Success Story Tanya (lost over 10 stone)

Being a full time community midwife and mother of 4 young children, I found it hard to fit dieting into a busy schedule but when I did stick to a programme, I was successful enough but got so demoralised when the weight inevitably crept back on. At the age of 38 I realised my extra weight had really caught up with me, I was less able to help mothers during the delivery process, got tired so easily and did not want to join in with the family activities.

So in September 2006 I had a gastric band fitted. Overall I lost over 12 stone with my band but was one of the unlucky ones and had two band slippages, one at 18 months and the second at almost three years after my band was inserted, leaving me slim but hardly able to eat or drink anything. Clearly my band needed to be removed which it was in Agust 2009. I was amazed and dismayed at how quickly I gained weight again without my trusty friend. But two months later, in October 2009 I had a gastric bypass. My weight is stabilising again and I am getting used to the completely different eating experiences – for a while I really missed the security of restriction that I had with my band. Having weight loss surgery has also opened up a whole new career for me and I joined Southwest Bariatric Surgery Group as a bariatric practitioner in early 2009. I am delighted to be able to help clients, both from a clinical perspective and drawing on my own experiences.