Pregnancy Weight Gain & Health Challenges
In 1991, when Kat became pregnant with her own daughter, she gained more weight that led to health problems. Kat was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and shortly thereafter, she became insulin dependent. After her daughter was born, she continued to gain weight and had to remain on insulin. She was soon diagnosed with high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, and Kat developed poor sleep habits that consistently prevented her from getting a full night’s rest. Eventually, Kat had to start seeing a cardiologist to get her risk factors under control. In an effort to prevent further health complications, Kat made countless attempts to lose weight.
“From dieting to diet pills, I probably tried everything,” Kat says. “I even obtained a prescription for thyroid medication, without a thyroid condition. Then there was fen-phen, Jenny Craig®, the Atkins™ Diet, eliminating fat, and so on. Sometimes I would see short-term results, like losing 20 to 30 pounds, but then I’d gain 40 to 50 back. It was a yo-yo.”
Kat Has Gastric Bypass, With Her Mother’s Blessing
By 2010, Kat was ready to do something more drastic. She had reached 285 pounds – her highest weight ever – and chose to move forward with the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. She scheduled her surgery for April 2011 – which was right around the time her mother became ill with leukemia. While Kat wanted to postpone the surgery to care for her mother, her mother encouraged her to move forward.
“Even though she was sick and in the hospital, my mom refused to let me postpone the surgery,” Kat explains. “It was really important to her for me to lose weight and get healthy.”
Following her mother’s wishes, Kat went through with the RYGB surgery and saw great results, losing about 100 pounds in the first year. Initially, she was extremely strict with her nutrition, diet, and exercise routine. She followed all the rules and even joined a dedicated exercise group. In time, Kat got her weight down to 170 pounds.
“It was an amazing difference and a true lifestyle change,” Kat explains. “But sometimes life gets in the way, and you get off track. By 2023, I had started to gain back a lot of weight.”
Thanks to a Good Friend, Kat Discovers True You
Kat was already thinking it might be time for a revision to her gastric bypass when she heard about True You Weight Loss from her childhood friend Patty. After some research and a consultation, Kat decided that a transoral outlet reduction (TORe) was the best option to help her turn the tides. TORe is for patients who have already had a gastric bypass. It’s a same-day, incisionless procedure that tightens the stomach pouch and outlet back to their original size. With TORe, Kat wanted to avoid further weight gain and the recurrence of any health conditions, while also getting back to the healthier lifestyle she had enjoyed after her RYGB.
Closely connected in their friendship, both Kat and Patty had their weight loss procedures on the same day (December 8, 2022) at True You’s Atlanta location with a highly trained gastroenterologist who performs complex endobariatric weight loss procedures. Kat travelled to True You from her home state of Florida, and while she was nervous, she was excited to be making another bold move toward preserving her health. The results proved to be well worth Kat’s travel and effort.
