The countdown has begun

Hi, my name is Grace Anne Kelly and I am about to become a bandit!

Yes, in a few short weeks I am going in to have my gastric band fitted. I am nervous and excited. Nervous because it's an operation under general anaesthetic and that always carries a risk, but excited because my new life will begin.

I've taken the decision to go for a band after weighing up my many options. Like many people I think I have been on a diet for well over half my life. My weight has been creeping up on me since I was about 23 and since having my first child eight years ago, I have hovered around the 18 stone (252 lbs) mark. I have lost weight but never reached my goal and always it piled on again. Disheartening and probably the story of most overweight people's lives!

I want to do this right. Like when I was pregnant, I wasn't one of those people who thought it was a licence to eat whatever I wanted. On the contrary, that was what I did with my own body and not what I was going to do for my unborn baby. So during both pregnancies I lost weight, about 21 lbs with my first and a whopping 42 lbs with my second! I know, who loses weight when they're pregnant?? Well I was determined to only put healthy food into my body and for the most part (I'm not a saint!!) I did that. Developing gestational diabetes with my second meant I was more restricted in what I could eat and when the baby was born I was 3 stone lighter and felt great. Three months later I had piled it all back on. Clearly I didn't respect myself as much as I did my baby!

So I'm hoping my gastric band is going to be my new baby and having it in me will focus my mind and help me lose the weight. Certainly the cost of it should help me respect it - 5K for the band and aftercare. At least my children were free!! So I'm determined to make this work for me. To respect my band and hopefully finally lose the weight once and for all. I have 100 lbs to lose - a nice round number and the journey begins on July 27th when I start my 2 week pre op diet.

Let the countdown begin!