“Life has changed. And I am not going back!”
Demetria never had a problem with her weight until after the birth of her daughter. She was 37 years of age at the time.
“I just noticed my weight was going up and up and up and there was no stopping it,” she says.
Emerging Weight-Related Health Problems
Demetria started to develop back pain and other weight-related issues including prediabetes and rising blood pressure.
“I was pre-everything,” she says. Demetria knew if she kept gaining weight, she would experience even more health problems.
She tried a number of diets and weight-loss products, but was not seeing results. While outwardly trying to stay positive for her family, she was not very happy on the inside.
Bariatric Surgery Patient Stories and a New Beginning
Eventually, Demetria began to research weight loss on Lancaster General Health’s website and found inspiration from patient stories of women who had bariatric surgery.
“They had struggled like I was. They were telling my story!” she says. “That’s me, right there.”
These patients helped her to commit to bariatric surgery. After meeting with the Healthy Weight Management team, she decided to have the vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure.
A Comprehensive Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery Program
As part of the comprehensive bariatric surgery program that involves meeting with a dietician and a behavioral health provider, Demetria discovered she was an emotional eater. Learning this helped her change her eating habits, a key element in her success.
When she started the bariatric surgery program in 2018, she was 246 pounds. Her current weight is 115 pounds.
“I have loads of energy. I am not tired anymore. I can do anything,” she says happily.
“Life has changed,” she beams. “And I am not going back!”