After years of going between dietitians, naturopaths, holistic healers and consistently exercising, I still couldn’t find a way to break free from the struggle of weight loss. My weight was slowly increasing every year, despite thousands of dollars spent on supplements, appointments and trying to educate myself on what was happening with my body.
I found my weight was preventing me from attending events and gatherings even with my closest friends and family, impacting my mental health and causing my self-esteem to suffer. Normally, I love finding time to relax, travel and go camping while spending time with my family, but I noticed I wasn’t making time for this anymore.
The simplest way to put it was that I just wasn’t feeling happy in my own skin and was lost. That was until I learned that weight loss surgery could help people who struggle with hormonal weight gain and poor metabolism. So, I began my research on the wide range of procedures available.
The main reason I started this journey was because of how unhappy, uncomfortable and self-conscious I felt. My weight gain had increased pressure on my back, and I was considered to be pre-diabetic after having gestational diabetes and a known history of diabetes in my family.
On top of this, I also have PCOS which is a condition that makes it harder for women to lose weight. Whilst I regularly exercised and felt generally healthy, I found I lost my breath easier and wasn’t reaching the goals I set for myself no matter how hard I tried. The fact that I was putting all this effort into something that just wasn’t working, was extremely unmotivating.
I had so many preconceived ideas that stalled me from commencing my weight loss journey, not to mention the fact that I had already been trying traditional ways with no results. I wasn’t very educated about weight loss procedures and always thought that someone had to have the highest BMI possible to have this kind of intervention to lose weight. I felt that with my BMI not being as high, I wouldn’t be taken seriously with my desire to lose weight.
Like anyone starting out on their journey, I was unsure of the process, had a multitude of questions and wanted to find ongoing care that would help me reach my goals. After finding a team that I knew was the right fit for me, all aspects of the procedure were discussed, and I felt truly supported and ready.
I am a person who loves to research everything, everyone is different, and you never know how your body will react or recover from something like this. I was aware that it may be difficult to move through the eating stages post-op, and I found that I wasn’t able to tolerate soft food on the timeline that my paperwork indicated.
I was worried as I had read about others having no issues post surgery. After speaking with my medical team, they presented me with options, they also educated me on the fact that I was very early on in my post op process and that giving it a little more time might be the best option to begin with and things may progress as planned without further intervention, which ended up being the case.
Just knowing that I had the support and education available to me helped me understand what was happening with my body the whole way throughout the process and I was able to come to the realisation that everyone’s journey is different and the timeframes are just guidelines.
I am so glad that my team provided me with the education to be able to look beyond this. I was then able to take the steps needed to inform myself to feel empowered enough to make a change.
Just knowing that I had the support and education available to me helped me understand what was happening with my body the whole way throughout the process and I was able to come to the realisation that everyone’s journey is different and the timeframes are just guidelines.
I am so glad that my team provided me with the education to be able to look beyond this. I was then able to take the steps needed to inform myself to feel empowered enough to make a change.
Since my surgery 12 months ago, I have lost 32kg and finally feel comfortable in my own skin. My back pain has reduced, and I am no longer considered to be pre-diabetic. What a win!
A lot of people feel their life will be dramatically changed in a negative way in terms of food and eating after their surgery, but this really isn’t the case. I can eat anything, just in smaller portions, and can still enjoy all the food I have always loved and am still able to go out for dinner with friends.
After speaking with other people in groups and forums who have also gone through their own weight loss journey, I am so happy I set myself up with a great support system to relieve my fears, inform me, and empower me to make the best choices for myself.
My advice to other people considering weight loss surgery is to keep an open mind, listen to your body, and don’t compare your journey to someone else’s. My only regret is that I hadn’t sought out this type of intervention sooner!
We acknowledge the Bindal and the Wulgurukaba peoples, the traditional custodians on the land in which we are gathered today. We pay our respects to elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. We acknowledge that we benefit from living and working on these lands.
This land is Aboriginal land, always was, is, and always will be.
Are you considering weightloss surgery?
If your BMI is between 30-35 without obesity-related health conditions, Dr Whiting will carefully determine your eligibility for surgical weight-loss interventions.
