Belina

I was always the “chunky child”. All of my relatives would pinch my fat cheeks so hard, I would run and hide whenever family functions were beginning. Being from an Italian family, it was always about food. People come over—you eat...you’re sad—you eat...You have already had “seconds”—you still eat.

Manga, Manga, Manga! I always remember not being allowed to leave the table until ALL of my food was finished (“...there are starving children in Africa”). It also didn’t help that every night was a 7 course meal, usually featuring tons of bread, a big bowl of pasta, followed by meat, potatoes, salad and of course dessert. Throughout high school, I began to take control over my eating habits by just eating less and exercising. I managed to lose 60lbs but found it hard to maintain.

I met my husband in high school and we got married at a young age. Had a bunch of kids, gained weight and put myself last on the priority list. One day I woke up and realized that I had children to raise and I had no energy for them, which devastated me. I quickly decided that I had to do something and do it fast. I knew that diets were not the answer and would be a waste of my time and money. I went to have a consultation for a more permanent, albeit drastic, solution— gastric bypass surgery.

Instead, I learned about a new procedure available in Canada; the Slimband. I was impressed to find out it was an easy 30 minute procedure, with only a couple of days recovery time and it was fully reversible. I immediately signed up and had my surgery in January of 2001. I lost all of my excess weight in the first year. I even had another pregnancy with my Slimband in place and had twins! But this time I kept my weight under control and more importantly I’ve kept it off for 8 years now.

I feel great, energetic, and have regained my zest for life! Salsa dancing has now become a passion and I always have energy to keep up with my 5 kids. This is by far, the best gift I could have given to myself and my family; the gift of hope, longevity and health. Slimband gave me my life back!

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