The 34 Stone Teenager Update

Dunno if anyone saw this on BBC3 the other night. It follows the progress of 19 year old Bethany who weighed 34 stones (hence the title). She was given a gastric by-pass in the first programme, and this one follows her progress.

I remember seeing the original programme long before I had a date for my op, and to be honest I learned more about what it would involve from this than I did from any of the doctors!

Instead of the fairytale ending I was expecting, they showed that Bethany was existing on a diet of crisps and cheese and so her weight loss was below target. Finally she and her mum realised that she needed some kind of therapy to help her break the emotional attachment to food, and they found an amazing behavioural therapist who soon got her back on track.

It was inspiring to see her blossom as each pound dropped off. The poor girl's self-esteem was shot to shit, but with the help of this therapist, she began to become aware of her achievments at college, not to mention the amazing 7 stones she's lost already! She's gonna go on to have the life she truly deserves.

I'm 20-odd years older than Bethany, and I know the hell of spending your life struggling with your weight. Even in my advanced years I feel like a whole new world, in fact a whole new life is opening up to me as I can finally imagine laying this burden to rest.

I'm 58lbs lighter than I was in January this year, I'm wearing stuff I haven't been able to fit into for 3 years, and I have more energy than I've had in a long, long time. Anyone reading this, if you qualify for the by-pass....get it! It really does transform your life.