Hello, my name is Rachel Marie. A year ago I weighed 424 lbs.
I couldn’t walk a flight of stairs. I couldn’t make it to the end of the block; just walking across the street to check the mail left me extremely winded–tired. I was afraid I was going to have a heart attack.
I would go to bed and I would want to turn myself over to get comfortable, but I really couldn’t. I would have to sit myself up completely, and then adjust my bottom half, and then try to lay on my side. It was pretty much impossible for me to just roll over to the other side.
I wore a size 60 waist, so I would have to buy my clothes at Casual XL, which is a big and tall store for men. Now it’s DXL. In men’s pants, I was wearing a 36-38. In women’s…and now I can fit into a size 24, if it’s stretchy material. I haven’t quite gotten into a 24 with no stretch, but I’m almost there.
I walk almost 2 miles a day, every day. I don’t take many days off. During the summer I walk and I swim 15 laps in the morning. I do 3/4 of a mile every morning, 1/2 a mile after lunch, and 1/2 a mile after dinner.
Everything that I eat is diet. I would have never been able to lose this weight that I’ve lost–I weighed 424 lbs last October 14th, and right now I weigh 310 lbs. My goal was to be under 300 by my 1-year mark, but I didn’t quite make it. It kind of bums me out a little, but that’s ok.
They say it takes 2 years to lose the weight and for all I know it might take me 2 1/2 years, but that’s ok, because there’s no way that I could have every lost any of this weight without the surgery.
I am so thankful for finding Blossom Bariatrics. I’m so thankful to Dr. Tom. His staff is awesome; they’re so nice, they’re so kind and understanding.
I’ve tried dieting. I tried starving myself. I’ve tried SlimFast. I’ve tried Richard Simmons. I’ve tried pretty much everything you can think of, but my stomach was so stretched out from eating such mass quantities of food that I couldn’t stay full, and I would have to feed myself. I just couldn’t do it. It just wasn’t enough food for me.
Normally, this surgery, according to Dr. Tom, leaves you with a stomach that’s about 8 ounces–that’s 1 cup. I had the sleeve done–the gastric sleeve. I can only eat four ounces of food. I can get a small Yoplait yogurt or a Greek yogurt…I can only eat half. My stomach actually only holds 4 ounces–I’ve measured it. At 3 ounces I’m already starting to feel full and I can get in another 2-3 bites and that’s it. Everything that I eat, though, is diet. Everything I drink is diet, and if I need sugar, the sugar is diet also.
I had diabetes II, sleep apnea, asthma, and really bad incontinence. My incontinence has gotten better. Last time I was here, 6 months ago, they said that my labs looked like I didn’t even have diabetes anymore. I’m still taking my Metformin, just to be on the safe side, but today is my 1-year check-up, and I’ve done labs again and so I’m going to see what they say about my health.
It’s a great thing to do. The surgery is awesome. There is no way that you can miss if you have this surgery.
I’m looking forward to getting the rest of it off of me–I’ve already lost a third of myself. I’ve got another third to go, and that’s it! I’m 5’9″ and I’m thick-boned, so I’m hoping to get down to a size 13. A size 11 or a 9…that’s just too slender for me, I feel.
I don’t want to be skinny-skinny. I want to look healthy. I want to feel healthy. I want shape, so size 13 is where I want to be. I’ve been a size 13 before and I loved it.
So, let’s see what happens by next October/November.
I feel healthier now than when I was in my 30s–just for the record.
Thank you, everybody!
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Over the years, Dr. Tom Umbach has helped hundreds of patients lose thousands of pounds. His patients have truly Blossomed as they have gone on to enjoy the simple pleasures of life again; such as playing with their children or grandchildren, riding a roller coaster for the first time, or starting to date and travel.
Dr. Tom Umbach is a nationally recognized, fellowship-trained Las Vegas bariatric surgery specialist. His gastric bypass practice specializes in both advanced and traditional laparoscopic (minimally invasive) procedures. The bariatric practice delivers outcomes that exceed national averages of weight-management success due to Dr. Umbach’s surgical expertise, compassionate care, and exemplary pre- and post-surgery services.
If you are looking for the premier weight loss surgery center located in Las Vegas, Nevada contact Blossom Bariatrics today at (702) 463-3300 or visit www.BlossomBariatrics.com
