91Èȱ¬

Two strangers, who share a common experience, meet for the first time. Each has a gift for the other - something that unlocks their story. They talk to Catherine Carr, and exchange personal experiences, including the stigma they both face. And they reveal the different choices they have made to manage their weight.

Sarah is 40, from Harrogate. She's currently 24 stone and has recently launched All About Obesity to support people who are living with obesity. She has made the decision to live with her weight and to be the healthiest she can be. Dean is 32, from Redcar, and is recording his weight loss journey on TikTok. He was 27 stone at the beginning of the year and was so fed up with not losing weight, that he made a very different choice to Sarah – he had a gastric bypass. Just two months after surgery, he has already lost five stone.

Dean and Sarah talk frankly about how their childhoods helped form a complicated relationship with food. They reveal the day-to-day experience of living with obesity, and they share experiences about the prejudice they have both encountered. Dean discusses what led him to opt for weight-loss surgery and how it's already improving his self-confidence. Sarah explains how, after years of yo-yo dieting, she’s finally accepting the body she’s got.

Their conversation couldn’t be more timely. About 1 in 4 adults in this country live with obesity. According to recent data analysis by Cancer Research UK, obese adults in England could outnumber people who are a healthy weight as early as the end of this decade if current trends continue, and by 2040 for the whole of Britain.

Presenter: Catherine Carr
Producer: Henrietta Harrison
Executive Producer: Kirsten Lass
A Loftus Media production for 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4