My name is Patricia and I am 60 years young! I suppose my story is very much like a lot of other overweight people – I ate through boredom and for comfort. Ultimately this led me into a vicious circle where food became my only friend, but also my worst enemy.
I married young and had my first child when I was 17, after that I went on to have another child who sadly died aged 4 months, and then I had another two sons. During the pregnancies and after the births, my weight ballooned. Two failed marriages later and there I was, massively overweight, very uncomfortable and totally devoid of any self-confidence.
I had tried all the weight loss options available – weight watchers, slimming world, acupuncture, hypnosis, and even the horrible slimming tablets that you can buy on the internet. I also tried prescribed weight loss medication from the doctor but that was even worse because of the side effects. The tablets don’t allow you to absorb fat into your body, so you can guess what happens to it!
I spoke to my doctor about the option of weight loss surgery and then waited – during this time I became insulin dependent (injecting myself daily was not at all pleasant) and had a total knee replacement, all due to my food dependency. I finally got the call 6 years later that was the last chance to change my life. I desperately hoped for en end to being stared at, snide comments, wearing tent like clothing and panicking on boarding airplanes because the belt wouldn’t fit or I might end up sat next to thin people.
I followed a 10 week pre-operative diet of just 850kcal/day. To say this was easy would be a lie – it’s really hard to cut your calorie intake by as much as 200%. The support from the others in the group and the Healthier Weight staff made this a lot easier, and I lost 2 ½ stone in this part alone. I had made it over the weight loss target to qualify for a gastric by pass.
I would recommend to anyone who has a constant battle with food and dieting to consider the life changing weight loss surgery option. I have now lost over 9 stone after the gastric by pass operation just over 6 months ago. I used to shop from outsize catalogues and order size 28, and now I breeze into any high street store and head straight for the size 14’s – the feeling is amazing! More than that though, people treat you differently, and I have gained a whole new confidence and respect for myself.
From a medical point of view it is all positive – I am no longer taking insulin and the number of tablets I take has fallen dramatically. My other knee, which was threatening to give way under my weight has been given a stay of execution, and I no longer suffer with constant pain. My doctor is really pleased!
Finally, I would just like to add that I now get a real buzz from going to the gym three times a week, and I’ve just flown to the Dominican Republic – for the first time without filling the seat or the aisle – hooray!!
Patricia
May 2009
