After previously seeking medical intervention more than five years ago, I felt I was putting weight back on.
I am a Practice Manager and Nurse with the Australian Army and enjoy living an active lifestyle with my family and friends.
I was working in a rural and remote area, which unfortunately limited my access to good food. I was working long days and lost a lot of my motivation.
Five years ago I was 168kg. The initial procedure I had was successful in helping me reach my initial goal weight of 110kg. I was so proud of this achievement and my new goal was to break the 100kg mark. After a while, I noticed I started to get further away from this and let my health slip which meant I eventually reached 138kg.
I felt my weight gain was preventing me from moving and doing the things I love like four-wheel driving and camping. I was no longer able to walk in and buy clothes off the rack or even fit comfortably into an airplane seat. This is when I decided it was time to make a change, so I began researching what options I had available to me.
I sought professional advice and looked into other sources of information including medical journals and an online support group dedicated to bariatric surgery patients. After hearing about and researching all the options possible, I decided on a second surgery that involved bypassing a part of the small intestine and reducing the stomach size, limiting food absorption.
Because I had gone through a similar journey previously, I was well and truly prepared for the process and the level of dedication I needed to make the procedure successful the second time around.
This time I relied on my professional support system, and my friends and family to help me through the process which was really important to my success. Without both these groups of people there is no way I would have had the success I’ve had to date, which is what was lacking from my first experience.
Since my second procedure, I have worked hard to successfully reach my goal of 100kg. I now have a new goal of 90kg, which I am happy to say I am well on my way to achieving. Each morning I wake up, I feel grateful for the decisions I have made, I feel happy and healthy, and know I made the right choice.
I have found that it really is the little things you take for granted, like being able to move around with ease and not having my joints hurt. My knees feel a lot more stable now that they don’t have the amount of weight they previously had impacting them all the time. I am the first to admit that my fitness still needs a lot of work, but I am taking steps toward my goals in this space and asking for help wherever I need it along the way. Being able to actually enjoy walking my dogs again means so much to me.
My advice for anyone who is thinking about going through this journey is to talk with other people who have gone through similar procedures and journeys, the insights we can provide from going through it ourselves are so helpful.
I also think it’s really important to find yourself a group of empathetic, dedicated, and supportive people who you can talk with openly and honestly and know that you have people you can trust in your corner.
The biggest realisation for me the second time around is it’s so important to set yourself mini goals, rather than big goals, that way they’re more achievable and you can be proud of yourself. Focus on losing 1-2kg over two weeks and don’t worry when you stop losing weight, just focus on the little achievements along the way.
