Comfort eater loses 11 stone without gastric surgery after realising 'something in my head needed fixing not my stomach'

• Fie Friedrichsen, 23, from Denmark, weighed 22 stone at her heaviest
• She was ridiculed by a stranger and believes fat people are misunderstood
• Fie turned down gastric band and dropped from 22st to 11st without op
• She needed surgery to remove sagging skin following weight loss

By Lauren Brown For Mailonline

Published: 02:29 EST, 15 September 2015 | Updated: 04:03 EST, 15 September 2015

A 22st woman who lost half her body weight after turning down gastric surgery has condemned fat shaming and says obese people are misunderstood.

Fie Friedrichsen, 23, from Frederikssund in Denmark dropped from a size 30 to a size ten and believes others can do the same.

She says her weight battle started aged five after her parents' divorce and admits she had 'deep issues with food'.

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Fie Friedrichsen, 23, from Frederikssund, Denmark, lost half her body weight and dropped from a size 30 to size ten through exercise and a 'common sense' diet

Fie's weight loss left her with sagging skin around her tummy, back and thighs. She had surgery to have the excess skin removed

Fie, who is 5ft 8in, said: 'Obesity is still such a big worldwide health issue and it's not because people are lazy. 

'Most of the time it's because of some deeper inner issues, self hatred, self-denial and traumas dealt with through food becoming a comfort.' 

At her heaviest, Fie consumed up to 8,000 calories a day and started each day with three giant chocolate muffins for breakfast. But she said that evening snacking was her worst habit.

She said: 'I would snack almost none stop after having dinner. I always ate until the food was literally up to my throat but I couldn't stop.'

Aged 19, she felt much older with aching joints and chronic back pain. Her wardrobe consisted of baggy black sweaters and she was so self-conscious she barely left her home.

She was humiliated by fat shamers in public and told of one particularly embarrassing experience while on holiday.

Fie who was called a 'fat cow' at school and ridiculed by a stranger while on holiday says obese people are misunderstood and need compassion not fat shaming

Fie said: 'A guy came right at me yelling "Why are you so fat? Danish people like eating a lot of sausages!" before telling me I looked like someone in their fifties.'

'People judged me and found me disgusting because of my size. It's devastating how people only see a fat person rather than the fragile and sensitive person behind the weight. 

'Most people think it's because you're lazy, stupid and not able to take care of yourself. But it's not always about that. It's about having deep issues with food.' 

Fie's weight problems began when she was five and her parents divorced.

She said: 'I was always the big kid in class. I was bullied and people threw things at me while walking home from school and yelled "You should stop eating so many cakes you fat cow".'

Her mother Charlotte, encouraged Fie to diet but she was too young to understand the consequences of overeating.

She said: 'I was depressed and tried to eat the pain away. Food was all I had to comfort me. The worse I felt, the more I ate.' 

Fie's doctor told her she was likely to develop diabetes and probably wouldn't make it past 40 unless she changed her ways. She was offered a gastric bypass but turned it down and lost weight through willpower

It wasn't until she started to develop sleep apnoea and visited her doctor that Fie was forced to confront her weight.

She said: 'I finally stepped on the scales after avoiding them for years and I got the shock of my life. I was 22st. I didn't expect to be that big. I was very good at self-denial.'

'The doctor told me it was only a matter of time before I developed diabetes and if I continued the way I was I probably wouldn't live past 40.'

'It was a huge wake-up call. I'd put myself in a seriously dangerous position and felt horrible about it.'

Fie was just 19 at the time but the doctor offered her a gastric bypass.

She said: 'I'd read a lot of bad things about the surgery and wasn't willing to take the risk. I knew my problem was emotional. Something in my head needed to be fixed not my stomach.'

Fie says she went home and cried her eyes out to her mother.

She said: 'It told Mum I was ready to make serious changes. I was finally ready for this fight no matter what it took.' 

'I desperately wanted to get out of this fat body I was trapped in. It was holding me back in every situation in life.' 

Fie's weight loss left her with sagging skin but after surgery to have it removed she feels more confident with her new 11st body

Fie was determined to lose the weight through healthy diet and exercise.

She said: 'I wanted to take responsibility for myself and take full control once and for all. It was my life and no one else could do this for me.' 

The first step was clearing out the cupboards. Chocolate bars and sweets were binned and replaced with healthy fruit and nuts. 

Fie cut her 8,000 calories a day intake to 1,500 and started doing aerobics in her living room.

Within two weeks she'd lost more than a stone and the weight continued to drop off.

Fie took up dancing, boxing and running and after two years had shrunk from 22st to 11st. However she was left with loose skin hanging from her tummy, back and thighs.

She said: 'I looked like an 80-year-old. The skin was hanging and after a period of feeling sad about it, I decided on surgery to get the excess skin removed.'

Fie, now a slender size ten, is studying nutrition and is passionate about encouraging other obese people to lose weight. She says willpower is like a muscle, 'the more you use it the stronger it becomes'

Fie has now maintained her size 10 frame for two years now and follows the simple principle of low carb, low sugar, low fat.

She said: 'I still eat sweets and chocolate. I just watch my overall daily intake of food. I use good common sense rather than a diet plan. Everything in moderation!' 

'My life has changed in every way possible. I can now fit in an airplane seat and sit in a plastic chair without breaking it. And I can wear exactly what I want.'

'The best thing is I now know that I can do whatever I put my mind to. I'm so proud of myself for overcoming something I always found impossible.'

Fie is now studying nutrition and wants to inspire other people to lose weight. 

She said: 'I know it can seem like an endless battle but I don't have more willpower than others and I managed to do it. Willpower is like a muscle. The more you use it the stronger it becomes.'

'I know what obesity and self-hatred can do to you. I know how horrible it feels and I don't want anyone else to feel that way.'

'Some people love themselves even though they are overweight and I admire that. But for me the weight had such negative consequences that I had to do something about it.'

'It breaks my heart seeing how the majority of people give up on themselves because I was close to doing that too several times. People should know how much they are capable of and how much potential they have.' 

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