Morbidly obese sisters who lost a staggering 167 kilos in a year after making a pact to have surgery together
Two morbidly obese sisters have lost a staggering 167 kilos in a year, after making a surgery pact together.
Annabelle Chiarello, 16, and her sister Anastasia, 24, from Montaray, NSW, both battled with their weight all their lives.
Annabelle wore 7XL shirts at her heaviest and her sister was a size 26, the Daily Mail reports.
The close siblings grew up gorging on giant portions of pasta and bread, and snacked on family blocks of chocolate, causing their weight to spiral.
At 13, Belle tipped the scales at 248 kilos. Doctors warned she had to lose weight or she'd die, and recommended having a gastric sleeve (VSG) fitted.
When the young teen was scared about having the procedure, loving sister Anastasia stepped in and made a pact to have the surgery too in a bid to encourage Belle.
The teenager went under the knife in October last year, just three months after Anastasia, who weighed 165 kilos at the time of her surgery.
Now the sisters have lost a combined 167 kilos but are continuing to shrink together, and are determined to fight their flab for good.
Annabelle said: "My whole family loves food so it’s always been a big part of my life.
“I’d eat all day every day and never knew what hunger felt like.
“Even in baby photos I was really big, but Anastasia was too and so were other family members, so it made it okay.
“When our parents split up, Ana and I turned to food. It was only when my doctor said I would die if I didn’t lose weight that I realised how bad my situation was.”
The teenager was advised to have VSG surgery, but felt overwhelmed because of her young age.
She said: “I didn’t like the idea of being put to sleep and having surgeons cut into me. Mostly, I was scared of what life would be like after.
“I knew I’d have to live on a diet of pureed foods for months and my eating habits would be affected for the rest of my life. I was only 13 so it seemed like a huge commitment.
“When our parents split up, Ana and I turned to food. It was only when my doctor said I would die if I didn’t lose weight that I realised how bad my situation was.”
The teenager was advised to have VSG surgery, but felt overwhelmed because of her young age.
She said: “I didn’t like the idea of being put to sleep and having surgeons cut into me. Mostly, I was scared of what life would be like after.
“I knew I’d have to live on a diet of pureed foods for months and my eating habits would be affected for the rest of my life. I was only 13 so it seemed like a huge commitment.
'“But food was our go-to to help cope with the fact our parents were splitting up and whenever we tried to eat healthier, we’d always go back to our carb loving ways.
“When the doctor told her to lose weight or die, I knew I had to support her any way I could.
'Offering to have surgery with her was an easy decision. Plus, I needed help too.”
Belle and Ana had lived on similar diets, of huge portions of pasta and bread, and lots of chocolate.
Within weeks of having the operation, which Belle had in October 2015, the obese teen began to lose weight, much to Ana’s relief.
Ana said: 'I’d already lost about 20 kilos by the time Belle had her surgery, so she was feeling pretty confident. Back home I was able to support her through the puree stage, which was tough. She’d never experienced hunger before.
“But I was right there with her, telling her she’d get through it.”
On their slimming missions together, the sisters swapped their huge pasta dinners for healthier options like salads and wraps.
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