I have had a weight problem since I was a young child. Since the age of about 5 years old I was told I was too fat and put on numerous diets including being sent to boarding school in an attempt to try and control my weight. I feel the saddest thing was that I always felt ok about myself until I was continually told I was too fat. This continual criticism constantly chips away at your self-worth. This obviously had a major impact on my self-esteem and I subsequently developed bulimia at aged 10.

As a teenager, I developed mental health problems (depression and agoraphobia) that impacted quite negatively on my life until I got professional treatment for them. I lost various amounts of weight over the years and then when I conquered my bulimia at about age 23, I also gave up dieting but with this decision came a steady weight gain. Aside from food addiction, I also flirted with other addictive behaviour, smoking, drinking, sex, etc. When I met my future husband I then put on a large amount of weight due to happiness, contentment and the sheer terror of experiencing genuine intimacy.

Going up to 25 stone affected me physically - I could only just do up my seat belt, couldn't walk very far, hated the summer and the heat and had a general lack of energy and felt very insecure and worthless. I found my job as a nursery nurse extremely hard and also had a traumatic experience on our flights to and from our honeymoon with the seats, table and seatbelt.

I never dreamt that I would get as big as I did and it felt like I was existing and not fully participating in life. I can see now I was in denial to a certain extent. But I realised that I couldn't hang on to the 'happy big girl' image I'd spent years cultivating. I wasn't always unhappy but as my weight increased so did my unhappiness.

Unless you have had a weight problem it is extremely difficult to empathise wholly with what it is like to go through life as a big person. I feel that except for bullying and teasing when I was younger, I have been relatively lucky compared to what some large people experience. But that's not to say I haven't had to put up with all the constant pressure from the media, society and my peers. Fat jokes seem to be an acceptable part of everyday life but they hurt and chip away at your self-esteem.

Deciding to have the gastric band operation is a long and very personal decision. I thought very hard about it and once I decided to go ahead with it, I have never looked back. The op itself went relatively smoothly except despite a pre-op diet designed to shrink my liver, it took longer than usual. But my recovery was quick and I felt no real pain to comment on. Having my tonsils out 9 years or so ago was far, far worse!

What I like about this particular type of weight-loss surgery is that it is a gradual process. Restriction is done over a series of fills and so the amount and type of food you are able to eat is reduced over a period of time. It also means the weight loss is slower but at a constant pace, which I believe is a healthier way for your body to lose weight.

This is not to say that everything is easy because its not. Sometimes I feel really frustrated and angry at my band when I cannot eat what my body (or mind!) feels like. But on the positive side I love the fact that I can usually have a small amount of a variety of foods and enjoy the tastes without the old sensation of just shovelling it down and not tasting anything. Some days I am amazed at how easy it is and others I struggle and fight the familiar food demons but I get through it. Some days I can eat more and I do relish those days but others I sometimes even have to remind myself to eat! That's something I never thought I would experience!

I know that if I hadn't had the op, I would not have been able to lose the weight. So I know instinctively that this was the right decision. I was also diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 during my pre-op tests but since the op my blood sugars have been between 5 and 6. I am much more energetic and in turn more active. Simple tasks that I used to dread are easily managed now with gusto - even housework!

I was always very open and honest with my friends and family about having my op. But this is a very personal decision too. My husband, Adam, has been exceptionally supportive all through my continuing journey and I know I have not always been easy to live with! But he has also seen the positive side - my new found confidence, increased self-esteem and more revealing clothes! But he says I have also had much fewer depressive episodes and am generally happier in all aspects of my life.

Sharon herself has been a great support and I believe it really makes a difference that she genuinely knows what we are going through. I have often said things to her expecting her to think I'm mad only to have her say , I know exactly what you mean. I've felt similarly to you."

One of my favourite moments in the last year has been clearing out my old size 30/32 clothes from my wardrobe and replacing them with size 18s. I'm also obsessed with jeans because for so long I haven't been able to find a comfortable pair to wear. It's strange too that the more I lose, the less focussed I am on getting to that size 10/12. I just want to feel comfortable and happy with myself. My aim at the moment is to get down to around 11 stone. I never change the decision I made in having my band fitted because it has given me back my life.

On the day of my operation (06/04/04) I weighed: 23 stone 5lbs (148kgs) and on 25/06/05 I weighed 14 stone 5lbs (91.3kgs) and so have so far lost 9 stone.