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March 2010 |
Natural weight loss V surgery
What’s the best way to shift those pounds?
 I did it all naturally.
At almost 22 stone, Kate Carty knew she needed to lose weight – and she was determined to do it on her own. Her kate, 37, explains how…
Being slim was something I only ever dreamt of. I’d always been quite big, but because I’m 5ft 10in, I carried it well – up to a point. When I met my husband Ed in June 2000, I was a size 14 and happy. But we loved food – eating out, takeaways, hearty home-cooked meals – so over the years I piled on the pounds. The trouble was, I didn’t have a clue how much I was eating. I’d have toast before work then a baguette on the way there. I’d buy something from the sandwich man at midday and pop out for more lunch later.
Dinner was usually something stodgy like pizza and chips. I rarely weighed myself but I knew I was getting bigger because I had to keep buying new suits for work – soon I’d crept up to a size 28. Then during a private health check at work, I stepped on the scales for the first time in years. I looked down – 21st 7lb.! I burst into tears. I vowed not to tell anyone my true weight – not even Ed – until I’d lost some pounds. A few nights later we were watching rugby in TV when the players’ weights came up on the screen. One was 19st 7lb. ‘He’s a big lad!’ Ed joked. I had to fight back the tears. If only he knew his wife weighed two some more than that.
It was the final straw. In May 2008 I started the Cambridge Diet. That meant no meals for months – just shakes, coups and bars. It wouldn’t be easy, but as long as it was a healthy solution to my problem, I had to try. I knew I could lose weight faster if I went for a gastric band but surgery wasn’t the right path for me. I simply needed something strict. In the first week alone I lost eight pounds! I was hooked. Over the next few months I lost a few pounds every week and by Christmas I’d lost six stone. The following January I joined the gym and started getting fit. It was hard work but in July 2009 I reached my goal weight of 11 stone. I’d lost 10 and a half stone and was a size 12.
I’d never dream I’d get to this weight and it feels amazing. I can understand why some people think surgery’s the only answer, but I couldn’t put myself through that, not when there was another option. Because gastric surgery reduces your stomach capacity, you’ll never be able to eat normally again – and that solution wouldn’t have suited me. I wanted to lose weight in a safer way and still be able to enjoy food without worrying about ‘overeating’ and the food coming back up. And now I’m so glad I did it without surgical intervention. Fat Kate is gone for food.
 I went under the knife
Tipping the scales at nearly 22 stone, Liz Scotney, 34, had tried every diet going. But with her health failing, she was forced to turn to the surgeon’s knife…
Some people are hooked on alcohol and cigarettes, but my addiction was food. I’d always been massively overweight, and by the time I’d married my husband Colin and given birth to our three children I was 21st 8lb. My problem was that I never felt full. I’d start eating at 10.30 am then ‘graze’ all day. I’d eat while I was cooking dinner then finish the leftovers. And several times a week I’d polish off a family size bar of chocolate. I’d tried every diet going but each time I’d lose a few stone then quickly regain it. I loathed my body and I was terrified I’d die of a heart attack. I already had high blood pressure and soon I developed weight-related diabetes. ‘Unless you lose some weight I’ll have to put you on injectable insulin,’ my GP told me. Resigned to the fact that conventional dieting wasn’t going to work, Colin and I discussed the possibility of a gastric bypass. ‘Whatever you want I’ll back you 100 per cent,’ Colin said.
My GP put me forward for an operation on the NHS, but the waiting lists were more than two years long, so I arranged to have it done privately. The £9000 procedure would involve having my stomach reduced to the size of an egg but there was risks – one in 200 patients don’t survive. I’d also never be able to eat normal-sized meals again. I’d only be able to stomach small portions – or risk being sick. I was terrified, but I knew I’d expected to be in a lot of pain but when I came around from the anaesthetic, I felt good.
Over the following days I started eating tiny portions of mashed fruit. My appetite had gone. For the first time ever I felt in control of my body. Within two weeks I’d lost my first stone. Once I hit 16 stone I started running. At first I could only jog from one lamppost to the next, but each time I’d push myself to do another five paces. ‘I ran for 10 minutes without stopping!” I told Colin breathlessly. By Christmas 2009, just nine months after the surgery, I’d lost nine stone and fitted into a size 12 – and I felt fantastic. Best of all, I cam off all the medication and my high blood pressure and diabetes were a thing of the past.
I know some people will criticize me for having a gastric bypass, but I needed a solution that meant I’d never be able to go back to my old habits.I have huge respect for people who lose weight and keep it off naturally, but it’s not possible for everyone to do that. We all have the right to be happy and healthy. For me, surgery was the best answer to a terrible problem.
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