Woman Goes from Size 26 to Size 8 in Less Than a Year Following Gastric Bypass Surgery

Consuela Nobles-Williams, 34, weighed more than 300 pounds when a very close friend of hers died suddenly from complications of obesity. A young mother of four, Consuela worried that this could happen to her if she did not lose the excess weight. She did not want her children to suffer because she had low energy and was in poor health. Rather, she desperately wanted to be an inspiration to her four children.

Heavy her entire life, Consuela had tried all the popular diets. Although she lost weight each time, when she stopped dieting she gained the weight right back, plus another 30 pounds.

“Dieting was my downfall most of my life,” she admitted. “I’m a big snacker, but not a healthy snacker.”

Consuela said she has always preferred chips, cookies, ice cream and pizza, and had trouble controlling portions.

After considering weight loss surgery for more than a decade, Consuela decided to make it a reality at University Hospitals Digestive Health Institute’s Nutritional Health & Bariatric Surgery Center. Weighing 316 pounds in March 2012, this young mom had gastric bypass surgery. After a short hospital stay, she was able to fully recover in the privacy of her home.

Gastric bypass surgery is a laparoscopic, or minimally invasive procedure that separates the stomach into two chambers: one small and one large. The surgeon then connects the small intestine to the smaller chamber, restricting the amount of food able to be consumed.

“I attended bariatric surgery support groups at University Hospitals before and after the gastric bypass,” Consuela said. “I knew what to expect with the surgery.&rdquo Dr. Leena Khaitan and the rest of the staff at UH Nutritional Health & Bariatric Surgery Center were like family, so compassionate and supportive. They educated me on every aspect of the surgery, which helped me stick with the plan.”

Consuela used to wear a size 26; she now wears a size 8 after losing more than 100 pounds within a year after weight loss surgery. In addition, she now has more energy and her blood pressure has normalized.

Today, Consuela loves life and her healthy, new body. She is now able to do things she only dreamed about doing before weight loss surgery, such as riding amusement park rides with her four children.

“It feels great to have energy and be active again,” Consuela said.

And for this young mom, the most important thing is to be healthy for her kids.