Tamgredan
wanna be happy!
This is my 'warts and all' diary about my battle with weight loss and how i came to decide on opting for a gastric band.
Im 31 years old, 5ft 7inches and currently weigh 19 stone 12 pounds.
I am married with a 3 year old son
I have a very busy and stressful job but im not going to let this stop me getting to my dream of being 'healthy'
I have always been fat, but never been bullied or suffered confidence issues. Im bubbly and someone who everyone gets along with. However, i have always dreamed of being slim and being able to be one of those people you see jogging along the road side or doing 'fun runs'
There are a million reasons i would love to be slim and i could write a book about each of them, but i cannot find a single reason or benefit to being fat, so why am i? this a question i ask myself daily.
I have tried every diet going from, atkins to ww to slimming world, cambridge diet, calorie controlled, slimming tablets and slim fast. Each time ive lost weight but soon enough ive fallen off the wagon and put it all and more back on.
I have now lost all motivation to loose weight via a diet and if i dont do something now about my weight, it will spiral out of control.
Ive started to notice i get a real stiff back in the morning where i even struggle to sit on the toilet. I am struggling to put my socks on as my belly gets in the way and when i lie flat on my back at night in bed, im struggling to breath.
I know my blood pressure is high but dare not go to the GP for fear of getting it confirmed.
I feel now that my only option is weight loss surgery. I have considered this many times over the past 2 years but always deemed it as too drastic. But not this time, this time it feels right.
I have been researching wls since october 2010 and have seriously weighed up all options available to me. Ive read hundreds of blogs, diaries, books and videos on youtube.
I have decided to have a gastric band as its flexible, restricts portions sizes and is obviously cheaper than a bypass or sleeve.
My PCT does not allow wls in my area so the option of having it done on the NHS is ziltch.
I once met a wise man who told me that you are most powerful 2 weeks before, and 2 after you birthday and if you have any major decisions to make in life, this is when it should be.
5 years ago i met my husband just after my birthday and i ended up marrying him, i left a relationship of 7 years after meeting my husband after 1 date (naughty girl i know). We are very happy and it definately was the best decision ive ever made so far in my life.
So its my 32nd birthday next Thursday, and im due my band on 5th april 2011 at the claremonth hospital in sheffield. Im travelling there as its a bit cheaper than manchester.
The provider i have chosen (weight loss surgery group) have got brilliant reviews and their after care seems to be one of the best. Aftercare is very important to me.
Once i decided who i wanted to go through and what procedure i wanted i made an appointment for a consultation.
I went to the consultation, got myself weighed and chatted about why i wanted wls. I got to see the band and examples of what portions i would be consuming.
I left the consultation and it took me 3 weeks to ring them up and pay my £1000 deposit.
Before i paid i had days where i didnt want the surgery, i felt too scared and that it wont work for me, but through encouragement on this forum, i soon picked up the phone and paid.
Im now on a pre-op diet for 2 weeks before my surgery. This consist of low calorie, high protein, low fat foods.
So far so good, and a typical intake is:-
slim fast or 1 weetabix for breakfast
tuna salad for lunch
cup-a-soup mid afternoon
chicken and veg /salad for dinner
lots of fluids.
Next week ill probably drop more food to ensure my liver is small enough for the operation.
So far, i am looking forward to the operation. I need to buy some comfy jogging bottoms, big t-shirts, pyjamas and some liquid pain killers. No doubt ill start panicking a few days before hand and ask loads of questions on the forum.
I need to write this diary so my thoughts are on paper (so to speak) and when i hit low moments as im sure i will do, i can read it and encourage myself to plough on.
On my next entry, im hoping to write down my goals and 'promises to myself' to keep me going.
Afterall, all the diets ive done, i should be an expert on what works and does not work for me by now.
All i feel at the moment, it that i really hope and pray each night that this wls is right for me and that i will work very hard to make it work for me and my family. I really do not want to be fat forever. Enough is enough now.
