shelleymarie
New Member
Hi All.
I'm just coming up to 3 years post op and I wanted to share some recent pics with you guys. For those who don't know me when I was big I was 26 stone, couldn't walk, couldn't fit in a bath and couldn't stand long enough to shower so had to wash myself on a towel in my bed. I spent most of my time in bed and ordering huge amounts of food. With my health problems, high blood pressure and chronic back pain from the strain on me. My waist was bigger than my height! I was miserable and used food to try and comfort me and all it did was make things worse. I could lose weight easily but keeping it off was impossible for me.
After the surgery I went on to lose 17 stone. It hasn't been easy as I've had a lot of obstacles along the way, including cross addiction from food to alcohol (be careful with drink post op, don't make the same mistakes as me and ignore the warnings from the professionals) but I don't drink now for over a year and I see my self as in recovery from both a food and drink problem. I went private so didn't have to go through the testing and trials you get on the NHS. I believe if I had I might have had the counselling I needed to try and avoid the cross addiction but I wouldn't change anything now because if I hadn't had the problems I did I never would have met the most wonderful man. I couldn't stand to be in a relationship when I was big because I hated myself so much I couldn't believe anyone would be able to love me. Next month we would have been together a year and I cannot tell you how happy he makes me and how much I love him. This will sound soppy but I just didn't know you could love someone this much and do so in a way where you wouldn't change each other for the world. I love him as he is, flaws and all and I'm so blessed that he feels the same. He is 21 years older than me but it makes absolutely no difference to us as we see each other as we are and he is absolutely gorgeous inside and out (I could talk about him for hours so I better stop now lol).
Since losing the weight I'm am so active and have very few health problems but I do have some deficiencies - folic acid, b12 and Vitamin D but I'm being treated with supplements and generally feel well all the time. I haven't gone back to work again because I'm a carer for my mum but I can actually look after her properly now. I have to be active and eat well or I can gain weight very quickly. I lost a bit too much last summer when I fell in love and went down to a size 6, people around me started to say I was looking a bit gaunt so I gained a bit over Christmas but wasn't comfortable so went down again but I'm a size 10 now - sometimes an 8 and sometimes a 12 depending of the fit of the clothes or the shop. I do have a lot of excess skin and would love a full body lift but I'd never be able to afford it and my doctor won't talk about referring me for plastics whilst my weight is bouncing about a bit. I seem to do that around the same 5lbs and I wonder if I it will ever change. I'm thinking about writing my story and selling it to a magazine so I could at least get some money to put towards getting my arms done because that's the place I'm most self concious of in public and I would love to be able to wear sleeveless tops with confidence but in the mean time I work hard at improving my self confidence and I'm doing things to try and improve it. Like next Friday I'm doing a photo shoot that I won some money towards. I get a make over and then get to dress up in 1950's clothes. I will share the pics when I get them. I'm so nervous but a bit excited too.
Anyway if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I always say that this journey is far from easy but if you work hard with your tool, you get a chance at being reborn. I like to share my pictures now because it helps me remember how far I've come and I absolutely loved before and after pics before my surgery as it gave me hope for the future. You can absolutely do this too if you put in the work. Thanks for all the support from this site and the people on it as I couldn't have done it alone
I'm just coming up to 3 years post op and I wanted to share some recent pics with you guys. For those who don't know me when I was big I was 26 stone, couldn't walk, couldn't fit in a bath and couldn't stand long enough to shower so had to wash myself on a towel in my bed. I spent most of my time in bed and ordering huge amounts of food. With my health problems, high blood pressure and chronic back pain from the strain on me. My waist was bigger than my height! I was miserable and used food to try and comfort me and all it did was make things worse. I could lose weight easily but keeping it off was impossible for me.
After the surgery I went on to lose 17 stone. It hasn't been easy as I've had a lot of obstacles along the way, including cross addiction from food to alcohol (be careful with drink post op, don't make the same mistakes as me and ignore the warnings from the professionals) but I don't drink now for over a year and I see my self as in recovery from both a food and drink problem. I went private so didn't have to go through the testing and trials you get on the NHS. I believe if I had I might have had the counselling I needed to try and avoid the cross addiction but I wouldn't change anything now because if I hadn't had the problems I did I never would have met the most wonderful man. I couldn't stand to be in a relationship when I was big because I hated myself so much I couldn't believe anyone would be able to love me. Next month we would have been together a year and I cannot tell you how happy he makes me and how much I love him. This will sound soppy but I just didn't know you could love someone this much and do so in a way where you wouldn't change each other for the world. I love him as he is, flaws and all and I'm so blessed that he feels the same. He is 21 years older than me but it makes absolutely no difference to us as we see each other as we are and he is absolutely gorgeous inside and out (I could talk about him for hours so I better stop now lol).
Since losing the weight I'm am so active and have very few health problems but I do have some deficiencies - folic acid, b12 and Vitamin D but I'm being treated with supplements and generally feel well all the time. I haven't gone back to work again because I'm a carer for my mum but I can actually look after her properly now. I have to be active and eat well or I can gain weight very quickly. I lost a bit too much last summer when I fell in love and went down to a size 6, people around me started to say I was looking a bit gaunt so I gained a bit over Christmas but wasn't comfortable so went down again but I'm a size 10 now - sometimes an 8 and sometimes a 12 depending of the fit of the clothes or the shop. I do have a lot of excess skin and would love a full body lift but I'd never be able to afford it and my doctor won't talk about referring me for plastics whilst my weight is bouncing about a bit. I seem to do that around the same 5lbs and I wonder if I it will ever change. I'm thinking about writing my story and selling it to a magazine so I could at least get some money to put towards getting my arms done because that's the place I'm most self concious of in public and I would love to be able to wear sleeveless tops with confidence but in the mean time I work hard at improving my self confidence and I'm doing things to try and improve it. Like next Friday I'm doing a photo shoot that I won some money towards. I get a make over and then get to dress up in 1950's clothes. I will share the pics when I get them. I'm so nervous but a bit excited too.
Anyway if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I always say that this journey is far from easy but if you work hard with your tool, you get a chance at being reborn. I like to share my pictures now because it helps me remember how far I've come and I absolutely loved before and after pics before my surgery as it gave me hope for the future. You can absolutely do this too if you put in the work. Thanks for all the support from this site and the people on it as I couldn't have done it alone