Leaderboard

A few years back, I was 1 of 6 people featured in a photo shoot of real people who have defeated their diabetes. And what an incredible day it was! I got to choose the location of my shoot -- the beach -- and was driven there by limousine. The photographer took shots of me doing planks, sprints, and meditation on the beach, as well as hanging out on the boardwalk. That experience was the closest I've come to being a model (a teenage dream of mine). Across the decades I have been every size, from a junior size 7 to a women’s size 24. Getting a diagnosis of diabetes was a critical turning point in my life. It was a wake-up call that I answered, the impetus for me to have my gastric bypass surgery. Had I not gotten diabetes, then I likely would not have had the surgery and turned my health and my life around. My diabetes earned me a 3-night staycation in the hospital. I went home with 5 prescriptions for diabetes and hypertension. Within a year I had bariatric surgery and I credit it with saving my life. But getting the surgery isn't a guarantee of success. It is vital, too, that we become skilled in Using Your Gastric Pouch for Weight Loss. Over the years I must have slipped back into old dysfunctional patterns of relating to food because I began to gain weight at 5-years post-op. And I ended up having a revision surgery. Fast forward to 2013 after my plastic surgery, I became set upon living life larger than ever -- doing all the things that I wanted to do. One might say I am making up for lost time. I came to love planks and squats and HIIT and lifting weights and sprints with my dog Blue and BodyCombat class. I ran with my granddaughter in her first 3k, and we hiked for hours in the mountains of northern California. I learned to row, meditate, belly dance, and tai chi. I completed a strenuous all-day ropes course and overcame my fear of heights. I traveled the USA in an RV and lived in Belize and Mexico for 4-months. And so much more, more, more. I feel that the plastic surgery saved my soul. I am so grateful for how my life has changed, now having defeated my obesity and diabetes for nearly 15 years. I lead a life well-lived. But when I was morbidly obese, I led a life half-lived. The biotech company behind the photo shoot shares my story with patients and healthcare professionals and with employees to encourage people that they can defeat diabetes, too. It is an honor to inspire people to better health. Be thankful for who you are now, but keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow. Strive for Daily Success.

I have become much more health conscious and logical since having my gastric bypass weight loss surgery in 2003. And I have witnessed that just as there is a method for obesity, there is a method for weight loss. As a result, making good food choices for your bariatric life can be as simple as swapping out unhealthy foods and cooking methods for their healthy versions. I promise you will love cauliflower rice, zoodles, and air-fried veggie chips so much that you’ll never feel deprived of your potatoes and pasta again. Say buh-bye to the habits that kept you trapped in mounds of flesh and fat. And say hello to easy-to-prepare home-cooked meals of whole foods. INVEST IN SEVERAL QUALITY SMALL APPLIANCES AND LEARN NEW, HEALTHY WAYS OF PREPARING FOODS. Investing in a few high-quality small appliances and kitchen tools will pay for themselves with the money you save on processed convenience foods — and you’ll be rewarded with highly nutritious foods and superior taste! Check out a few basics to get you started: • Coleman grill for amazing grilled meats, fish, and vegetables! Take this portable grill on road trips, too! • Slow cooker or electric pressure cooker make food very tender and easier to digest. • Osterizer is the best blender I’ve ever had for frozen protein shakes and smoothies — and it’s far cheaper than a Vitamix! • Cuisinart food processor for chopping cauliflower into rice to pureeing cashews into nut butter or roasted cauliflower into mashed potatoes, and more. • Wok pan for quick and healthy stir-fry meals in minutes. • Vegetable spiralizer to make grain-free noodles from zucchini (zoodles) or sweet potatoes. • Air-fryer for healthy veggie fries, crunchy veggie chips and more! Want the Bariatric Diet Tips that I have culled from experts in health and wellness and have enabled me to maintain a 120+ pound weight loss? Get more life-changing bariatric diet tips: READ NOW. Living larger than ever, My Bariatric Life