‘I Had Weight Loss Surgery, But I Didn’t Feel Confident In My Body Until I Started This Workout Plan’

I remember lying in my bed on my 35th birthday crying my eyes out. I’d just left my job, and I wasn’t sure what my next move was. I think that was the first moment I realized that I needed a drastic change, starting with how I treated myself.

My mother had gastric bypass surgery about 10 years ago. The surgery was extremely successful for her and she begged me for years to have it done. But I thought, “I can do this myself.” I didn’t want to take the “easy” way out, as many people would assume. But when I saw the scale at 313 pounds, I knew it was worth looking into. So I talked to the same doctor my mom used.

At 36, having failed hundreds of times before, I needed help losing weight. For months, I met with my doctor, a nutritionist, as well as my general practitioner, and a psychiatrist. After all of that, I decided to have a type of weight loss surgery called a single-anastamosis duodenal switch, or SIPS, surgery. This would help to restrict the amount of food that I could eat and also how I digested that food. However, it was still up to me to exercise, eat correctly, and change my lifestyle.

Once I made the decision, I treated my weight loss like a work project by outlining the changes I’d make and implementing them immediately. I went on a ketogenic diet, removing all sugar and carbohydrates. Additionally, I decided that I was going to abstain from alcohol for a year. After making those two changes, I lost 35 pounds in the two months prior to the surgery. I told myself that if I was going to do this, I was not going to rely on it as a quick fix. I saw the surgery as a tool.