Bev's Story

I had struggled with my weight all my life!

Bev’s Story

10 Kg down 5 Kg up. I tried every diet in the book, and at age 68, I weighed in at my heaviest, 136 Kg.


I had 2 beautiful grandchildren and when the eldest asked me to sit on the floor and play with him - and I couldn’t do it - I realized that this was not the life I wanted to spend with them. I didn’t want to be the Granny who got the video of the rugby match because I couldn’t walk the distance to the field.

I wanted to be the Granny who shouted at the ref from the sidelines. I didn’t want to be the Granny who couldn’t go to the ballet concert because I was too big to sit in the seat. I wanted to be the Granny who could buy the ballet shoes and take her to the dress rehearsal and go to the show.


That was when in 2018 I decided to have Bariatric surgery.


The surgery, for me, was a breeze and the difference in my life was noticeable every day. From the day of my surgery, I have not had to use any medication for blood pressure which was previously not very well controlled.
Prior to surgery I could not stand in the kitchen, to slice onions to make a dinner. 5 years later I stand in the kitchen sometimes up to 10 hours a day. And, I have not yet had that knee replacement I was due to have!
Although I trained as a Radiographer, and spent 32 years working in the pharmaceutical industry, cooking has always been a passion of mine instilled in me by my Granny.

3 years ago, I was asked to prepare some soups and liquids for a patient from Cape Town who was having their surgery in Johannesburg. And the rest is history! It is the most exciting, challenging adventure I have encountered. I so enjoy interacting with all the patients - all of whom are unique - and being able to ensure that your meals are tasty enjoyable and satisfying, while at the same time taking the stress and confusion out of your lives.

Having gone through bariatric surgery myself, I realised that there is a community of people who too have made a conscious decision to alter their life surgically and with it their physiological relationship with food to be healthier. And because of this change, we consciously must make lifestyle changes based on a balanced diet. At the same time, we do not want to be excluded from what our brains tell us we want to enjoy.

I am more than happy to chat to all patients and encourage you along your path. After all I have walked, and am still walking this journey.