Weight Loss Surgery Directory

By Location By Map


Before & After

There are currently no before and after photos for this member.

See these instructions if you wish to submit your own Before & After photos.
Surgeon Testimonial

G Wesley Clark
I liked him a lot and especially his down-to-earth bedside manner. He did not have any long-term contact or services to my knowledge after my one-year post-op anniversary. He apparently is M.I.A. now for some reason.
Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by socco58 on 3/5/01 1:44 pm
    Kimberlee Good Luck ~ ~ My thoughts & prayers will be with you for a successful surgery & a speedy recovery. ^j^
  • Comment by smatney on 3/3/01 5:18 pm
    Kimberlee, I hope this surgery filfills your wildest dreams. We are email and surgery day friends. It has been fun.
Click here for the surgery support page
My name is Kimberlee MacVicar.  My RNY took place on March 6, 2001, and I lost 158 pounds.  Like many, I too had a moment of feeling "bulletproof," stopped paying attention to what I was eating and experienced a 25 pound weight regain.  It seems the word "regain" is a taboo subject in our community but it happens and that doesn't mean we are failures.  

Since my surgery, I have led a support group that meets monthly in at the San Leandro Hospital's Education Center in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Join us if you are in the area!  www.eastbaybariatric.org. 

I am also a Certified Life Coach and Life Purpose and Career Coach through the Life Purpose Institute.  I work primarily with bariatric patients to help provide a safe and confident transformation in all aspects of their lives.  Through the Bariatric Support Centers International, I am a Certified Bariatric Support Group Leader, Back-on-Track Facilitator and a Success Habits Facilitator.  I am also an ObestityHelp Support Group Leader.  

If you would like more information about the support group I lead, attending either the Back-on-Track or Success Habits workshops or my coaching practice, e-mail me at info@eastbaybariatric.org.  Thank you.

p.s. In May 2008 I became a first-time mom, so apologies in advance if I am unable to respond to your postings or e-mails as quickly as we would both like.  Mommyhood is quite demanding!! =)
My Story

It is almost comical how many times I have written My Story on the OH site, as wonderful things keep happening and I keep growing, so here goes the latest version:

I am now in my 40s, married and am a mother.  Prior to my surgery was basically always overweight.  After thinking about weight loss surgery for years, but always too afraid to do it, I got serious and had a lap Roux-en-Y on March 6, 2001, at the Alvarado Medical Center in San Diego.

Surgery and initial recovery time went well. It wasn't perfect (don't want to mislead), the transition was tough at times mentally and emotionally (getting used to living in a smaller/foreign body), but it was definitely worth it.

The mental/emotional part of the process surprised me even though people warned me it was coming. It really is a different world living a life in a body that is half the size it once was. Unfortunately, people really do treat you differently based on your size and this has been an ongoing adjustment, for both them and me. However, a large part of this attention is due to my renewed self-confidence, esteem and just plain feeling better about myself.

I am thankful for the opportunity to have had this surgery and am in a much better place in every aspect of my life than when I was pre-op.  

In February of 2007 I got married and gave birth to our daughter in May, 2008!   Being pregnant was an amazing experience, especially since pre-op I was told that since I had Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), I was infertile (it reversed post-op thanks to the elimination of the excess weight and return of estrogen).  In my opinion, RNY enabled me to become a mother.  Talk about a Magic Moment!  There's not enough words to express the joy I have each day thanks to my daughter, Kira.  

WLS is an act of Self-Love, not desperation.  You are worth it!


Tips:
Never compare yourself to others; that's self-defeating.

Don't try to "push it" by eating and doing things you shouldn't; you'll only hurt yourself and you've probably been self-destructive long enough.

Be a role model for this procedure as so many people still want to bash it.

Therapy and support groups are key.

Love yourself each day; it's time.

peace...