Before & after patient weight loss stories

Teresa Perks - Gastric Band patient

"I lost almost 12 stone in 12 months!"

Before

Teresa has four children and after each one she kept piling on the weight. She realised enough was enough and opted for a gastric band to help her finally get back into shape!

I've got four children and after every one was born I just couldn't shift the weight so got bigger and bigger as the years past. I did all the diets going, but none were successful in the long term. I just reached a point where I couldn't face it anymore and was determined to lose the weight.

Surgery has drastically changed my life. I still have trouble getting used to it, I still see myself as quite big even now I'm now a size 8. People think that having a gastric band is a quite, easy solution, but it's not. You still have to work at it, and watch what you eat. They told me at the Hospital Group that I shouldn't eat red meat, chicken, rice, pasta and bread for 12 months, and I might not ever be able to eat them. But I've been really lucky, I kept off everything for 15 months and then introduced those foods gradually, and now it's only red meat that I can't eat. I can play with my kids, and I can go into shops and buy anything I want.

Even though I've lost so much weight, I'm still not brave enough to get the band removed. I know that it's my mind that makes me want to eat, not because I'm hungry, I just know I personally need the band there stopping me. The thing with the band is that if you're on a diet you can cheat, but if you cheat with a band then it's going to make you feel sick.

I'd like to have more surgery, I'm thinking of having my boobs done and tummy tucked, and maybe my arms too. I lost the initial 12 stone in 14 months, so I accept that there is going to be some bits that need tweaking. In clothes you can hardly notice, but without clothes I'm not so good!

After