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Jane

Jane is a 55-year-old from Leeds. I have had weight problems most of my adult life and have been a yo-yo dieter following diets such as Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Atkins Diet, Cambridge Diet and the Cabbage Soup Diet across the years with no prevail. My weight gain is due to pure greediness and I was feeling a complete failure so I needed a tool to stop me from failing.

After contacting Gastric Balloon Group, I felt like the 12-month balloon was the perfect fit and it would train me to eat smaller portions and stop when I was feeling full.

Weight lost: 2st 11lbs

Life before the gastric balloon

I have had weight problems most of my adult life and been a yo-yo dieter following diets such as Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Atkins Diet, Cambridge Diet and the Cabbage Soup Diet over the years with no prevail. I think my weight gain is due to pure greediness!

I was feeling really low and unhealthy and a complete failure from constantly dieting and then bingeing. As previously noted, I have been a yo-yo dieter for many years and it always failed! Pre-COVID, we had a very busy social life so I was always making excuses for stopping the diets as we had guests or were out on holiday etc.

I started reading up on the gastric balloon as I wanted a tool to stop me from failing. I understood the implications and knew that I would be unable to over eat with the balloon and it would train me to eat smaller portions and stop when I was feeling full.

I contacted a few companies that offered the balloon but I chose Gastric Balloon Group as they offered the 12 month Orbera365 balloon as well as a great package. I wanted it long-term to support me for longer so it became normal for me to follow a healthy diet post-balloon. I found Gastric Balloon Group really helpful and keen on the phone and they understood how I felt and what I was going through.

Placement Day & Beginning the Journey

On the morning of placement day I weighed 14st 4lbs. Travelling to Leeds Spire Hospital on the 11th November 2020 – I knew this was the right thing to do and I knew it was going to make me much healthier and feel better about myself – I felt nervous but excited. Mr Mehta and the team at Leeds Spire Hospital were wonderful; he explained everything that was going to happen very clearly and all the staff were friendly and caring.

I started a diary on day one when the balloon was inserted to allow me to look back on my journey and recap the experiences and my feelings. For the first day and evening after my procedure I felt nauseous. Day two is noted that “I feel so much worse than I thought I would with terrible cramps – but it will be worth it”. Day three onwards I started to feel better and improving day-by-day.

So far on my journey, the balloon has taught me that losing weight makes you feel healthier and happier. The health risk factors you can have being obese have now reduced e.g. diabetes, heart disease and so on. I now have a healthy diet, however when I do want a treat I have one – but instead of having a large bag of crisps and chunks of cheese like I would in the past, I have a couple of crackers with low fat cheese and tomatoes and on occasions I enjoy a glass of wine or two! ?

Healthy & Happier

The aftercare and support from Gastric Balloon Group has been really good. I’ve enjoyed my calls with Celya asking how I am doing and offering support and ideas. The modules I am receiving from Elizabeth are always a good read. Baz the trainer has been great and he set me up with some low impact exercises and couch to 5k; I am now doing the exercises and a walk on one day and then the alternate day I can now jog (albeit slowly) for 30 minutes which is amazing as when I first started in November I struggled jogging for one minute!

My goal weight is to be under 11 stone. The balloon is still with me for another 38 weeks which is plenty of time to hit target and learn to maintain it the weight loss I’ve already achieved.

I want to continue with exactly what I am doing and how well I am doing. I will continue using the food tracking app to make sure I stay on track and if I am invited to any social events, I will have small portions of what I want. COVID permitting, we have a couple of holidays booked including a cruise in October. I have already bought some evening dresses in new sizes and cant wait to get dressed up on the ship! My husband thinks he has a new wife!