“I wasn’t the mother I wanted to be, and that started to eat at me. I couldn’t run, climb or use the swings with my daughters. Five years ago I was at an amusement park with my children. They wanted to be with me in every way. attractions, but I didn’t dare. I didn’t want to run the risk that the safety bar wouldn’t close and that I would then be sent away in a very embarrassing way. So I made up the excuse that I didn’t want to because I would get sick. I was disappointed with myself and felt inadequate as a mother. This had to change, I decided on the spot.”
“I’ve never been much of a stickler. As a child I was a bit full, but not really fat. We ate fairly healthily at home. Potatoes, vegetables and meat every day, fries once a week and at the weekend we got something tasty. Nothing so crazy.
From the age of sixteen I noticed that I started to expand. Fortunately, I wasn’t teased about it and I got enough attention from boys, especially because of my feminine curves. So it didn’t make me insecure.”
Snacking every evening
“When I was eighteen I got into a steady relationship. Three years later we got married, after which I had two daughters. These were busy years in which I largely took care of the children alone. My then husband was an international driver and was away a lot.
Almost every evening I sat alone on the couch when the children were in bed. Out of boredom, I walked into the kitchen and looked to see if there was anything tasty in the refrigerator to snack on. Chocolate has always been my great weakness. But I also enjoyed savory things like chips, sausage and cheese.”
“So I kept getting a little heavier. Of course I was aware of it, I kept moving up a dress size. But to be honest, I didn’t really care at the time. I was already heavy, so another kilo didn’t matter to me anymore. That was really my mistake, I let myself go too much. Things went from bad to worse, my excess weight took on serious proportions.”
Did I fit in the chair?
“Fortunately, I didn’t have any physical complaints. But my size did limit me. When I went shopping with friends, I could never buy anything in the stores where they liked something. And when we went to a terrace afterwards, I first scanned which chairs There were questions about whether I fit in there. Really not nice, of course. Add to that the guilt I felt towards my children and it was clear: something had to change.”
“I went to the doctor and asked what she thought about gastric reduction. Fortunately, the response was immediately positive. It was also not the case that I had never tried anything myself in all those years before. I had exercised, followed numerous diets and guidance. from coaches and dietitians, but that only helped temporarily.
I always fell back into my old pattern. I had to deprive myself so much if I wanted to lose weight that there was nothing left to enjoy and I became really grumpy. I would rather give my children a happy, overweight mother than a slim, unhappy mother. I realized that I couldn’t do this purely on my own and needed help.”
Under anesthesia with a smile
“My GP immediately inquired about gastric reduction. My BMI was so high that I was allowed to go straight to the screenings. When I got the green light from the doctor and the psychologist, I was so happy.
In September 2019 I went under the knife. I wasn’t afraid of complications, I was actually looking forward to it. I went under anesthesia with a big smile and I woke up with a big smile. I did this for a good cause: my future and that of my children.”
“I didn’t have much pain after the operation, but I did have to get used to the new eating pattern. For example, I can no longer drink during a meal, I have to wait half an hour in between otherwise I would immediately ‘flush’ all the nutrients from the food.
I also have to be alert to ‘dumpings’: then I feel very bad after eating something I cannot tolerate. This was a matter of trial and error. I now know that I can no longer tolerate desserts, milkshakes and pork. That makes me very sick.”
Lost 75 kilos
“Before I had the operation, I had already lost twenty kilos through exercise and a different diet. After the stomach reduction, even more kilos fell off. That was fantastic and bizarre at the same time, I kept seeing the number on the scale go down.
In total I lost 75 kilos, including excess skin that I had removed during a skin correction – which I had to pay for myself, because the insurance company did not consider it medically necessary. I still find it unprecedented that I have lost the weight of an adult human being. It’s unbelievable that I carried that with me all those years.”
“My life has changed enormously since the gastric reduction. Not only because of the weight loss, but also privately. Three years ago my husband and I separated. After losing so much weight, my self-image changed. I realized that I was never actually happy had been and therefore settled for what I had, while in doing so I was doing myself a disservice.
As I became slimmer, I received compliments and attention from others more often. Attention that I was supposed to get from my husband, but that he never gave because he was ‘too busy’. I felt unseen and realized that I was worth more than this. By divorcing, I put myself number one for the first time.”
Best choice ever
“My life is very nice now. I have a new partner with whom I am very happy. I exercise a lot and buy nice clothes: tight, sexy, classy and feminine. I proudly walk in a bikini, without any worries I go with my daughters to an amusement park and on a terrace I never pay attention to the chairs anymore. I have never felt so good.
I will never go back to being so overweight again. Some people still gain a lot of weight after a stomach reduction, but my weight has been stable for a long time. That shouldn’t become an obsession, so I pay attention to what I see in the mirror and not to the numbers on the scale. I am very happy with the turnaround I have made in my life in several areas. Having the operation was the best choice ever.”
Don’t want to miss an episode of this section? Then click on the Never Again tag below and then click ‘Follow’ at the top left.
Never again?
Do you also want to tell your story and tell what you ‘never want to experience, do or not do again’? We are curious about your story. Email us at [email protected]
2023-12-29 07:40:14
#Colinda #heavy #carried #extra #kilos #years
