Sarah Morris, 30, Warriewood, NSW
As Mum handed over the present, I tried to smile. 'Thank you,' I whispered. Inside the carefully wrapped parcel was a size-26 shirt she'd altered for me. She'd carefully unpicked the seams and sewed panels in either side so I could get it around me. You see, at 170cm and 170 kilos, even a size 26 was too small for me.
For as long as I could remember, I had been overweight. At school, I was an obvious target for bullies. 'Fatty!' they'd yell as I skulked across the playground.
As I grew up, the bullying faded. But the damage was done. My self-confidence was shattered and my weight crept up. I coped by burying my head in the sand, steering clear of weighing scales and making excuses not to go to the beach. 'Come to mine instead,' I'd suggest to friends.
Then, when I was 21, I met Tom, 22, at a friend's party. I weighed around 120 kilos but he seemed to see past my weight and fell in love with the person underneath. So much so, we never talked about weight at all.
Maybe being skinny isn't the most important thing, I decided.
Despite being able to eat what he wanted, Tom was average build. Some people might have been jealous of that but I was so thrilled to have found him, I never gave it a second thought. And being with Tom made me much more active. 'Fancy a walk?' he'd smile. I couldn't resist!
Over the years, despite being happy, I ate more. By the time I fell pregnant five years later, I was a whopping 160 kilos.
Our son Ethan was born on March 16, 2006. He was beautiful and, desperate to give him the best start, I breastfed him.
But it wasn't as easy as I'd thought. It left me starving so I snacked constantly to compensate. By Christmas 2006, I was the heaviest I'd ever been at 172 kilos.
On Christmas Day, I piled roast potatoes on my plate without giving it a second thought. And when I finished, I scooped up more. Afterwards, I gorged on cheese. I knew it was wrong. But I couldn't resist.
My family were too kind to say anything but I knew they were worried. The trouble was, I had no idea how to stop. 'I'll worry about it in the new year,' I told myself, gobbling chocolate.
But taking down the decorations afterwards got me thinking. I was so heavy I couldn't even climb the stepladder to get the lights.
'I'll do it,' Tom offered.
As I slowly put away the tinsel I could reach, I noticed how out of breath even that simple task left me. My weight was causing all sorts of problems. Tom even had to tie my shoelaces for me because my stomach was so big I couldn't reach them.
Want to lose weight this Christmas and New Year's?
Here are five simple ways to get started.
CLICK HERE
So, in February I went to see my GP. He'd known me since birth but on this visit it was like he was seeing me properly for the first time. 'How did you get so big?' he asked gently. Stunned, I couldn't reply.
'Have you thought about a gastric band?' he continued.
He explained that a band was fitted around your stomach which reduced it to half its size and restricted how much you could eat.
It set my head spinning.
Was my weight really bad enough to warrant surgery? I couldn't take it in. 'I don't think that's for me,' I mumbled.
But back home as I scooped up Ethan, a wave of panic washed over me. Was my weight putting my life in danger? Would I be there to kiss Ethan goodbye on his first day of school? I had to do whatever it took to make sure I was there for him.
The next day, emboldened with the promise of the new year, I ventured to a local gym.
A girl sat behind the counter with two men. As I walked in, they all stared. Before I could even open my mouth, they burst out laughing.
Mortified, I turned and left.
There was only one thing for it - the gastric band. I talked it through with Tom. 'If it's what you want, I'll support you,' he told me.
So I put my name down on the waiting list in March. Six months later, I finally had the operation.
For the two weeks afterwards, I was put on a liquid diet. Then for another two weeks I had to eat mushy food. After that I could eat mostly what I wanted but I had to be careful.
Doctors warned me to cut out carbs and to make sure I only ate tiny portions. It didn't take long to see the results.
Within three months I'd lost a staggering 30 kilos! For the first time in my adult life I was down to a size 22. But I knew I had a long way to go.
One day, we were at an exhibition when I saw someone advertising personal training. 'Go on…' Tom nudged me.
'I'm Sarah,' I told the man at the desk. 'I've got a gastric band and I've just lost 30 kilos.'
'That's brilliant!' he smiled.
His reaction was a world away from the last gym. So I took the plunge and began going to him four times a week.
The first time, I came home in tears. 'I can't do it,' I gasped to Tom. 'It'll get easier,' he soothed. And he was right.
By October 2008 I had lost another 30 kilos and weighed 110 kilos. As my fitness improved I even started doing fun runs.
I'd also changed my diet. Gone were the chips and lollies and instead Tom brought home fresh fish from the market where he worked.
Of course, it was a struggle. I missed hot chips more than anything! But I was determined this Christmas was going to be different from the last.
Sure enough, on the big day, I was down to 102 kilos. And in the following nine months, I lost a further 22 kilos, to a size 12.
This September I won the chance to go to Cambodia on a charity cycle ride. We rode 500km in seven days in intense heat and humidity. I could never have imagined doing that before.
Now, I'm becoming a personal trainer so I can help other people. Altogether I've lost 92 kilos - over half my original body weight. Today I weigh 80 kilos and only have eight kilos to go before I reach my goal weight.
Losing weight has changed my life, and because of it I know this Christmas is going to be my best ever.
Do you have a special goal for Christmas? Let us know by leaving a comment below. |
