You Got This: Mum ditches weight-loss surgery to lose 30kg solo

A mum has revealed the reason she decided to cancel her weight-loss surgery a day before she was scheduled to undergo the procedure.

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Just one day before Belinda Sanders was due to undergo gastric sleeve surgery, she cancelled the procedure.

The mother-of-two, from Sydney, was booked on April 27 last year to have the $20,000 weight-loss surgery.

She was put on a strict pre-operation diet three weeks prior, however, in this time Belinda decided to postpone the procedure after wanting to give herself the opportunity to lose weight on her own.

“While the surgery is successful for many people, I was too heavily weighed down by the ‘what-if’s’ and realised ‘I’ needed to make the change to help educate my son Kobhi who was also facing some weight struggles of his own,” Belinda told news.com.au.

“I had actually met with two different surgeons and made up my mind to go with one and booked in for April.

Belinda Sanders, 46, stopped weighing herself at 100kg. The image on the left is before her scheduled gastric sleeve surgery which she cancelled and the image on the right is of her today.

“Money was a big driver as I thought if I paid for it, I would definitely do it.”

However, after some research, Belinda said she had some “reservations” including recovery and any possible complications during surgery.

She emphasised while others experience no complications, and the procedure is proven to be successful with her friend also seeing great results, she felt she owed it to herself to “try” to lose weight on her own first.

“I faced some serious reflection. I realised that I had never really tried to lose weight in a long time,” she said.

“I was lying to myself if I thought I had really given weight loss, my health and fitness a good go.”

Both Belinda and her son lost 30kg and 22kg respectively after joining Lite n’ Easy.

Belinda, who stopped weighing herself at 100kg, said she would avoid the scales to deny acceptance of how much she really weighed.

“Being a vegetarian, I always thought I was healthy but quickly realised that while I might have had all the right foods on my plate – it was the portion sizes, creamy sauces, cheesy accompaniments and fatty extras I was adding that quickly made it anything but healthy,” she said.

“I knew I had let myself go beyond belief. This said, I also had myself fooled believing I wasn’t too large and not entirely overweight.

“I would feel hot and sweaty all the time; uncomfortable in my clothing yet refusing to buy the size up.”

However, that all changed the moment the mum was introduced to Lite n’ Easy by a friend.

“I didn’t have to calorie count, weigh foods, meal plan or shop,” she said.

“My first meal was a veggie burger – it was fresh, delicious, easy to prepare and most of all filling and so satisfying.

“From there, I was hooked.”

Kobhi now offers mentoring and support to his school peers who are looking to achieve the same goals after developing a better understanding of nutrition through his journey.

She then noticed a visible drop in weight, week after week.

“I won’t lie, I was surprised that I could be eating so well but still lose weight.”

Once she had her nutrition down pat, she then added a 7km walk, starting with once a week before bumping it up to three times a week.

The 46-year-old then pulled back on walking after joining her local gym, where she committed to three sessions per week.

“I find I am far more confident now. I am not ashamed of the way I look. I have a far greater knowledge and understanding of what a healthy diet should look like, and in the process it has allowed me to educate my son,” she said.

Belinda went on to lose 30kg, while 12-year-old Kobhi lost 22kg, also on Lite n’ Easy.

The Year 7 student now offers mentoring and support to his school peers who are looking to achieve the same goals after developing a better understanding of nutrition.

“I love being able to wear size 12 dresses rather than size 20+. I love that my clothes are no longer cutting into me,” Belinda said.

“I quietly hope my mum is watching over me and hope she is proud of the changes I have made; to ensure I am both happier and healthier and above all else – here for longer to look out for my boys and my disabled sister.”

Belinda was only out of pocket $200 after cancelling her surgery.

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