"Lost a whole person plus..."

Arlene could see the future. In her late-40s and weighing 380 pounds, she knew her families concerns of diabetes and heart disease would soon be her own.
"I was headed in that direction and I didn't want to get there," she said.
Her weight was threatening her health, driving her blood sugar numbers up, making her a prime candidate especially for diabetes and the complications that go along with it. Medications, edema, cardiac and respiratory problems... she wanted nothing to do with any of it.
So she took her health in her own hands and made a life-changing decision.
Arlene underwent gastric bypass surgery at Rapid City Regional Hospital through the Regional Weight Management program. The procedure reduces the amount of calories the body can absorb by limiting what the amount of food a patient can eat. For Arlene and other patients like her, the procedure made her stomach about the size of an egg.
At Regional Weight Management only about 5 percent of the 230 patients since 2007 have opted for gastric bypass, opting instead for the less invasive lap band surgery.
But gastric bypass was the option Arlene wanted and, for her, the results came fast.
In the first month she lost 35 pounds; in the first four months she lost 65 pounds.
As her weight dropped, her attitude changed; her confidence soared; she started going to the gym three to four days a week.
"The decision to lose the weight (was the motivation). Once I decided to get the surgery done it still took me several months after having the surgery done to start going to the gym; where I felt comfortable going there," she said.

Finding What Works

Arlene had tried other diets over the years -- liquid diets and meal planning -- but would lose 10 to 15 pounds, get bored and quit.
But for Arlene, gastric bypass was an option that changed her behaviors and consequently worked.
"After having it done you really don't want to eat and you get full real quick. The habit is you just learn to eat less and there are certain things you can't eat," Arlene said.
Terry Anderson, Supervisor of Regional Weight Management, said because of the small stomach size and discomfort associated with overeating, patients quickly learn to listen to their bodies. 
Arlene agreed.
"You get to the point where (you say) - 'I shouldn't have that, I don't need it' - so then you just don't think about it again," Arlene said. "And you can eat it but instead of having a bagful of chips you might have a handful and that's enough to compensate for the cravings."

New Confidence and the Last 25

"My expectations were to lose the weight and I did rapidly," Arlene said. "...I guess I didn't expect my self confidence to change as much as it did. I've got a lot more self confidence. I'm not down on myself."
Arlene's goal weight is 225 pounds -- the weight she was at in her late teens. And despite the challenges of losing that last bit of weight, she's confident it's attainable.
"I'm going to find a way to do it," she said, simply.
"This just seemed so easy to do. Really, I've not had to work at anything to get it accomplished. I thought it would be work; and it hasn't been."
But the gym workouts? Watching your diet? Managing your health? That's not work?
"That's not hard to do anymore," Arlene said.
Success.