Kiwi woman who lost 50kg reveals she put on weight but kept it a secret

Ariana Omipi said she hid the weight gain as she didn't want to disappoint her followers. Photo / Instagram

Ariana Omipi, from Auckland, became a social media sensation when she shared details of her dramatic weight loss transformation that saw her lose a staggering 50kg in seven months.

Now, the 23-year-old blogger has revealed that she recently had gastric sleeve surgery after she secretly put the weight back on.

Omipi, who lost 50kg by following a ketogenic diet - high fat, low carb - said she did not want to disappoint her Instagram followers.

However, she admitted she struggled to keep the weight off and hid her body online as people kept hailing her as an inspiration for their own weight-loss journeys.

View this post on Instagram

In March 2018, I will be undergoing bariatric (weight loss) surgery via gastric sleeve! I wanted to share this with all of you as I’m incredibly excited and want to be able to OPENLY and HONESTLY share my experience with you all. 🙌 💕 Over the years, my weight has been something I’ve worked REALLY REALLY hard on. My discipline, determination and lifestyle changes have helped me to achieve significant weight loss in the past however my constant hunger is something that has made maintaining a healthy weight INCREDIBLY difficult. Within the last 5 years, I have lost, maintained, gained, lost and gained weight. This has been exhausting, physically and emotionally. 😱😥😩 So know that I haven’t made this decision lightly and that it doesn’t come from a place of hate towards my appearance or any negative feelings about myself. I have made this decision for MY long term health, to be able to maintain a manageable healthy weight for ME and not feel the constant desire to need multiple servings of HEALTHY food in one sitting. 💛🌸 For those of you who don’t know what this surgery is about, it will reduce the size of my stomach by approximately 90% while also reducing the hunger hormone (ghrelin) by a significant amount. This surgery is not sponsored nor publicly funded and I am grateful to be in a position where I am able to afford to have this done through the private system at a hospital close to where I live. 🙏🌟 This is just a snippet of what I have to share about this experience and there will be plenty more coming! If there’s anything you want to know about it or would like me share, let me know below. ☺️💭

A post shared by 𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐏𝐈 (@arianaomipi) on Feb 25, 2018 at 11:13pm PST

"It was so hard because people were still messaging me saying that I was such an inspiration to them. I felt like I was letting them down, and like I had to hide it," she told Stuff.

Omipi believes her weight spiralled out of control after struggling with her food portions.

"I would cook these beautiful healthy meals but then I'd need three, sometimes four servings of it just to feel satisfied and full.

"It was so hard because I felt like I was trying my hardest to do everything right, but it wasn't working and I couldn't figure out why."

Omipi gained 60kg in the past year and managed to keep it a secret despite regularly posting selfies to social media.

She did stop documenting her weight-loss journey and, last month, wrote a post where she talked about her weight gain and her decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery.

"In March 2018, I will be undergoing bariatric (weight loss) surgery via gastric sleeve!' she wrote on the post.

"Over the years, my weight has been something I've worked really hard on."

"My discipline, determination and lifestyle changes have helped me to achieve significant weight loss in the past however my constant hunger is something that has made maintaining a healthy weight incredibly difficult.

"Within the last five years, I have lost, maintained, gained, lost and gained weight.

"For those of you who don't know what this surgery is about, it will reduce the size of my stomach by approximately 90 percent while also reducing the hunger hormone (ghrelin) by a significant amount," she explained.

Omipi also said her choice to undergo the operation was influenced in part by her friend, and fellow Kiwi blogger Simone Anderson, who lost 92kg after she underwent surgery in 2015.

Omipi had surgery last week and has been sharing her recovery on social media.

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THE REALITY 😱😷 This was me only 5 days ago - unposed, raw and vulnerable in my hospital bed moments after surgery. I lay unconscious and unresponsive like this for 4 hours before my eyes opened. My boyfriend took this photo of me in shock as he’d never seen me like this. 😢 I wanted to share this side of my journey because Gastric Sleeve Surgery IS NOT glamorous nor is it a decision that is made lightly. Those who choose this path are in serious need of change. In most cases, to even be considered for Gastric Sleeve Surgery you will have a BMI of over 40 which is classed as MORBIDLY obese. There are significant risks in the surgery alone - death, stomach leaks, internal bleeding, blood clots which could lead to a heart attack or stroke not to mention the risk of complications that can occur longer term. 😳 When I first chose to speak about my journey publicly, I promised to HONESTLY and OPENLY share my journey with you all 💕 I often share an incredibly POSITIVE approach to my journey because that’s just the kind of person I am and the vibe I want to release 🌸 In saying that, I don’t want anyone to have the impression (whether you’re considering having this surgery or whether you’re just watching along in support) that this is an easy solution to weight loss or a way to get that "Instagram bod”. I chose to make this decision because I wanted to prioritise my health so I could live a long and fulfilling life and any other positive changes are just a bonus. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, at times pain and lifestyle changes to conquer. 🙌🌟 I can’t wait to share more of my journey with you - the good, the bad, the ugly! On a side note, my vlog of my Gastric Sleeve Surgery along with the time I spent in hospital will hopefully be live this week over on my Youtube! Check out my link in the description so you can subscribe and be notified first. 🎉

A post shared by 𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐏𝐈 (@arianaomipi) on Mar 19, 2018 at 12:23am PDT