AN obese mum lost 11st stone despite working at McDonald's - thanks to weight loss surgery which took just 28 minutes.

Christina Rodriguez, 57, piled on the pounds during a stressful divorce a decade ago and turned to comfort eating to help her cope.

She tipped the scales at 21 stone - only fitting into size 26 clothes - and her fondness for cheese, chips and pies was putting her health at risk.

In desperation, Christina went to her GP to see if the NHS would fit her with a gastric band.

The request was rejected, but Christina decided to fork out £6,000 on the 28-minute surgery.

And since the procedure, she has shed an incredible 11 stone - despite getting a job in a fast food restaurant where she has to resist temptation.

The mum-of-three says she can only eat a “handful” of food in just one meal a day which takes her 45 minutes to chew.

Now Christina is able to fit into her scuba diving gear - something which seemed like a pipe dream not long ago.

And she's is looking forward to getting glammed up for New Year’s Eve, with her new wardrobe of size ten to 12 clothes.

Christina said: "Through my whole life I was always a yo-yo dieter.

"I just couldn't maintain a good diet forever.

"But in 2008, I experienced a bad divorce and it led to a lot of comfort eating.

"I was always an emotional eater, even when I was bored I would eat.

"I worked at a coffee shop at the time and that didn't help. I suddenly stopped exercising and pounding the gym.

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"In the coffee shop, people would always say they were on a diet.

"But it didn't make a difference because most sandwiches had full-fat mayonnaise and other fattening ingredients.

"My problem was that I always loved cheese, I always nibbled on it.

"I was 21 stone and felt like I was a walking time bomb."

Christina, a customer services manager, added: "My stomach is like the size of a saucer or the size of my hand, so that's exactly how much I eat.

"I never feel hungry and I can't even eat big bits of food because it will get stuck going down.

"The hole where the band is is small and if I eat a big bit of food, I would be physically sick.

"I can't even drink fizzy drinks because it does not agree with my stomach.

"It takes me 45 minutes to eat my food just so I can actually chew it properly.

"I have one meal a day and that's around three o'clock. In the morning I just have a cup of tea.

"It's very strange because I used to have at least three meals a day.”

The op was carried out in Dolan Park Hospital in Birmingham, in 2012.

A band was wrapped around the upper region of Christina's stomach before a catheter was attached to a port which is used for fluid to be injected and expand the band gradually as needed over time.

Since then, the glamorous gran, from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, has lost a staggering 11st.

She even got a job in McDonald’s two years ago and resists the temptation to feast on junk food.

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And when her daughter Stacey, 37, got married, guests were astonished by the transformation - and said Christina was unrecognisable.

The adventurous mum has got a new lease of life and enjoys hobbies she could never have dreamed of doing - becoming a member of the Scottish Sub Aqua Club in Gourock, Inverclyde.

Christina said: "I've worked for McDonald's for two years now and I love it.

"The crew I work with is great, they've been fantastic since I've joined.

"I have now ditched all my 26 size clothes.

"I used to hate communal changing rooms, they were my biggest fear. But I no longer fear them now.

"In 2014, my daughter Stacey got married and no one at her wedding recognised me.

“They all couldn't believe it.

"The gastric band is amazing, it has changed my life.

"I don't see myself removing it now because I don't want to go to my old habits.

"I've even been enjoying scuba diving now. It's great."