Hi all,

Thought I'd boost my current bad mood by posting a new before and during pic.

I had my surgery on 4 February 2011 when I was at 310lb. I had my first weight loss procedure (gastric balloon) almost a year ago at my highest at 376lbs.

Here I am today at 231lbs! Just 71lbs to go until goal...

You look great! You have a wonderfully infectious smile!

Congrats, you are doing so great!! Such a transformation already, way to go!

:cheer2:

Hi Lex, did you have to pay for both procedures or did you get them on insurance?

To be honest, I didn't rate the balloon that much. Although I did lose a good few pounds on it, at least 20lbs of those were on pre-op diets for the sleeve at the start of this year. Besides the initial nausea of having a bag of saline shoved into your tummy, the balloon doesn't offer much restriction at all. I could basically 'eat around it' (bad, I know). I could still eat whole pizzas, burgers, chips, all sorts of junk. The sleeve has made me much more focused, change my eating habits for good and dedicate myself to making it work. The restriction of the sleeve is like nothing else I've tried and I'm loving it! I am thankful that I had to have the balloon (surgeon's requirement) to kick start my weight loss and improve mobility etc, but it's not a long term solution like the sleeve is. It's just like another diet that I feel is doomed to fail once it's taken out, really.

Haha, funny you should say that - I was actually carded on Sunday! Though I do think it was a bit of a sympathy ID because I was with a friend who looks pretty young and we were at Glee Live which was full of teenagers, but not bad for a country where the legal drinking age is 18! But nice of you to say so because I'm so concious that I look old and wrinkly now I've lost weight in my face.

Hi Lex, did you have to pay for both procedures or did you get them on insurance?

Hi there,

I live in the UK and it's a little different here. Both procedures were free on the National Health Service (although they have only started offering and supporting WLS procedures recently and I waited almost 3 years!)

Yikes, 3 years!! I just noticed from the date format in your signature that you're a fellow Brit!

Hi there,

I live in the UK and it's a little different here. Both procedures were free on the National Health Service (although they have only started offering and supporting WLS procedures recently and I waited almost 3 years!)