Father remortgages for stomach op

Darren Jardin now says he has more energy

A father remortgaged his house to pay for an operation to staple his stomach because he was afraid he was too obese to see his children grow up.

Club steward Darren Jardin, 40, of Red House, Sunderland, lost 12 stone in a year following the operation and wants to lose more from his 19 stone frame.

He had the gastric bypass operation, which cost £13,000, last year.

His sons Dylon, nine, and Jamie, seven, said he was not able to walk to the shops before but now goes to football.

The operation reduced Mr Jardin's stomach so much that he is sick if he eats too much.

Before losing weight he would eat thousands of calories a day including cooked breakfasts, crisps, snacks, huge sandwiches and late-night takeaways.

Darren Jardin before he lost the weight

But with his newly shrunken stomach, he can only manage a small bowl of cereal, fruit for lunch and a portion of scrambled eggs for his main meal.

He raised the cash for the operation after wife Elizabeth, 43, and his sons begged him to lose weight.

He said conventional diets did not work for him because he lacked will power.

He said: "I would recommend this to anyone who is having the problems I faced.

"Having the staples is more permanent, it is more positive. If I eat too much now, I am physically sick.

"I have more energy now and feel better about myself. I was frightened I might not see my children grow up if I did nothing."