September 2002 to date.

4th September 2002 I had an open  Roux-en-y (RNY) Gastric Bypass on the NHS by Mr Kerrigan.
What is a RNY?
Well the surgeon creates a small pouch of between 15-30ml at the top of your stomach, 1.5m down your small bowel, he cuts and joins the distal end to your new stomach. In my case the proximal end is attached 1.5m further on down the small bowel than it was.
End result being you can only eat a small amount of food, before feeling full, and you malabsorb some of the nutrients that you eat.
So immediately post I was a tad delicate but very soon the dramatic weightloss and increased exercise tolerance began to have huge benefits. I shifted 2 stone a month for the first two months, a total of 16stone in the first year. See the progress . Bariatric surgery is no magic cure and I have felt my way through the process adopting a series of lifestyle changes and attitude shifts to help maintain weight loss.
In January 2003 I set up a website which has since become a national charity with local support groups all over the UK. I have fought with my own personal demons and after 5years actively tackling my obesity I still find it an uphill daily task. But at least I feel I am in a position where I can experience satiety (fullness) and expend more calories that I take in. Whilst the reader may have found the first few entries in this blog hard going I found it therapeutic. Sometimes its hard to realise how far you have come on a journey when the road is long and hard and still uphill. It has done me good to reflect. On this journey I have met some of the bravest talented people you could imagine and seen transformations that are nothing short of miraculous.
My next entry may be a bit more like the editor expects......Chairman Ken ranting on obesity and the preparation for the Hazardous waist conference.