No One-Size-Fits-All Solution For Weight Loss
January 28, 2014Weighing Your Options
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for weight loss. Some of us need to lose weight for health reasons, while others want to drop a size for, say, an upcoming reunion. Plus, weight can be affected by genes, metabolism, behavior, culture, environment and socioeconomic status, which differ greatly from person to person. Whatever the case, losing weight takes dedication and a positive attitude.
When Surgery IS the Only Option
John Stansfield, 47, knows what it’s like to be significantly overweight. With his busy schedule as a firefighter, an EMT and a Verizon technician, he put his own health on the back burner. Even when he woke up unable to see one morning, and with a blood sugar level above 400, he delayed the inevitable. But when an embarrassing photo of him at a sporting event was picked up and blasted by a national late-night talk show, John couldn’t laugh off his embarrassment anymore. Instead, he became motivated to lose weight.
John has gone from a size 58 waist to a 42.
"I knew I needed to do this for myself, my wife and my daughters,” he says. John went to the experts at Upper Chesapeake Bariatric Surgery to discuss how they could help him with his particular case, as well as expectations that needed to be met even before the surgery could take place.
“Weight loss through surgery is a very personal and long journey that individuals take along with their surgeons and the rest of the bariatrics team,” says Sung Kim, MD, FACS, medical director of Upper Chesapeake Bariatric Surgery. “They don’t come to us thinking, ‘I want to lose weight because I am obese.’ They are thinking, ‘I want to lose weight because I have health issues.’
“The decision to have weight loss surgery should be made only after careful consideration, extensive research and consultation with an experienced bariatric surgeon and multidisciplinary support team, who will be involved in your care both before surgery and in the years afterward,” Dr. Kim continues.
John was comforted by the professionalism and experience that Dr. Kim and his team, which includes a certified bariatric nurse, a licensed registered dietitian, a licensed certified behavior health counselor and a certified exercise specialist, brought forward. “I knew that if I stuck with their program and returned to the support groups, I would succeed,” he says.
“I knew I needed to do
this for myself, my wife
and my daughters.”
—John Stansfield, on his vertical sleeve gastrectomy and subsequent weight loss
And succeed he did. With his vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure performed in august 2011, John has lost 133 pounds to date and went from a size 58 waist to size 42. He says his “energy levels are off the charts” and, even though he hates running, he regularly participates in 5Ks. “I used to have neuropathy in my fingers due to diabetes, and now I have neither issue. My sleep apnea has greatly improved and my general aches and pains—including kidney pain—are gone.”
Losing A Little Can Mean Big Health Gains
Harford County native Kerri Smith, 39, is no stranger to diabetes. She has a long family history of the disease and has a sibling with type 1 diabetes. when Kerri was pregnant with her daughter 12 years ago, she had gestational diabetes and was later diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.“I felt dizzy, tired, was constantly thirsty and [urinated frequently],” Kerri says. “I ignored those feelings for a long time and, eventually, was tired of feeling sick. That’s when I made the call to get help.”Kerri reached out to Roy Phillips, MD, of the university of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at upper Chesapeake Medical Center. when she first came to him, Kerri weighed 185 pounds and had an Hba1c (hemoglobin a1c level) of 11 percent. The a1c test gauges how well a person is managing diabetes; the higher the a1c level, the poorer your blood sugar control and the higher your risk of diabetes complications. It is recommended that people with diabetes aim to keep their level below 7 percent.
“My own goal was to not be on insulin,” says Kerri. “I would do whatever it takes to keep the a1c below that level.”With dedication and support from her daughter, Kerri has reached that goal and is continuing her healthier journey each and every day. as of august 2013, she has lost 19 pounds and her a1c level is at 6.5 percent. Her blood sugar is under control, and she no longer has bouts of dizziness or tiredness.Weight loss journeys vary from person to person. But with dedication, personal drive, and even help from others, success can be achieved.
