I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. I was always one of the bigger kids at school, and I remember being teased mercilessly because of my weight. Over the years I tried just about every diet that I could find – I joined Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Herbal Magic. I went on an all-shake diet that included a weekly session on changing my lifestyle, I even tried the Bernstein diet. Some of them were successful in the short term but generally speaking the weight would come back.
The one time in my life that I remember having some decent success at losing weight was shortly after I met my now husband. I knew that I was going to marry him and I wanted to feel beautiful at my wedding. Unfortunately, my mother passed away suddenly and my whole entire world was turned upside down. My efforts to lose weight took a backseat to grief and most of the weight that I had been successful at loosing crept back on. I did get married, the grief changed into something more manageable and I started working on myself again, now because we wanted to have kids. We came back from our one year anniversary trip and I was pregnant! Never had I been so happy, of course that didn’t last though. I lost that pregnancy on the anniversary of my mother’s death. After the miscarriage, I kind of gave up, I would try every once in a while, but mainly I was just ‘phoning it in’. Two years later I became pregnant with my daughter and then three years after that I was pregnant again. I gained weight with each of these pregnancies and never managed to lose it afterwards.
When my youngest was about 7 months old I took a really hard look at my life. While I was so completely happy with my husband and my kids, I was really unhappy with myself. I was at the heaviest weight that I had ever been – 367 pounds – and I could barely get up the energy to chase my kids around. I decided that something had to change. I looked into the options that were available to me in Alberta where I could get the surgery covered (a surgery that I have looked into many many times over the years). The downside was that there was a substantial wait time for the operation. I didn’t want to wait anymore. That is when I found SmartShape. I did some research, I read reviews, I spoke to previous patients and of course I spoke to my husband. Decision made.
I chose the gastric sleeve because I didn’t want to interrupt the way that my body digested food. I wanted assistance with portion control. I consider myself to be an intelligent person, all along, I have known what I should be doing to make lasting changes. The problem was that I was an emotional eater, I would binge. The sleeve gave me back control over my eating. I no longer feel hunger the way I did before and because of that my cravings are few and far between. Since I am not craving very much, I am able to make better choices with the foods that I do eat.
The surgeon who treated me was wonderful: he was friendly, he answered all my questions and he somehow made me feel more confident in my ability to be successful after the surgery. I have spoken to the nurses a couple of times since the surgery, and I have done a few online classes. Although I know the Team at SmartShape are there to support me, I feel I have been able to use my sleeve the way I should and have not had to call very often. Knowing they are there is very reassuring.
I know that I am not yet at my goal, I am currently sitting at 256 pounds. But even though my goal isn’t met (to be fair I haven’t set my end goal), I have my life back. I am a better parent, a better spouse, a better nurse. I am nice to myself when I see my reflection, I don’t pick myself apart anymore. I am kinder to me. All in all, it is easily the best investment that I have made.
If you’ve been researching bariatric procedures and are finally ready to speak with a Surgeon to see if you are a candidate, call one of our Program Advisors today at (888) 278-7952 to book a free consult, or fill out our website Contact Form here.
The information provided in this Newsletter is for informational purpose only and is not professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or care, nor is it intended to be a substitute. Therefore always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider properly licensed to practice medicine or general health care in your jurisdiction concerning any questions you may have regarding any information obtained from this Newsletter and any medical condition you believe may be relevant to you or to someone else.