A YORK woman has lost ten stones - nearly a third of her body weight - after undergoing a risky stomach bypass operation.

Mother-of-two Mandy Cole, 43, of Fulford Cross, York, said her life-long weight problem became so severe she could not walk properly and was registered disabled.

She also feared that the strain on her body would kill her within a year - or lead her to take her own life.

Following the drastic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operation at York Hospital nine months ago, when her stomach capacity was radically reduced, Mrs Cole's weight dropped from 27 stones to 17 stones. Her dress size tumbled from 34 to 20 and she is no longer diabetic.

She is now unable to eat the large amounts of food that led to her gaining so much weight from childhood, a problem that spiralled when her father died when she was aged 11, and she said the 12-inch scar down her stomach was a small price to pay.

Now Mrs Cole wants her story to give hope to other unhappy overweight people. She said: "I was so desperate to have the operation done I didn't feel nervous. When you want something so much you forget about the risks. I had nothing to lose. The operation took three hours and I was taken to intensive care for a day, but only because it took five people to lift me and I needed one-to-one care. I was up the next day though.

"The operation has changed my life. The last holiday I went on to Lanzarote was a nightmare. I had to pay for an extra plane seat, I couldn't pop in and out of the apartment because of the steps and everyone had to fetch things for me. Now I am looking forward to a holiday this year when I won't have to make any special arrangements - just enjoy myself."

Mrs Cole could eat nothing for a week after the operation, followed by a month of liquids only, before introducing small amounts of food. She visits the gym three times a week and walks most days and is hoping to lose another two stones before she visits the hospital in April - a year after the operation. She said: "The kids think they have got a new mum, I can do so much more now. This operation saved my life."

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery helps patients lose weight by causing them to feel full after eating a small amount of food, making them unable to tolerate foods high in refined sugars and fats and reducing the amount of calories absorbed by the body.

Mrs Cole's surgeon Glenn Miller said patients had a one per cent chance of not surviving the operation - less risky than open heart surgery - and could face problems with vitamin and mineral intake. But he said the operation also reversed many obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol and joint problems.

He said: "Most patients lose half of their starting body weight. They keep losing weight until the calories they are taking in are sufficient for their new weight. It works out that they take in 700 to 800 calories a day and we encourage them to drink milk and take vitamin, calcium and iron supplements.

Updated: 10:17 Thursday, January 29, 2004