Weight Loss Surgery Puts Kathleen Eads On A Healthy Path

Weight loss surgery provided Kathleen Eads with victory, ending the major struggle she faced against bad health. Here’s how she did it.

I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. And I tried all the weight loss programs – Weight Watchers, Fen-phen, etc. You name it, I tried it. I would lose weight only to gain back all that I’d lost, plus some more.

In 2006, I lost my mother. At the time of her death, she was taking 37 pills and a shot of insulin every day.  Most of her issues were obesity-related.  I decided pretty soon after that to do something about my weight.  I wanted to live as long as I could – but continuing on the path I was on only meant I had a lifetime of struggle ahead.

I interviewed several surgeons and finally found my match. My surgeon had been performing gastric bypass surgery for over 10 years.  His success rate was good, and his “cash-pay” price was about ten thousand dollars less than most of the surgeons in the Dallas area. I participated in a psychiatric evaluation, had some lab work done and then scheduled a surgery for August 1, 2007.

Surgery was on a Wednesday morning.  I was released from the hospital on Friday morning.  I came home on a full liquid diet, and then moved to pureed foods before eating solids after a month. I was anxious, nervous, and really starting to question what I had actually done.  But I healed up quickly and actually went back to work just 12 days after my operation.

The weight began to fall off quickly.  At my three-month follow-up appointment, I was down 65 pounds.  At six months, I had lost 100 pounds total.  By May 2008, I had reached my goal, having lost 130 pounds.  But I continued to stick to a weight loss plan, and continued losing.  The day before surgery, I weighed 280 pounds.  At my lowest point, I weighed 135.  And after meeting with a plastic surgeon, I decided I should probably put a few pounds back on, since I was starting to look hollow.

Even today I am religious about my eating plan, and I’m constantly aware of portion size. I watch how many carbs and fats I take in; the normal, suggested intake of fat is about 20 to 30 grams a day.  But I normally limit myself to roughly half that amount. And I consume protein first, vegetables second and then finally carbs, if there’s room. There hardly ever is, and so I avoid rice, bread, pasta and potatoes if I can help it.

Still, I love my new life. I now weigh 149 pounds and I’ve maintained this for nearly two years.  I feel fantastic, have an abundance of energy and am so glad I did this.

Kathleen Eads