There's a very small percentage of serious danger with a gastric band, but that serious danger equals death, so I've decided to avoid that.
Staying fat also equals death, so I've decided to avoid that too.
The "diet" mentality also leads to low self confidence and a failure overall to lose weight, so I'm avoiding that.
I've simply decided to stop eating so much. I've cut out chocolate, junk food, fizzy drinks, unhealthy restaurants, and anything that just won't help me lose weight.
Eating around 1,200 calories a day has become surprisingly easy after just a few weeks. I'm not feeling miserable about "missing out" on anything. I can look at cakes and not feel even a stirring of cakey lust, and if I do I can look at the label and go "400 calories? Sod off!"
Too often people focus on what a diet takes away from them - pizza, chocolate, cake, chicken korma, whatever - and not on what it
gives them. So here's a handy list of what losing weight will give you:
1: Freedom from shopping at Evans! What IS it with their expensive, frumpy tat?!
2: Confidence! The feeling of peace that comes from not being under the control of your hunger gives you so much confidence!
3: Confidence! Yes, more confidence! No more having to apologise for crushing people as you squeeze past in small shops! No more being unable to shop for clothes like a normal person! No more spilling onto your neighbour's seat on buses, trains or planes! No more having to wear what Evans sell as opposed to what you want to wear!
4: Health! Fight off colds with but a couple of days' runny nose! Shop until you drop now takes eight hours instead of two! A couple of flights of stairs is no longer a horrific trial!
5: Happiness! Dieting makes people unhappy. Being overweight makes people unhappy. So be happy! Lose weight!
6: Empowerment! You are in control of your body, not the other way around. Don't let it rule you any more! Go on, give it what for!
It's a short list. But there's a whole industry making billions of pounds trying to fulfil it. And you can do it all by yourself. You can, you really can.
Don't worry about 15 years of dieting. Throw it away. You don't need all that stress and worry and self-loathing. It's a cliche, but the rest of your life really does start today. So make today really great.
When tomorrow becomes today, make it really great.
And the day after... make it really great!
One day at a time. That's all it takes!