First Entry

Today is the day before I start a new life.

I have been battling a weight problem since I was a young boy. I was not obese, or even seen as overy overweight. But I have always been heavier then most of the people in my year at school. There was always the fatty boom sticks, but that was fortunately not me.

I have just been bigger.

Today is March 30, 2009 and I do not know what I weigh as I have not jumped on scales since my last trip to the doctor a couple of months ago. I am about 186cm, and as at that last doctors visit I was 127kgs.

This gives me a BMI of about 35. This puts me into an obese catagory and I do not want to be there. So I am doing something about it.

Tomorrow I enter North Shore Private Hospital and I am undergoing Lapband surgery. In detail, I am having a Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (SAGB) fitted to my stomach pouch.

The SAGB is a device placed around the highest part of the stomach to create a small pouch of stomach which fills quickly and empties slowly. It works by removing the feeling of hunger, and also by making you feel full after only a small meal.

You therefore eat smaller amounts less often and lose weight. The tightness of the device is easily adjustable so that as time goes by adjustments can be made to ensure maximum life long effectiveness of the procedure.

The SAGB can usually be inserted laprascopically (keyhole surgery). This avoids a large abdominal incision, which assists recovery and avoids the pain associated with a big cut. It also reduces the complication rate for the surgery. Most people can expect to go home 2 days following surgery.

Another advantage of the SAGB is that the normal anatomy is not altered in any way. Therefore gut function and absorption remain normal.

Ok, back to me.

I have always been good at sport, playing cricket, rugby, rowing, sailing and other sports at other times most of my life.

Up until 5 years ago I was still competitively sailing on an A-class catamaran. I still think I am rather fit with walking up to 1.5 hours a day and still sail and stay healthy.

I do however eat more than I should and drink more than I should.

I have an office job that does not help. This also consists of running a winery and two restaurants as well as a lodge.

Now I know people can be critical of surgery to lose weight. These people usually have never had the problem to start. So who are they to judge me?

They have never struggled to buy clothes, fit in a seat, get the looks that stab you in the heart or get picked on and called names.

This has not happened to me often as I am not that large, but it does still affect me. I get the comments from so-called friend, and also some seats are uncomfortable.

Now, do not think I have not tried just about every other type of weightloss under the sun.

I have done Jenny Craig. Went from 110kg down to 89kg. Then back to 112kg a year later.

I then joined a gym and followed a dietician and work out 4 days a week. Dropped back to 92kg and looked great, but slowly climbed back to 118kgs. I dtill worked out bust wanted to enjoy a few beers and desert occasionally.

I then did the Tony Ferguson diet. This was great while I was on it. Got back to about 100kg but it was too strict and again, nothing enjoyable about life.

Since then I have had a personal trainer three days a week and worked my butt off and still carry a belly. Pretty much I only have a belly. But I do try hard to reduce it.

So tomorrow it all ends and I start my new life. I am determined to lose at least 30kgs.

See you on the other side.

MSC