Tam
xx
Im 31 years old, 5ft 7inches and currently weigh 19 stone 12 pounds.
I am married with a 3 year old son
I have a very busy and stressful job but im not going to let this stop me getting to my dream of being 'healthy'
I have always been fat, but never been bullied or suffered confidence issues. Im bubbly and someone who everyone gets along with. However, i have always dreamed of being slim and being able to be one of those people you see jogging along the road side or doing 'fun runs'
There are a million reasons i would love to be slim and i could write a book about each of them, but i cannot find a single reason or benefit to being fat, so why am i? this a question i ask myself daily.
I have tried every diet going from, atkins to ww to slimming world, cambridge diet, calorie controlled, slimming tablets and slim fast. Each time ive lost weight but soon enough ive fallen off the wagon and put it all and more back on.
I have now lost all motivation to loose weight via a diet and if i dont do something now about my weight, it will spiral out of control.
Ive started to notice i get a real stiff back in the morning where i even struggle to sit on the toilet. I am struggling to put my socks on as my belly gets in the way and when i lie flat on my back at night in bed, im struggling to breath.
I know my blood pressure is high but dare not go to the GP for fear of getting it confirmed.
I feel now that my only option is weight loss surgery. I have considered this many times over the past 2 years but always deemed it as too drastic. But not this time, this time it feels right.
I have been researching wls since october 2010 and have seriously weighed up all options available to me. Ive read hundreds of blogs, diaries, books and videos on youtube.
I have decided to have a gastric band as its flexible, restricts portions sizes and is obviously cheaper than a bypass or sleeve.
My PCT does not allow wls in my area so the option of having it done on the NHS is ziltch.
I once met a wise man who told me that you are most powerful 2 weeks before, and 2 after you birthday and if you have any major decisions to make in life, this is when it should be.
5 years ago i met my husband just after my birthday and i ended up marrying him, i left a relationship of 7 years after meeting my husband after 1 date (naughty girl i know). We are very happy and it definately was the best decision ive ever made so far in my life.
So its my 32nd birthday next Thursday, and im due my band on 5th april 2011 at the claremonth hospital in sheffield. Im travelling there as its a bit cheaper than manchester.
The provider i have chosen (weight loss surgery group) have got brilliant reviews and their after care seems to be one of the best. Aftercare is very important to me.
Once i decided who i wanted to go through and what procedure i wanted i made an appointment for a consultation.
I went to the consultation, got myself weighed and chatted about why i wanted wls. I got to see the band and examples of what portions i would be consuming.
I left the consultation and it took me 3 weeks to ring them up and pay my £1000 deposit.
Before i paid i had days where i didnt want the surgery, i felt too scared and that it wont work for me, but through encouragement on this forum, i soon picked up the phone and paid.
Im now on a pre-op diet for 2 weeks before my surgery. This consist of low calorie, high protein, low fat foods.
So far so good, and a typical intake is:-
slim fast or 1 weetabix for breakfast
tuna salad for lunch
cup-a-soup mid afternoon
chicken and veg /salad for dinner
lots of fluids.
Next week ill probably drop more food to ensure my liver is small enough for the operation.
So far, i am looking forward to the operation. I need to buy some comfy jogging bottoms, big t-shirts, pyjamas and some liquid pain killers. No doubt ill start panicking a few days before hand and ask loads of questions on the forum.
I need to write this diary so my thoughts are on paper (so to speak) and when i hit low moments as im sure i will do, i can read it and encourage myself to plough on.
On my next entry, im hoping to write down my goals and 'promises to myself' to keep me going.
Afterall, all the diets ive done, i should be an expert on what works and does not work for me by now.
All i feel at the moment, it that i really hope and pray each night that this wls is right for me and that i will work very hard to make it work for me and my family. I really do not want to be fat forever. Enough is enough now.
Tam
xx