Paul McDonald Before	Paul McDonald After

Paul McDonald's Journal - 11.07.05

Eight Months Post Surgery

Hello Everyone,

Firstly, apologies for the length of time between journal entries. The last two months have been quite tumultuous for me.

My weight loss continues unabated and I am now down to 123kg. This means I’ve only got another 24kg to get down to my goal weight which is 99kg.

I’m now wearing 107cm trousers instead of 137cm and for the first time in years I can purchase clothes at a regular store. Previously I had to go to stores with such names as ‘high and mighty’ or ‘the portly gentleman’ and would be forced to pay double what I’m paying now.

When I started this lapband journey I weighed 165kg and was taking medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gastric reflux and sore knees. I was also about to start on a machine to help with my sleep apnea. Today I am off all of these medications and am sleeping a full 8 hours minimum a night.

I no longer get out of breath after walking for five minutes and, in fact, am hoping to start training for my first marathon once I’ve lost a bit more weight.

I also don’t get stared at any longer when I’m at the shops etc and I can fit into the seats at the movies and economy plane seats etc (though I still strongly feel airlines should provide wider seats for obese customers – it is their duty of care).

So, if anyone is still not sure about lapband surgery, all I can say is that it has worked for me and I have not had any problems with it. Dr Layani is an excellent, experienced lapband surgeon who has a great team working with him to get the weight off and keep it off permanently.

I wish everyone the best in your weight loss endeavors.

Take care,

Paul McDonald.