For most of my adult life i have been overweight.
Come to think of it i cant remember a time that i was happy with my weight.
I tried almost everything to lose weight, i tried exercise and eating healthy which always dropped a couple of kilos but would then just sit and not go any further. Meal replacement shakes that i would drink for breakfast and lunch and then eat a small meal for dinner, this too had the same effect as the exercise, not to mention the shakes were revolting and every mouthful was a struggle to keep down.
It got to the point where i thought "That's it... enough is enough"
I have always been a very happy go lucky type of person. Being overweight has never stopped me from doing anything. I still go out and have fun with friends. I still go shopping like any normal girl and i absolutely love going to the beach in summer and riding the waves into shore on a body board because i just don't have the co-ordination for surfing. (clearly never in a bikini) Although i have hated being overweight for some time it is not something that has ever depressed me.
At the end of last year i had a heap of tests done and found out the reason i find it so hard to lose weight was partly because my pancreas creates too much insulin. They say it should create anywhere between 4-9 units of insulin a day and 10 is the max. I produce 21 units a day. The insulin created is what help make you feel hungry, so of course you feed it. however the more you feed your hunger the more insulin you make... so its a lose, lose situation.
The doctor then told me i could either take pills for the rest of my life which would stop my pancreas but i most likely wouldn't be able to lose all the weight or i could have laparoscopic gastric banding.
After much deliberation i opted for the surgery. One of my very close friends who was bigger then me had this surgery done and within a year had dropped 50kg and was so much better for it.
I know there are people out there who think its cheating, who will think I'm taking the easy way out. But i know that 1 these people clearly know nothing about what you actually have to do to make sure it is a success. This is life changing surgery. 2 Know absolutely nothing about me, i would never do this just because i could, it was something i had to think very long and hard about. 3 they have clearly never been overweight a day in there life and have never looked in the mirror day in and day and hated what looks back at them.
Besides, to be honest with you, i don't care what these types of people think. If this surgery is what it takes to make me a healthier person and will inevitable prolong my life and reduce my chances of heart disease then i say "hell yeah" I don't want to be that 35 year old woman who cant play with her children because she is out of breath because she is so overweight and unfit. Just because i have had this surgery doesn't mean I'm going to stop swimming or going for walks. I will not rely solely on this operation to help me lose weight.
On Friday the 14th of May i underwent this surgery, i now have 5 wounds on my stomach that are healing perfectly. The last 5 days have been somewhat difficult. The only being able to sleep on my back has been terrible considering i usually sleep on my stomach. The pain in my shoulder from all the gas they put into you makes it extremely difficult to breath and is excruciating. Not to mention the liquid diet i am on for the next 3.5 weeks till the swelling completely goes down is a bitch. Especially when your mother makes spinach and ricotta cannelloni for all your friends for dinner and you get to watch them eat while you drink your 1/2 cup of broth....thanks mum. I am no longer on pain killers which is also great.
On Friday the 14th of May i underwent this surgery, i now have 5 wounds on my stomach that are healing perfectly. The last 5 days have been somewhat difficult. The only being able to sleep on my back has been terrible considering i usually sleep on my stomach. The pain in my shoulder from all the gas they put into you makes it extremely difficult to breath and is excruciating. Not to mention the liquid diet i am on for the next 3.5 weeks till the swelling completely goes down is a bitch. Especially when your mother makes spinach and ricotta cannelloni for all your friends for dinner and you get to watch them eat while you drink your 1/2 cup of broth....thanks mum. I am no longer on pain killers which is also great.
I will say that being at home is driving me crazy. Not that i could do much even if i wanted to. I cant drive for at least another week which sucks big time. I don't go back to work for at least 2.5 weeks so i guess i better just get use to the boredom.
