Fw: Janet & Tracey Hally's story

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi there

>

> I am so glad to see that you have managed to find ozband before you have

> the op, as this gives you an insight into the band and how people live

and

> cope with it.

>

> My story

>

> I have always been overweight, was a chubby baby, toddler, overweight

> teenager and the only time in my life where I was not overeight (but not

> nearly as small as I am now) was when I was around 19 and if I could get

> away with it I would live off 1 cuppa soup per day. My borther used to

call

> me Hevalump or Trotters (as in a pigs), I used to lie in the bath and

just

> wish I could cut off the rolls of fat.

>

> I have tried all the usual diets, gloria marshall, jenny craig, weight

> watchers, easy slim and also the liquid milkshake diet Optifast. They all

> worked a little in their own way but as soon as I started back on real

life

> I just gained the weight plus more. I think my largest would have been

> about 99 kilos - after I hit the scales at 95 I was too scared to weight

> myself.

>

> I cam across the band by watching the tv show " The Weighting Game " -

there

> was a girl called Angie who had had the lap band and was a similar size

to

> me. So I went to see my GP who said No way you are not large enough etc,

I

> had to beg him to let me see someone - eventually he did and I went to

see

> my surgeon who said yes I could have the lap band. 2 weeks later I was in

> hospital having the surgery.

>

> I was very scared at first, my main concern was that I might die during

the

> procedure - but my will to be thin got me over that. I spent 2 nights in

> hospital and had 2 weeks off work.

>

> The first 2 weeks I llived off liquid and very mushy food, by about week

4

> I was begining to eat a little food. I started to loose weight in the

> first week and this encouraged me so much that I made a decision that as

I

> had gone thourgh the surgery and had the band I was going to use it to my

> advantage. I had been to a gym before and had a good frined that was a

> personal trainer and booked myself in for an appraisal 4 weeks after my

op.

> I started personal training the next week. I do beleive that exercise was

> one of the major factors that I managed to loose 40 kilos in 11 months. I

> also made very good food choices, of course one slips up and I used to

have

> 1 bad day per week where I could have ice-cream, cheese, chips anything I

> fancied. I also had my band set tightly and used to visit my surgeon

once

> a month. If I was not loosing weight I would have a fill but if I was

doing

> ok I would not have a fill that month. I weighed myself about 3 times per

> week and also took body measurement. (I am bad now I do them both on a

> daily basis). I was also assessed in the gym for body fat %,

measurements,

> metabollic rate, weight etc.

>

> During the period of loosing the weight I could not eat very much food,

the

> band really shows you that to loose wieght your body only needs a small

> amount of food. i now eat about 1/2 to 3/4 of a main meal. I eat very

> slowly and it takes me about 1 hour to eat my dinner.

>

> During the early stages of the band I found it very stressful to eat in

> front of people (in case I vomited). I still find it stressful as people

> do remark on the quantity I eat, if hubby and I go out to dinner I am

ok,

> I always check to see where the toilets are and he knows my situation. I

> have only 2 friends that know I am banded, it is something that I do not

> want to be public about, I know that I have to live with the band and

that

> I am always going to be a slow eater and I will never be able to eat a

> large meal. That is ok for me, me being slim is the most important thing

to

> me and I am happy to live this way. The only difficulty I do have is if

we

> have alot of social functions on in one week, I cannot possibly eat out

> too often, if I have dinner out on friday then saturday I will not eat

much

> food at all, my stomach cannot cope with 2 meals out in a row. I am

happy

> to live with this - to me this is a very small sacrifice to make for

being

> thin.

>

> I still love my food and always will - but I have learnt from the band

that

> your body does not require much food to maintain its weight. And if you

are

> wondering yes I still drink alcohol!!!

>

> Having the band is the best thing I have done, I would do it all again if

I

> had too.

>

> Well that is my story - everyone is different and we all have different

> ideas and goals with the band.

>

> (Please forgive all the typing errors)

>

> take care

>

> hally