I Need To Lose Weight, and Fast!!!
The following Blog Post has been written by Lauren D. from the South of England, other than adding images, it is verified and unedited.
“Tomorrow is a new week and I’m getting back on my diet”. I’ve been having the same thought, pretty much every Sunday evening for the past 20 years. If I am honest I was fed up and miserable of this thought, it wasn’t motivating, I knew come middle of the week I would have failed and would reach for the bar of chocolate and packet of biscuits to help soothe my disappointment. But hey for now Monday is a new day and change will come. I need to lose weight and fast so let’s be positive!
Well I didn’t even get to the middle of the week, Tuesday 13th March, I remember sitting on my sofa thinking two days into the new diet and I have already failed. I had eaten a packet of Haribo strawberries, some chocolate, some biscuits, the list goes on, half the time I don’t even register what I’m eating, it’s just a daily even hourly occurrence, I reach for the food and put it in my mouth, not even asking myself am I enjoying this? Not even registering the taste, just sticking the food in my mouth, chewing and swallowing. It wasn’t a pleasure it was a necessity to reward myself and get through the day.
As I sat on the sofa on that miserable Tuesday afternoon I knew I had to lose weight, I was going on holiday in 10 weeks. The usual worrying about the holiday started, will the seat-belt go round me on the plane? Last year I was pushing it, surely this year I’m going to struggle? We’re off to Florida, my daughter will want to go on the theme park rides, will I fit in the seat or will I get stuck just like I did last summer? I may even be too heavy to go on the ride this year, seriously too heavy to go on a theme park ride, my daughter is going to miss out, just because I am fat. Things need to change, my weight must not affect my daughter like it has affected me for the past 30 years, I can’t let it and I won’t let it.
When I was 21 my doctor prescribed me slimming tablets, I thought yes that’s what I need, they will help me lose weight quickly, so I began researching slimming tablets. I knew of two ‘licensed’ clinics in my local area. I called and left messages for both and emailed both practices, just in case they didn’t pick up my voicemail. I know slimming tablets are not good, I know they are similar to amphetamine, the last time I took them I ended up in hospital having had a seizure, I vowed never to take them again, but this time I was desperate, I told myself I wouldn’t take them for a long while, just until my holiday.
But how desperate am I? Desperate enough to start considering gastric procedures? Yes I am that desperate so I started looking at what procedures were available. As I googled gastric procedures the Gastric Mind Band came up, I visited the site and my first thought was ‘no my mind is fine I need operating on my stomach not my mind’ and I closed the web page.
The gastric balloon came up as an option, the procedure seemed pretty simple, I swallow a balloon they fill it with saline and I will feel full therefore eating less. I started looking at private hospitals near me that provided the procedure. Result! The private hospital less than 10 minutes away does it, I sent off my inquiry form. This seemed a good option.
As I kept searching for other gastric surgery providers, I came across a London clinic who could prescribe me legal slimming drugs, one was a pen which would help me eat less the other was a tablet but I wouldn’t absorb fat. Both seemed like good options, the cost was a little high, around £3000 for a three month supply of pens. I started looking at the side effects, suicidal thoughts, nausea, diarrhea, spasms, hmm these drugs do not seem so appealing now.
The more I searched internet the more the GMB website kept coming up on my web search. I decided to look into it further, although a little sceptical. I first looked at the case studies, Sarah, Kay and Martin, I thought wow! Real people like me have done it, but is this just good marketing?. I watched the interview with Lorraine and Dr Hilary with Kay, I watched Sarah’s interview on Good Morning. I found these interviews inspiring, this was real, it was working for normal people like me.
I started looking into how this weight loss was achieved, it wasn’t a procedure, it was using techniques I had heard of, NLP, CBT and Hypnotherapy. Someone was actually going to sit down with me and talk about me for around 16 hours. They were going to talk about why I am eating the way I do and helping me put control mechanisms in place to stop me from doing it. Finally I realised this is what I need. To move forward with any eating plan, I need to understand why I am doing this vicious cycle of constant diets and over eating. After all I’ve counted calories, counted points and Syns (Slimming World), drank milk shakes, made cabbage soup and popped pills for 20 years and none of this has worked, I’m heavier now than I have ever been. Talking through my eating issues seemed like I had finally hit the nail on the head. I sent off my enquiry form.
Lose Weight Fast – A Personal Journey
On the 15th March I received an email from the GMB clinic, as I opened it I instantly felt excited. Anita at the clinic answered my questions and believe me there were a lot. Anita answered the questions with great detail, so I knew from the very beginning what was going to happen at the clinic, she also referred me to the FAQ section of the website, so I could start researching the recommended accommodation. I knew after reading this email I wanted to go to the clinic in Spain. I knew after reading this email I wanted to go to the clinic in Spain, it was so professional, with over ten years history of treating over a thousand patients. I had read on the GMB site that in addition to the 16+ hours of therapy I would be undertaking a full set of blood tests, which would be analysed at a lab during my visit, I would also receive a full body analysis. They even connect you to a heart monitor during the sessions, it all sounded so real and professional. As a parent of a five year old child I was anxious at the thought of leaving her, although it would only be a couple of nights, but I was still worried. . I asked Anita what dates were
available for the treatment; Anita said the clinic would work around me as much as possible and try to accommodate the dates I needed for childcare. Even though Anita had been so helpful and accommodating I was still worried, would I get childcare? Could I really afford it? Are there any flights on the days I want? How much would they be? Where would I stay? Would it be clean (I also have a slight OCD for cleanliness)?
With all these questions I thought perhaps I should attend something similar in the UK? So I searched the internet for UK alternatives. I wouldn’t need to stay away from home, I wouldn’t miss my daughter. As I searched the internet I came across another hypnosis brand, I also came across a UK ‘specialist’ in the field of hypnosis weight loss, the price quoted was less than half of the GMB treatment, which I did not really understand. I contacted his clinic. Within an hour his secretary had booked me in for a 121 telephone call. The call was scheduled for that night at 6pm.
That evening my Mother in Law came home from work. I explained to her what I was thinking of doing. I was worried about her reaction, I was expecting to hear “what a load of nonsense” “eat less sweets and eat more porridge to fill you up that will do it”. Instead she listened and was supportive. I explained I was going to have a call with the man at the UK clinic at 6pm. At 6pm my mobile rang, I answered and straight away realised he was outside and walking. He confirmed he was walking to the train station. I felt a little disappointed, I was just a call, he needed to fit in on his journey home. I listened to what he had to say as he explained the process I would go through. Then I heard the words that instantly put me off, “the session would last 4 hours”. I asked if four hours was enough, knowing GMB was at least 16 hours. His answer was yes; with all of his previous clients four hours was the right time, no blood tests, no body analysis was required, this sounded different. I felt disappointed, I am me, I am an individual, I am not a one size that fits all.
That was it, my mind was made up, I wanted to go to the GMB clinic in Spain. I wanted to be treated by the original developers of the GMB treatment, by the authors of the only book on the subject, Martin and Marion Shirran.
The next day (16th March) Anita confirmed my dates were available; I booked my flights with EasyJet and booked my hotel using the recommendations on the GMB website. I paid my deposit for the GMB treatment. This was it, I had finally made a conscious decision, I had made the first step of my journey.
