every time.”
While losing weight doesn’t automatically fix every problem in your life, Amy says it has boosted her mental .
“I had zero confidence, no self-esteem,” she says. “Now I don’t just look like a different person, I am a different person.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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