Are you one of the many who's terrified of having surgery?
Hundreds are just too scared yet hate being fat... what scares you? And how do you feel about diets - can they ever be as effective and long-lasting? ...
This Weight Loss Buddy is : Offline
This Buddy last logged in at 01-02-2010
Birthday: Hidden or not set up
This is my story
I am 33 years old and have been struggling with my weight since my late teens. It has been up and down like a yo-yo, and each time the weight goes back on another 10lbs is added to the total. Food played a major role in my upbringing, it is used to celebrate and comiserate. My family are a prime example of people who live to eat rather than eating to live.
I have a 7 month old son, and during my pregnancy I gained 4 stone and had Gestational Diabetes which terrified me. I vowed I would lose the baby weight as I know that the Gestational Diabetes was a warning for me to make a permanent change and I know that type 2 Diabetes would have followed if I gained any more weight. However, being at home with a baby isn't easy and I found a great deal of comfort in snacking to deal with the boredom. I gained a further 2 stone before I opted to have my gastric band operation. My weight was 20 stone.
My Son was all of the motivation I needed to make a change, although the aesthetic reasons for being slim are appealing, I know that being morbidly obese (I hate that word) is a killer and I have seen it kill 5 people in my family over the past 10 years all of them under the age of 60.... I want to see my little boy grow into a man and know that wouldn't be possible without weight loss surgery.
I told my husband who is very supportive, he knows how scared I was during the pregnancy and how low I feel being this overweight. I know he loves me as I am but he wants me to be happy and knows that my weight has always been a thorn in my side.
My mum and sister were dead against it, my sister in particular took the news of my upcoming operation badly and called it a "cop out" and that I should "have some self control" and "try another diet". She herself is about 4 stone overweight so I had hoped she would be a little more supportive. My Mum seemed ashamed of me for lacking the self control to lose it without any help (she is also packing a couple of extra stone) and kept telling me not to tell anyone about it. She got quite upset with me when I was 1 day post op when yet again she told me to keep this dirty secret in the immediate family, to which I told her, that I have no plans to tell all, but at the end of the day if I do change my mind and tell someone then is a decision only I can make.
I told my 5 closest friends and their reactions varied from ultra supportive, to concerned that I may not survive the procedure, to my skinniest friend spending the whole evening at my house trying to talk me out of it. She was totally unmoved to hear that this weight could kill me and that I would most certainly end up with Diabetes if left to my own devices. I hate to say this but I do think she has me in her "fat friend" box and wants to keep me there at all costs... It will be interesting to see how these relationships play out as the weight comes off.
I didn't even bother to try getting the band on the NHS as I know it can be quite a lottery and I didn't want to be on an endless waiting list or to end up having to eat more or get ill before they would take some action. I chose Paul Super at The Hospital Group and had my operation at Dolan Park Hospital, in the Midlands on the 26th of January 2010.
I'm nearly a week post op and have lost 1 stone in total since I began my pre op diet. I'm feeling very positive and for once not terribly hungry. I know it's not going to be an easy ride losing the weight but I have all of the motivation I need whenever I look at my little boy and keeping it off should be easier, I hope my yo-yo days are over.
Has been a Buddy since:
01-02-2010 1:13 pm
Total forum posts: 0
Ideal weight:
176.37 lbs (80.00 kg)
Starting weight:
271.17 lbs (123.00 kg)
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