Husband and wife Glyn & Angela are both senior nurses within the NHS.
As healthcare professionals, they were well aware of the health implications of being overweight. Despite all their knowledge and experience, losing weight through diet alone was as hard for them as it can be for many of us. We are delighted to share Glyn and Angela’s story of how “resetting” their relationship with food and exercise allowed them to finally develop the new, healthier lifestyle they had been trying to achieve for years.
Angela said, “I had a life-long history of being a yo-yo dieter. Weight watchers, slimming world, low fat, low calorie, and those shakes and soup plans. I was very successful at losing weight, but it would creep back up to a little bit higher than it was the last time. I always thought that surgery was cheating, and I just had to be stronger mentally. I was very hard on myself.”
Through her work, Angela attended a health conference with a number of speakers. It was there that she had a “Light bulb moment” about what it really takes to lose weight and keep it off whilst listening to one particular speaker. Angela learned that statistically, she had just a 5% chance of maintaining weight loss if she was to carry on with her yo-yo dieting attempts. Angela knew she was fighting a near-impossible battle with the odds stacked heavily against her. She began to study the science in greater detail. Eventually, Angela learned more about how weight loss surgery can help reset the switch and improve her chances of keeping weight off for good.
Glyn says, “I was always the fat boy in school. Last in cross country, never picked for team sports. I was always a heavy child. “My dad died in front of me from a heart attack when he was 48. As I got older, I developed cardiac issues too, which really worried me. The biggest motivator was making sure I didn’t put my own children through what I went through. Like Angela, I tried and failed to lose weight several times, and I too, always believed that surgery was cheating.
“In March 2020, I got COVID and was left quite breathless and with cardiac problems. Before that, I’d been playing squash up until lockdown. Because of my health issues after getting COVID, my Doctor advised me to give up squash. That was really disappointing because I really loved it.
“Because Angela had her consultations and surgery first, I was able to experience the process a bit through her. I knew I would go ahead with it while listening to her. It all made a lot of sense. Talking to Angela and learning more and more about how our biology really is stacked against us helped me to decide it was the right option for me”.
Getting Surgery
In December 2019, Angela attended her first appointments with Mr Hamouda to explore her options for weight loss surgery. Angela opted for a gastric sleeve procedure and booked for February of 2020. Angela says, “I chose Mr Hamouda because I liked the idea that the Consultant owned the business, and I would deal with him from day one. It was reassuring. He explained everything so well and never once felt like he was trying to persuade me towards a decision. He presented all of the information and options so clearly, which allowed me to make the decision with confidence.
“I had my procedure at Benenden Hospital. I couldn’t fault any part of the care. As a nurse, I perhaps have a bit of extra knowledge, but even so, everything was perfect. The staff knew their job; they were incredibly attentive. Mr Hamouda visited before and after surgery. You could tell his patients were important to him. He wasn’t just doing the rounds, he wanted to come and see us and make sure we were doing well.”
Glyn, who also had a gastric sleeve procedure, had his surgery at Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital in July 2021. Glyn said, “I was incredibly anxious about the surgery, but everyone worked so hard to put me at ease. The nurses, anaesthetist and theatre staff were all wonderful. Mr Hamouda visited me the morning of the surgery, the afternoon after the surgery, before he went home that evening and then the next day.”
Initial Recovery
Angela said,” The first 6 weeks were quite challenging. I felt very restricted, and I was vomiting a fair bit too. I had to learn how the sleeve and my new digestive system wanted me to behave! I think it’s different for everyone because Glyn recovered much quicker than I did”.
Glyn said, “My immediate recovery was surprisingly fast, I came back to the ward after an early procedure at around 10.30am and was sitting up in bed by lunchtime. The first 4 weeks after surgery were good too, and I got to exercise quicker than Angela did. As Angela says, recovery will be different for everyone, and there’s a whole range of what’s considered normal progress. If you find yourself not getting back into things or having a more challenging time with the diet side of things, don’t be disheartened. Try not to compare yourself to other people.
A New Lifestyle
Since their weight loss surgery, Angela has lost 6.5 stone, and Glyn has lost over 5 stone. They’ve both reached and surpassed their initial goals and are very much enjoying a new healthy lifestyle. They’ve built a gym in their garden and have become big fans of running, getting out 3 times per week, as well as competing in 5k. 10k and half marathon races!
Angela said, “Running has been fantastic for us, it gets your heart rate up, and the endorphins are amazing. It’s been such a positive thing to share exercise together. We’ve even inspired our children to take up more physical activity. Family time is now much more active, we’ll go for a walk or a run instead of sitting at home”. Glyn says, “We’ve all got fitness watches, even our mothers, and love tracking our progress and stats, and we egg each other on and support one another. I think it’s important to have goals to work to, and we use races as the next goal to keep us on track”.
Both Glyn and Angela describe weight loss surgery as a “reset switch” that has allowed them to begin a new healthy lifestyle, whereas before, they could not stick to a permanent change.
Angela says, “Surgery isn’t a fix, and you have to go into it with the mindset that it is a switch that allows you to reset your health, you will lose weight, but it is important to change your whole approach, develop healthy habits of diet and exercise. Go into it knowing what you’re going to change to make a difference long-term. Weight loss surgery gave us the kick-start we needed, allowing us to lose weight and then develop a more healthy lifestyle for the rest of our lives”. Glyn says: “Surgery is not cheating. It’s a genuine, very good solution to help restart your health. It’s not the whole thing, though. Surgery won’t do it all, but it’s an incredibly powerful tool for the right people. I’d highly recommend it if you’re considering it.
Mr Hamouda’s comments
Dealing with Angela and Glyn was an absolute pleasure. It can be quite difficult with healthcare professionals in general, as their experience sometimes works against them and can make them increasingly risk averse when it comes to surgery. The opposite was true with this lovely couple. They were very knowledgeable, well read and well researched. You could tell that they had done their homework, which made my job easy. There was also no hesitation in their decision making.
True to form, they have both understood the utility of surgery and have embraced a change in their dietary patterns, eating behaviours and exercise levels which should put them on track to keep the weight off in the long term. I wish them all the best for their future.