Woman who lost more than 18 stone wants to be 27 stone again

Most women would kill for a size six figure and a gap between their thighs.

But Amelia-Jane Harris, 20, says her new 'dream body' is actually a nightmare, as Crohn's disease means she is in constant pain and cannot eat.

The illness has seen Miss Harris lose more than 18 stone in 20 months, as she regularly vomits up her food and suffers excruciating bowel pain.

At her largest, when she weighed 27st 10lbs and was a size 32, she dreamed of pulling off skimpy outfits.

But now, weighing just 8st 9lbs and wearing size 6 clothes, she says she would give anything to get back her fuller figure back and be able to eat normally again.

Her condition leaves her in constant pain and she can barely keep food down, so she can never enjoy eating or go out for dinner with her friends.

She so tired from being malnourished she cannot work, and her fingernails, eyebrows and hair all regularly fall out.

Miss Harris, of Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, said: 'I get lots of compliments on my figure, but I have constant, underlying pain.

'Sometimes it feels like really severe stomach cramps, but I also get really bad stabbing pains that won't go away.

'I get no enjoyment out of food anymore. Eating feels like a chore because I know it's going to cause me pain.

'It seems pointless to make a healthy meal because I'll just throw it up.

'With strong painkillers I can cope, but it feels like a curse - I'm going to have to take this medication for the rest of my life.'

Miss Harris was a happy and healthy child but her weight began to increase through her teens despite making no change to her diet.

By the age of 14, she was dubbed 'Fatty Bum Bum' by playground bullies.

She said: 'I ate whatever mum gave me, which was healthy because she was always watching her weight.

'As my waistline expanded, my confidence shrank and it wasn't until I left school - and the bullies - behind me that I stopped worrying about my size.

'At college, I ate what I wanted and although I reached nearly 28 stone, I still made an effort with my clothes, hair and make-up. Fat didn't have to mean ugly.'

With the humiliation of her school days behind her, Miss Harris gradually started to embrace her size 32 frame.

But then shortly after her 17th birthday, having finally made peace with being overweight, she fell seriously ill.

She said: 'I started vomiting 10 times a day. I just couldn't keep anything down.

'Within 20 months I'd lost more than 18st. It didn't make any sense to me and I was terrified.'

Concerned by the rapid and unprompted weight loss, she consulted her GP.

In June 2014, after months of tests, her doctor diagnosed her with Crohn's disease, a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system.

There is currently no cure for Crohn's disease - treatment simply aims to relieve the symptoms of the digestive system becoming inflamed.

Miss Harris was immediately prescribed a cocktail of pills, which she is required to take every day.

She said: 'On a good day I have to take up to 70 pills, but it can go up to 100 on a bad one.

'The weight kept falling off until I reached size six. People congratulated me on the weight loss and told me I looked fabulous – but the truth was I'd never felt worse'

She now weighs 8st 9lbs, which means she is very slim for her 5tf 7in height.

She said: 'I'll never be big again. I can only keep down around 10 per cent of what I eat, and right now I'm even struggling to keep down water.'

Before the sickness started, Miss Harris would tuck into a healthy bowl of cereal for breakfast.

For lunch she'd have a salad or a sandwich, and dinner was a meal cooked by her mother, such as a healthy portion of spaghetti bolognese made with reduced fat Quorn mince.

Now, her condition means she cannot eat fats or oils.

She has not eaten junk food for the past three years and has been on a strict diet of boiled meat and vegetables.

She said: 'I know it sounds unbelievable, but I'd give anything to be 27 stone again.

This time last year I held down four jobs, but now I'm too ill to work.

'Being curvy is part of what it means to be a girl. I had that before, but now I just look like a boy.'

'My fingernails have been known to drop off because I'm not getting any nutrients.

'I've also suffered really badly with hair loss. I wore a wig for the entire summer of 2013, which was hot, itchy and just generally uncomfortable.

'I even lost my eyebrows, which made me look like an alien.

'I can't go out and eat with my mates because I'll be sick.

'In the past when I've lost weight on purpose and people complimented me, I felt proud. Now, when people say "well done", I feel nothing.'

Alarmingly, her weight is still decreasing and doctors are still baffled as to why her weight has not stabilised.

She said: 'There's talk about admitting me back to hospital, but I'd give anything to avoid that.

'To some, I have the dream body - but to me, my size six figure is nothing but a nightmare.

I can only pray that the doctors find the answer soon.'

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