In February 2014 I was 48 stone and 2 lbs. The highest weight I ever was was not only shocking but literally life threatening. My existence was basically confined to my house. I had pushed myself and my body beyond its limits, causing disability and tremendous pain.
I'd been told since the age of 8 to lose weight, but was stuck in a cycle of trying, failing and feeling useless - all I wanted to be an average child, to not stand out. It was then at 20 years old I made the decision to *ask* for help as opposed to simply hearing people tell me to lose weight. I was told that weight loss surgery was the only way. Until then, the only 'help' I'd received was having (usually well-meaning) people tell me to lose weight but offering no practical advice other than 'eat less' and 'exercise more' - both of which are factually correct but fail to take any of the many other issues into account. It's never that simple, we all have our own way and issues. Alas for over 13 years I received none of the help I desperately needed.
Then in late 2014 I got the most amazing help. Thanks to Blink film productions and Channel 4 television I was given a Gastric sleeve procedure. At that point I was over 46 stone. Thanks to 4 weeks on an 800 calorie pre-op diet I got down to 42 stone, the lowest weight I had been in 2 years. But the years of carrying so much excess weight had already taken an irreversible toll on my joints and muscles. For the two years immediately post-op I tried my best to eat what I should, to try and keep the cravings of sugar down to a minimum and got down to a weight of around 34 stone.
Then in May 2016 I was given a second life line of a Mini Gastric Bypass, I have since had a few issues - in the first few months I could hardly keep liquid down and was throwing up after every drink, my hair falling out more and more. I knew something was wrong. Exploratory surgery discovered major scarring on the join between the bottom of my sleeve and my intestines, So after two months of being sick every time something went into my stomach I was booked in to have an operation to sort this issue.
At the moment I am 31 stone 2 lbs around a size 26/28. It has been a long road but I still have a long way to go and it has been a hard few years. People think weight loss surgery is the easy way out but it is so much harder than many think - hair thinning, vitamin and nutrient deficiency, being sick after eating, having complications and never really enjoying sitting down to a meal. I still crave sweet foods which is difficult and food for me now is not something I can enjoy - it's now a chore. There are many positive and negative points to having the surgeries, but now I can see a distant light shining at the end of a very long tunnel, I still have severe mobility issues and am in constant pain, but am hoping with physiotherapy I will gradually become able to do simple, daily things most people take for granted.
Above February 2014 at 48 stone and below
Late 2015 at around 36 stone
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