Bouncing into your world on 10 June 2007 @ 11:19 a.m.

1 in 5 Brit patients are expected to be refused operations for being obese. That is NOT fair.

Why don't we stop operating on underweight people, drug addicts, alcoholics, smokers, people with std's too. Surely all those are "self inflicted" too.

People don't "choose" to be fat. It may be alot down to lifestyle but I would guess most of us who are, wish we weren't and have spent a good part of our lives trying to do something about it.

It's not easy. It's like getting smokers to stop. It is a mental thing.

There are a million reasons why people are overweight/obese, not always just eating too many burgers either.

I was a comfort eater. Food made me happy when I was down. The fact I got bigger made me want even more comfort. It was a vicious circle.

The NHS are useless if you want help. I went to Doctors, I was given a lecture. I didn't want that. I didn't want medication. I wanted help and some things to try, a sort of solution and some encouragement. I knew why I was fat, I wanted help to break the cycle but as I wasn't starving myself and needing hospital treatment to be drip fed, I was not a priority "weight problem".

It's only been since I addressed my unhappiness and had the confidence to go for what I want in life and work harder at things have I started to get somewhere.

I spent alot of time feeling I was not good enough. I set myself unrealistic goals. I worked myself up because I couldn't do it.

I felt a failure.

Over the course of 10 years I stumbled from one unhappy relationship to another. I also had the "single girl" out drinking 4 nights a week lifestyle. Feeling fat through the alcohol calories, I ate less, I didn't eat enough. Then there would come the binges to compensate. It was always a downhill spiral. The worst I felt about that the bigger the failure I felt and the harder that cycle kicked in.

This is hard to explain to those who don't have weight issues.

People I know live on burgers, chips, beer and all the bad stuff and are stick thin. I have to constantly watch what I eat.

It's not something that is just going to go away. I have and continue to work hard.

Society is just so screwed and prejudiced to anyone who isn't perfect.

Heaviest: 20st 9lb. 289lbs.

Currently: 13st 7lb. 189lbs.

Total loss: 6st 13lb. 100lbs.