I have been
overweight since I was a teenager. As a
child, I would put on a little weight during the school year, but would always
work it off during an active summer of bike riding, running, and swimming. When I was 16 I started working in a grocery
store where a 6 hour shift afforded you one fifteen minute break. You learned to eat – quickly – whenever your
break occurred, whether you were hungry or not.
Not one of life’s best habits.
As an adult,
I’ve consistently put on weight while trying to offset that gain with
diets. You name it; I’ve tried it:
Atkins; Mediterranean, Weight Watchers (multiple times), EatRight, Medifast,
numerous exercise programs, Bariatrics Weight Loss Center, and my personal
favorite – the HCG 500 calorie diet (you take a hormone that women produce when
they’re pregnant to curb your appetite!).
Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these options;
different diets DO work for different people.
But none of them did for me. I
would lose weight, sometimes a good bit, but the fad nature of the diet would
wear off and back the pounds would come.
I needed a permanent solution…a lifestyle change – not a diet.
Which left
me in my mid-40s with one option left for consideration: bariatric weight loss
surgery. My aunt had successfully had
gastric bypass 14 years ago and had been encouraging me to consider it for
years. But I didn’t want to do it. It was too drastic..too extreme. I felt lazy to consider this option, like I
was admitting defeat. Plus, there would
be permanent sacrifices involved. Was I
willing to do that? Sharon and I are
social people who enjoy good food, good friends, and good times.
But as the
pounds increased, health issues began to surface: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and
high triglycerides. For the first time,
I was having difficulty doing all that I wanted to do, energy-wise. I began to realize that I was at a critical
juncture; it was now or never. Do
something once and for all about my weight or watch my health deteriorate as I
aged. What I gradually realized was ANY
way that I was to successfully lose weight AND KEEP IT OFF would require
permanent sacrifices. Weight loss
surgery might just be the “IEP” I needed to make this happen for me!
My physician
recommended Dr. Andrew Dewitt, associated with Princeton Baptist Medical Center
and Princeton Bariatrics, an independent support system closely associated with
him. Sharon and I attended a Saturday
seminar where Dr. Dewitt and health directors from the Bariatric Center
educated us on the detrimental effects of obesity, the three surgical weight
loss options, and what all of that entailed.
Included in this presentation were many statistics outlining the
dramatic success of gastric procedures in comparison to dieting. Most significant to me were the high
percentages of gastric surgery participants who maintained their weight loss
over time. After my own research and an
appointment with Dr. Dewitt, I decided to pursue the “sleeve gastrectomy”, the
newest of the 3 procedures, where the surgeon removes 85% or so of your stomach
leaving a banana-like sleeve which GREATLY limits the amount of food one can
intake and digest.
You need to
know that making the decision ended up being the easiest part. My decision was not met with uniform approval
by my family and friends. Many thought
the surgery was not necessary and that I was putting myself at undue risk. Many thought as I previously had, that all I
needed to do was buckle down and lose the weight the hard way. Without really verbalizing it, I could tell
that others doubted my commitment to keeping the weight off once I had the
procedure. Additionally, there were MANY
hoops through which to jump in order for my insurance to cover the procedure. My obesity and “life morbidities” (lovely
term for my developing health issues) qualified me for the surgery. However, I had to see my primary physician
for seven consecutive months to ensure that I could not lose weight on my own
under a doctor’s care. I had to have a
psychological and cardio consult. The
Bariatric Center required me to attend some classes to ensure my understanding
of what I was getting myself into and how I would transition following the
surgery.
So what
would I give up to have the gastric sleeve?
No sugar (maybe a bite of Sharon’s cake a couple times a year), no
carbonated beverages, no fried and greasy foods, and limited amounts of
alcohol. As I reflected on these
sacrifices, it occurred to me that if I was going to lose a substantial amount
of weight and keep it off, I would need to give up these things anyway. I certainly hadn’t been successful with
compromising my diet in the past. So the
sacrifices became increasingly small to me in comparison to everything that I
knew I would gain: improved health and wellness, more energy, increased
confidence, and a longer life-span.
Finally
after 9 months of hoop-jumping, I had the surgery on March 20th at
Princeton. To date (it’s May 10th),
I have lost 62 lbs and have finished transitioning from liquids to mushy foods
to more mainstream foods. I have been
amazed with how easy this has been. I
have yet to be hungry. I have yet to
make myself nauseated by eating too much.
I have yet to feel deprived of a food that I should not eat. I do really keep up with my protein intake to
make sure I am getting enough. I do take
all the necessary vitamins. I have
worked out with a personal trainer since December to help turn my fat and flab
into muscle. And I have now worked up to my normal meal amount of one cup of
food per meal: ½ cup of protein, ¼ cup
of starch, and a ¼ cup of vegetables.
And that is MORE than enough for me; I often do not finish an entire
plate.
While others
do have some setbacks with gastric surgery, my experience has been so much
easier than I ever expected. That’s why
I am sharing this personal information – to encourage those of you who have had
similar lifetime struggles with your weight to consider gastric surgery as a
viable option. While I am partial to my
Princeton folks, I would imagine there are other good surgeons in town. Do the research. Talk with folks like me. Ask your doctor about it. Deciding to have gastric surgery is a deeply
personal decision that requires the upmost commitment on your part. Whatever you decide, I wish you well on your
own journey to better health and wellness.
Dr. Andrew DeWitt: http://princetonbariatrics.com/surgeons/dr-andrew-dewitt/
