A woman who began secretly binge eating at the age of eight leading her parents to install alarms on kitchen cupboards, has lost 11 stone and undergone surgery to remove 11lbs of excess skin. Crystal Rudd, 30, turned to unhealthy food for comfort following her parents’ divorce, which quickly spiralled into an “addiction”.
By the age of nine, Crystal required adult-sized chairs in school while her classmates used child-sized ones, and she was already wearing secondary school uniforms in primary school. As a teenager, she faced bullying due to her weight and once again sought solace in junk food.
At 24, after a brief split from her now-husband Stephen Rudd, then 20, and following the birth of their third child, Crystal spent two months indulging in nightly takeaways.
This led to her weight peaking at 23 stone, wearing a size 24-26. Determined to make a change, Crystal decided to undergo bariatric surgery.
After a £2,700 gastric sleeve operation in Istanbul, Turkey, in January 2023, coupled with a strict diet and exercise plan, Crystal managed to slim down to a healthier 13 stone and a size 12. Last month, she returned to Turkey to have 11lbs of surplus skin removed, reports Lincolnshire Live.
Now, for the first time in her life, Crystal sports a flat stomach and fits into a size 8-10 dress.
Crystal, a mother of three and care home volunteer from Fleet, Lincolnshire, opened up about her lifelong struggle with weight, which began at the age of eight. She said: “I started eating comfort food aged eight – I’d hide the crisp packets and chocolate wrappers down the side of the sofa. It was an addiction and I became a massive kid – I got bullied and would eat my lunch in the toilets at school. As I got older, I went through stages where I lost weight by dieting and exercise, but I gained it back again.”
“I eventually started researching surgeries, and after my gastric sleeve the weight came off so quickly. Finally this year I had 11lbs of excess skin removed and 800ml of liposuction and now I can see my belly button for the first time in years. I’m still recovering and adapting to my new body but I’ve done something I never thought would be possible.”
From a young age, Crystal found solace in food, often sneaking snacks and concealing the evidence behind the sofa or garden fence. Her habit escalated to such an extent that her mother resorted to putting an alarm on the pantry.
However, Crystal’s determination saw her outwit the security measure by climbing on a chair. She said: “The addiction was bad and because I was limited on what I could eat, I craved it more.”
Reflecting on her childhood, she said: “As a kid I didn’t care what I weighed – until I started getting bullied when I was older.”
Bullied for her size during her teenage years, she often resorted to eating her meals in the school toilets or hidden behind the stairs. Even after slimming down for her school prom at 16, the weight crept back on.
By 19, she was pregnant with her first child, Ethan, now 10, and went on to have two more children, Blaze, eight, and Poppy, seven. With each pregnancy, her weight increased, but it was after a temporary breakup with her then-boyfriend Stephen in late 2018 that she saw the most significant gain.
She said: “I was heartbroken, I’d feed the children healthy foods, then order takeaways for me. I’d have huge portions – like chicken wraps and chips with onion rings – from the takeaway every day for nearly two months before we got back together again.
“It took me to my biggest weight of almost 23 stone which is the weight I stayed for a long time.”
Her weight continued to yo-yo over the years, shedding some before marrying Stephen in August 2021, only to regain it amid ongoing health issues. Eventually, she decided to explore bariatric surgery, opting for a £2,700 gastric sleeve procedure in Istanbul in January 2023.
Post-surgery, she committed to a healthier lifestyle, incorporating better diet choices, reduced portion sizes, and a consistent exercise routine.
She recounted her dietary journey, saying: “I was on a liquid diet, then pureed, then eventually I could eat soft foods. I still had a romantic Valentine’s Day steak dinner – I just pureed my steak and chips! I was doing combat classes, body balance and aqua fit too – and the weight came off.”
Despite numerous challenges, including a knee injury, a severe spider bite infection, and the loss of her cherished nan in 2023, she successfully maintained her weight loss. In January this year, she celebrated losing 10 stone and returned to the Turkish clinic for surgery to remove 11lbs of excess skin and undergo liposuction.
The £5,800 procedure lasted eight hours and initially left her “looking like Frankenstein’s monster” due to the stitches during recovery.
However, she is now embracing her transformed figure, although adjusting to the change has been a process due to body dysmorphia after being much larger for most of her life. To celebrate her success, she decided to participate in a pageant specifically for bariatric patients and will compete in the Miss Bariatric Lincolnshire final this September.
She said: “Now I can show my kids they can achieve wonderful things, and they see their mum thriving. I’d now tell younger Crystal ‘not everything is storms and clouds and you will get your happy ending’. I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished.”