Roxanne went from a size 10 to a size 22 in a short space of time. She was unemployed and becoming more anti-social by the day when her Aunt suggested she investigate weight loss surgery. 24 months later Roxanne has lost almost 70 kilos and hasn’t looked back.
When Roxanne first left school she found herself unemployed for over 6 months. Her self-esteem suffered, she stopped being social and she found herself steadily gaining weight. She says her weakness was sugar, and lots of it, “It got to a point where I was consuming around 2-4 cans of soft drink per day, eating some form of cheap fast food for lunch and dinner, and following up with a family sized block of chocolate and some lollies for dessert. I found myself ‘comfort eating’ as I continued to spiral into a state of unhappiness. I became anti-social and was just turning into a generally snappy and grumpy person.”
Roxanne knew she had to get her weight under control. She tried gyms and diets and always found the daily battle without results dis-spiriting. Her Aunt was the first to suggest weight loss surgery and convinced Roxanne to come with her to one of Dr Jordaan’s information nights to find out more. Roxanne booked her appointment 1 week later.
She says she experienced mixed reactions from friends and family, who thought she was simply taking ‘the easy way out’. Though Roxanne says it was anything but easy, “The first few months were a struggle. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Even though I wasn’t physically hungry it still felt odd for me to only be able to consume liquids and pureed food. It wasn’t what I was used to.”
Roxanne’s surgery was 2 years ago and she has never looked back.
Her biggest tip is to be patient and take your time adjusting after surgery. Roxanne says she would do it all over again and that, “If you are in an unhappy place, this is life changing. Just DO IT!”
Roxanne feels great, “My confidence, self-esteem and mental state is so much more positive these days. I have learnt to love and enjoy my life again and I can’t thank Dr Jordaan enough”.