A woman has swapped playing combat computer games for fighting for real after shedding 19 stone. Amy Graham, 48, from Salt Lake City, Utah, weighed 470lb (33st) at her heaviest and because she was a dress size 32, she could only find men's clothes to fit her. Speaking of her weight gain, Amy told MailOnline: 'I have always been a big girl. I was a fat child, I was a fat teenager, I was a fat twentysomething. Scroll down for video . Amy was 470lb (33st) at her heaviest and a dress size 32 but is now 204lb (14st) having lost 266lb (19st), right . 'There is a huge misconception about the amount of food someone eats at that size. It's surprisingly a much smaller amount than a normal-sized person. It's more about poor choices really. Eating something filled with fat and sugar instead of eating whole, natural foods. 'I was an avid online gamer and that contributed to my sedentary lifestyle. I played various games for many years. 'I stopped weighing myself at 450lbs because I couldn't find a scale big enough to weigh me over that. I know that I probably got up to around 470lbs at one point, and that scared me. 'I knew I never wanted to hit 500lbs in my lifetime. My dress size was probably a 32 at that point. I wore mostly men's clothes at that time because they were easier to find.' Amy used to struggle to find clothes to fit her when she was overweight, left, but now she's fighting fit, right, and competes in medieval combat fighting using real swords . When she turned 40, Amy realised she had to do something to change her lifestyle as her size meant she was suffering from a number of health problems. She and her husband, Greg, had tried for a baby but she believes her weight meant she was never able to conceive. She said of her health at the time: 'I developed sleep apnoea to the point I could not be regulated. 'I have PCOS (polycycstic ovaries syndrome), I had type 2 diabetes, I started to develop edema in my lower legs. 'I carried all my weight in my middle region and because of that I was also getting lower back pain. 'Once I hit 40, I knew things were only going to get worse for me.' Amy decided to have gastric bypass surgery but to qualify, she would first have to lose weight. These images chart Amy's progress following her gastric band bypass, left, to today, right . The side on view shows how Amy's stomach, bottom and arms have all shrunk thanks to her weightloss . Amy now has a defined waist, right, after losing 19st, pictured left when she was heavier . She explains: 'I saw my doctor who told me I would have to get down to 387lb (27st) so he would actually do my surgery. He needed room to work inside my abdomen, so I had to drop weight to even qualify for surgery. 'I crash dieted to get the weight off to the point he was ok moving forward. It took me two months.' Amy was than able to have the gastric bypass - and the operation was life-saving. 'Turns out having gastric bypass actually saved my life in ways I had no idea,' she said. 'When the doctor went in they found out that my liver was three times the size it should have been. 'My surgery took more than nine hours instead of the two it normally takes, because they had to work around my enlarged liver. 'My doctor came to me in recovery and told me that I needed to realise this surgery saved my life. Amy pictured with her husband Greg before her weightloss, left, and after, right . 'If I hadn't had it when I did, I would have been dead in two years because I would have needed a liver transplant and I would have never qualified to even be considered to be put on the list, much less be in any situation to get a new liver. 'I could never have lost the weight by diet and exercise to have saved my life in time. That is a sobering thought. 'So no matter what I crave, what I want to eat or drink now, I will always remember that my life would have been much shorter than even I expected had I not chosen this path.' Following the surgery, Amy lost 100lbs (7st) in the first 100 days and continued to lose weight over the following years so she now weighs 204lbs (14st) and is a dress size 12-14. Her lifestyle is now completely different to how it used to be and she had discovered a love of exercise after becoming involved in an unusual sport - medieval combat fighting. 'I went from being an online Valkyrie to a real live Valkyrie and I much prefer sword fighting for real,' Amy said. Amy now competes for the USA in medieval combat fighting . Amy, centre, seen in full armour brandishing an axe as she takes part in the combat sport . Amy has trained hard to complete in the sport that requires strength, power and agilty . The hard work paid off as Amy won a gold medal at the Medieval World Championship - who allowed women from around the globe to compete for the first time last year . She now competes for the USA in international competitions where she fights in full battle armour with swords and axes. The sport is billed as 'Game of Thrones meets Ultimate Fighting Championship' as the weapons are real and the fighters don't hold back. Explaining why she was attracted to the sport, Amy explains: 'When I first saw a fight, something awoke inside of me and I knew I had to do this. 'But I got told that because I was a girl, I was not allowed. But I was told in January 2012 that the USA team was going to start a league and that they would eventually allow women once we had enough interest. 'I kept hoping and supporting the team and on May 31, 2013 it was announced that for the first time women were going to be allowed to fight.' Amy started training so she could represent her country in the Medieval World Championship in Castillio de Belmonte, Spain, after they allowed women to take part for the first time in 2014. She said: 'I train five to six nights a week for more than two hours a night. My body craves that. I run, I lift weights, I swim, I sword fight. I am a medieval martial artist who loves what her body has become.' Amy said she's delighted to have gone from being an 'online Valkyrie to a real live Valkyrie' The combat fighter is proud of what she has achieved after losing weight and taking up the tough sport . The training paid off and Amy and team USA came home from the Medieval World Championship with gold medals. Now Amy is keen to carry on her training and keep winning battles. She said of taking part in the contact sport: 'What's it like to compete in the tournaments? It is quite possibly the most adrenaline filled, satisfying, challenging yet amazing thing in the world for me. It is my bliss. 'I am proud to be a female fighter. But I am also proud to be treated with the respect and comradely just like any male fighter is. 'I no longer look for excuses to NOT work out. I have a much harder time fitting everything into my world with my training schedule but I wouldn't trade my life for anything. 'I love how my body works. I love being 48-years-old and fighting women and men half my age.' Amy, right, competing in the sport which is described as 'Game of Thrones meets Ultimate Fighting' Amy wants to share her journey in a documentary, Iron Maidens, which is seeking funding . Amy has shared her story of medieval combat fighting with British TV company Total Wallop who are trying to secure funding to create a full documentary called 'Iron Maidens' focusing on the female fighters who compete in the brutal sport. Producer and director Matt Ralph said the sport is full of inspirational women like Amy whose stories they want to share with the world. He has set up a crowdfunding campaign with Indiegogo to raise funds to make his documentary. He said: 'For Amy, competing in the Medieval World Championship it marked the moment she had achieved her ultimate goal after losing weight. Full contact fighting had given her a purpose to get mentally and physically fit. 'I need funding to finish this documentary to show the world the jaw-dropping phenomena of medieval fighting is not just a realm for men, but that women are as tough, brutal, and as competitive as their male counterparts.' To find out more about medieval combat fighting and support Total Wallop's campaign to make an Iron Maidens documentary, visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/iron-maidens-medieval-fighting-documentary .
Size 32 Amy Graham, 48, weighed 470lb (33st) at her heaviest . Ate fatty foods and often sat for hours playing computer games . When she turned 40, she realised she needed to improve her health . She was suffering from PCOS, type 2 diabetes and leg and back pain . Lost some weight in order to qualify for gastric bypass . After the operation, she then lost 100lbs in 100 days . Started exercising after becoming interested in medieval combat fighting . Sport is billed as Game of Thrones meets Ultimate Fighting . Now she's fighting fit and weighs 204lb (14st) having lost 266lb (19st)