Barnsley woman loses 12 stone and now gets chatted up by toyboys HALF her age

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Paula Howson, from Barnsley, weighed nearly 23 stone and was a size 26
Dinner lady gorged on school lunches and was called 'fatty' by strangers
The 43-year-old dropped seven dress sizes after an NHS gastric bypass

Published: 08:13 EST, 14 October 2015 | Updated: 08:37 EST, 14 October 2015

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A 22 stone grandma who was heckled for her size has lost more than half her body weight after undergoing a gastric bypass.

Paula Howson, 43, from Bolton upon Dearne, Barnsley revealed how men used to shout 'You fat cow!' at her from their cars, or whisper nasty comments to their friends on nights out.

But after losing 11st 10lbs and dropping seven dress sizes following an NHS-funded gastric bypass in 2010, the dinner lady says she is inundated with compliments from much younger men.

Paula Howson, 43, once weighed in at 22st 7lbs and was a size 26 (left), but she lost nearly 12 stone following an NHS-funded gastric bypass in 2010. She now weighs 10st 11lbs and is a size 12 (right)

Luckily her husband, factory worker Peter, 50, laughs off the unwanted attention and says he is proud to have such a stunning wife.

Paula, who has dropped from a size 26 to a svelte 12, said: 'I'd always struggled with my weight and was a size 14 before I'd even finished school. I'm actually slimmer now than I was at 15!

'Over the years, I'd half-heartedly try different diets, lose a stone and then put it all back on.

'Working as a dinner lady meant I'd have a choice of stodgy lunches, and then once I got home I'd scoff on pastries and cakes. Looking back, it's no wonder I was massive.'

The dinner lady, from Bolton upon Dearne, Barnsley, used to gorge on unhealthy school lunches and then eat cakes and pastries when she got home

Grandma-of-one Paula dropped seven dress sizes and says she now gets chatted up by men half her age

Paula's weight struggles began as a child and by the time she married Peter in 2006, she was a size 18.

The mother to Jemma, 20, and Hollie, 18, continued to pile on the pounds and by 2010 she had shot up to 22st 7lbs.

At 5ft 3in, her BMI was 55.7 - more than double the recommended healthy range of 18.5 to 25.

She struggled to find clothes to fit her size 26 figure and suffered from heart palpitations. Paula's weight also made her the subject of cruel comments from strangers on nights out.

Paula's weight struggles began as a child. When she married her husband Peter in 2006, she was a size 18

Paula is happily married to husband Peter, 50, who laughs off the attention Paula now gets and says he is proud to have such a stunning wife

Paula said: 'It got to the point where I was scared to even leave my house in case someone said something nasty to me.

'They'd shout at me from their cars, calling me a fat cow. Or if I was in a bar with my friends, they'd nudge each other and say, "Look at that fatty" - it was mortifying.'

Although her husband Peter had always been supportive, Paula decided that she had to do something and in January 2010 arranged a consultation with her GP.

Together they decided that the best option was for Paula to undergo an £8,000 gastric bypass on the NHS.

Paula said she used to get abuse hurled at her by strangers and she was 'scared to leave the house' before her weight loss (left). Now she wears slinky dresses and high heels to show off her svelte figure (right)

PAULA'S DIET BEFORE

Breakfast: Two slices of toast with butter, packet of crisps.

Lunch: School dinner e.g pizza and chips

Dinner: Chicken curry with naan bread

Snacks: Cream buns, biscuits, chocolate

PAULA'S DIET AFTER

Breakfast: Cereal, yoghurt

Lunch: Small portion of home-cooked spaghetti bolognese

Dinner: Chicken with potatoes and vegetables

Snacks: Fruit

For two weeks before the operation at Doncaster Royal Infirmary in August 2010, she had to stick to a strict 800-calorie diet to shrink her liver.

The three-hour operation reduces the size of the stomach and shortens the length of the small intestine so the patient is able to digest less food.

Following the operation, Paula began a 12-week diet of liquids and soft foods like yoghurt and mashed potato.

She said: 'It was difficult giving up my pastries, but I knew it would be worth it in the end.'

Paula had a gastric bypass in 2010. The three-hour operation reduces the size of the stomach and shortens the length of the small intestine so the patient is able to digest less food

Over the next five years, Paula stuck to a balanced diet of meat, fruit and vegetables and lost 11st 10lbs - taking her down to a trim 10st 11lbs.

After dropping seven dress sizes, she began showing off her new figure in slinky dresses and heels.

And her new look certainly didn't go unnoticed, as the grandma-of-one suddenly began attracting the attention of much younger men.

Paula said: 'Now instead of being insulted, I get chatted up on nights out. One of them said I was a sexy grandma!

'Even my daughters' friends flirt with me every once in a while. They find it really embarrassing, but we have a laugh about it.

'I'm not interested as I am happily married, but it's definitely nice to have a bit of attention.'