Amy Gebel - "I'm Never Going Back"
by June Zaragoza, MPH, RD, LD

Amy Gebel always thought she was a happy person and had a good life despite weighing much more than she wanted to with a BMI of almost 55.  But she had a friend who had weight loss surgery and was struck by how her friend’s quality of life improved.  She states, “I saw her from beginning to end” and then realized “I was tired of being tired.  I was too young to be old.  Thank God I had only high blood pressure as an issue.”

She chose the gastric bypass, which wasn’t as scary to do laparoscopically, since her girlfriend had an open incision.  “It was tough at first … getting used to the portion sizes.  Visually now I can see my portion sizes, I was used to eating a plateful of food.”  She had major weight loss within six weeks with her energy level increasing already.  “Being a single Mom and a nanny I definitely needed the energy for my kids.  Instead of feeling like I’m 40-something I feel like a teenager.  My kids are happy Mom can take bike rides with them,” and she plans to get a pass for Six Flags.  She hasn’t been on a roller coaster in years.  Her new boyfriend is very active and they plan to get bikes together.

Now after losing 133 lbs by the end of the first year she can shop at normal stores and save money on clothes.  She is still telling everybody about it, saying “I don’t brag, but mention it a lot.  People are curious – everyone around me at church.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat.  I never imagined that my life would be so phenomenal, I’m never going back.”

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