Dad 'old self again' after 12 stone weight loss

Dave Pulford is now enjoying more activities with his daughter

A man said his life had changed for the better since having a new kind of weight loss treatment.

Dave Pulford from Yeovil, Somerset, underwent a procedure in which he swallowed a balloon to help him lose weight ahead of gastric bypass surgery.

Mr Pulford, who is one of the first NHS patients to undergo the procedure, has now lost 12 stone (76kg).

Consultant bariatric surgeon Dave Mahon said: "It's not weight loss surgery - it's improving health surgery."

The new type of weight loss treatment involves ingesting a capsule containing a gastric balloon.

The pill inflates inside the stomach to allow some initial weight loss, which then makes a patient eligible to have a gastric bypass operation.

"I'm really happy to see him be his old self again," said his daughter Izzy Pulford.

Ms Pulford said they can now do more activities together like walking, going for a coffee or holidays which she said had been "very difficult" before the surgery.

Mr Pulford had the gastric balloon treatment in 2024

Staff at Musgrove Park Hospital said "more and more" patients were now being offered the balloon pill as part of the "toolkit" to help patients lose weight.

"Dave's done incredibly well" and "exceeded our expectations" said bariatric specialist nurse Kirsty Locke, who has followed Dave throughout his weight loss journey.

His consultant, Mr Mahon, said the treatment also benefited the NHS as "it reduces the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, having a stroke, heart attack and even various forms of cancer".

Nurse Kirsty Locke has supported Mr Pulford from the beginning of his treatment for weight loss

Ms Locke said it was important that patients received psychological support as well as physical check-ups.

Mr Pulford said an unexpected negative for him of losing weight was that he now suffered with body dysmorphia.

Previously he would never look at himself in the mirror but he now looks more frequently at his reflection and can be very critical.

Mr Pulford says he suffers with body dysmorphia since losing weight

However, Mr Pulford said the success of his weight loss and its coverage in the media had meant strangers stopped him in the street to congratulate him.

"A lady came up to me and touched me on the arm and she just looked at me and said, 'I'm so proud of you'.

"It was a journey I didn't think that was ever going to happen to me.

"I think I had almost been sleepwalking into sort of having some major medical problems.

"I am critical of myself, but then I go, 'no, look how far you've gone'," he added.