My story
After more than 30 years of yo-yo dieting, mum of two Jayne Kirner decided to have a gastric band fitted. Incredibly the 46 year old was initially told she had to put on weight by a local clinic before she could be considered for the surgery, despite her Body Mass Index (BMI) being 35. After gaining another half stone, Jayne, who weighed 16 stone and wore size 18 to 20 clothes, contacted a Healthier Weight centre after reading about the company on the Internet.
Jayne, who lives near Kilgetty, in Pembrokeshire, said her life has been transformed by the gastric band*, which was fitted in May 2010. She has already lost three stones in weight and dropped to a dress size 12*. “I didn’t have a future before – to me I was just existing” she said. “Now it’s given me a future*. I’ve been horse-riding for the first time and even been body-boarding with my 11-year old son Monty in Cornwall – I’ve never done anything like that before”.
Jayne, who has a strong family history of heart disease and diabetes, started dieting at the age of 14 and has tried almost every diet invented – at one stage she lost three stones just by eating baked beans on toast for nine weeks. But the weight piled back on. “I couldn’t go back on another point-counting or calorie counting diet. I couldn’t look at another milkshake diet. They were all driving me mad. I’d reached breaking point when I went to a local private clinic which told me my Body Mass Index was too low and I’d have to put on weight which I was really cross about. I knew there was no point going to my GP. I’d reached 16 stones when I came across Healthier Weight and I had a chat with them. They were so lovely I decided to take the plunge.” Jayne and her husband Chris used their savings to pay for the surgery. “It was a lot of money but on the other hand if you said it was a choice of changing the car or stopping me from having a heart attack or diabetes, then it’s a bit different.”
Jayne suffered some sickness after having the surgery but she has since learned what triggers it. She has had the band adjusted every two months during a regular check up at a Healthier Weight clinic.
“When I go to a party and I see a table full of food, previously I’d have gone up and down that table, having a piece of everything. Now I am able to regulate. I wish I’d done this 10 years ago. My confidence and energy levels have risen hugely since I had the operation. It’s given me a new life*.”
Jayne
April 2011