My story
I struggled with my weight for years. My weight in stones seemed to go up in line with my age so at 15 I was 16 stone, and by 25 years old I was 27 stone. My weight just piled on and I was too comfortable and in denial to do anything about it.
I would pretend that being big didn’t bother me, but in actual fact I was miserable, felt hideous and the only thing that made me feel better was food. I tried all kinds of diets over the years and would lose 3-4 stone, see no change and give up. I had too much weight to lose and needed an extra helping hand.
I then reached 27 years old weighing 31 stone 10 pounds, and I realised that I was putting myself into an early grave. I couldn’t walk around the block without my back seizing up and my knees and legs hurting. I was always making excuses to stay at home. I was miserable, fat and desperate for help but didn’t know who to turn to. After years of struggling with food and my weight, I then decided to think about surgery. This isn’t something I’d thought about lightly because I’m the biggest wimp in the world and have always been scared of surgery. My mom was the one who came across Healthier Weight and as soon as I looked at the website and case studies I thought ‘I can do this!’ Over the next couple of weeks I got advice from my family and friends and everyone was really supportive and positive about it. So I decided to book a consultation to see what they could do.
“I’m having a Gastric Sleeve!” I was so happy and excited. I was focused and ready to take on the world. I needed to go on a pre-op diet and lose some weight first so my surgery would go more smoothly and so the fatty tissue around my liver would shrink. I was so happy and more determined than ever to do this. I was very strict with myself and lost around 3 stone prior to the surgery which the surgeon was very pleased about. The surgery was all good to go!
The day of my surgery came around so quick, I was nervous but also really excited to start my new life. Everybody at the Spire in Southampton was lovely, welcoming and made me feel very comfortable. Before I knew it, I was in and out of theatre and in recovery. I was there for 2 days and then allowed to go home to heal and get better. I had all my information packs and diet sheets from Healthier Weight and if I ever needed any help or advice a nurse was always at the end of the phone.
I found the whole process really smooth and had no complications. I followed all the rules and stuck to what I was allowed to eat and drink. The weight that came off was just incredible, 8 weeks after surgery I had lost 5 stone and was feeling like a new woman – my skin was better, I had more energy and I’d even joined a gym and started exercising! Everything was looking up and I was elated.
Over the last 13 months I have lost 14 stone and am half the woman I was to look at, but more of a person on the inside. I have a whole new outlook on life and I am excited for a long healthy future. I want to conquer my fear of fitting into a roller coaster seat and finally enjoy the thrill of a theme park. It’s the little things in life that seem the biggest to me right now. I love clothes shopping, walking in the woods, going swimming and just generally socialising. I finally have a life again!