Tag Archives: Gastric Sleeve Before and After

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Storm to Sunshine: Savannah 16 Month After


“To say the last year has been easy would be a lie but was gastric bypass worth it? Absolutely! Let me tell you a little bit about my journey…” A slim and slender figure is everyone's dream. Sometimes, the road to success can be difficult because not only temptations, but also because of many different obstacles. Today, with great admiration, BeLite can tell the story of our patient who, after tedious efforts, found her way to find herself, so that with help our team to be on the better side of life. Dear readers, we invite you to listen to another beautiful story : After the first 6 weeks, I questioned if I did the right thing and even considered having it reversed at my year mark if I wasn't any better. I got really sick, I became unemployed, I missed out on my children's activities and I became even more bed ridden. I was losing weight and that felt great. I found a new doctor when I had had all I could take. She ran blood work and sent me to every specialist that she could think of. I was hospitalized for several weeks and went through every test imaginable. Nothing came up. Everyone would tell me it's a bad reaction to the bypass. I didn't believe that because 10 years prior to my surgery I struggled with the same symptoms so it couldn't be the bypass. I was finally sent to an immunologist and much to my surprise, this was the last place my doctor knew to send me. After this we were at a brick wall. After many blood tests, allergy testing and immune testing we finally have it!!! I was diagnosed one month ago with an immune deficiency. I have probably suffered with this all my life after reviewing my medical history as a child. I was diagnosed with S.A.D. (specific antibody deficiency). My body makes antibodies to fight off infections and bacterias but my antibodies don't work, leaving me with no immune system and vulnerable to recurrent infections. Because of this I have had many many surgeries and almost felt like a pin cushion. Now I have an answer and a treatment. I receive Immunoglobulin infusion therapy 2 times a month. I sit in a small room with an IV hooked up to plasma and I sit for several hours. I just received my first treatment and I feel so great and I am starting to wean off my nausea medicines and pain meds. With all of that said, I just want you to know that I am living my best life since being diagnosed and starting treatment and I am 120lbs lighter and I have so much energy and getting to actually enjoy my weight loss. I had to walk through a storm to get to the sunshine but having the bypass saved my life in more ways than one. If I hadn't had it done most doctors would keep looking at my weight as ALL my problems, and I wouldn't be the mom I am able to be right now. I am active, I play softball, I just recently started going back to the gym and lifting weights and I feel free!!! I love myself again and I am so happy I made the decision that I did 1 year ago on my actual birthday. I had a wonderful staff that was so sweet and caring in a very nice facility. I would tell anyone that is considering weight loss surgery it is hard mentally the first several months but if you really want change and stick with it you can get through the mental part and have a better life. I eat normally now but I have learned to push away and make better choices with food. It is a tool that can really help you. Thank you so much for all your help and patience with me when I was making my decision. It was the best thing I ever did!!! started: 260lbs now: 140lbs I am so grateful for all of your help and that in the end the struggle was worth it all!!!
Weight loss surgery before and after

Dear readers, we invite you to listen to another beautiful story directly from our patient Savannah. It is so amazing what she has done in little more than one year!

“To say the last year has been easy would be a lie but was gastric bypass worth it? Absolutely! Let me tell you a little  bit about my journey…” A slim and slender figure is everyone’s dream. Sometimes, the road to success can be difficult because not only temptations, but also because of many different obstacles. Today, with great admiration, BeLite can tell the story of our patient who, after tedious efforts, found her way to find herself, so that with help our team to be on the better side of life.

After the first  6 weeks, I questioned if I did the right thing and even considered having it reversed at my year mark if I wasn’t any better. I got really sick, I became unemployed, I missed out on  my children’s activities and I  became even more bed ridden. I was losing weight and that felt great. I found a new doctor when I had had all I could take.

She ran blood work and sent me to every specialist that she could think of. I was hospitalized for several weeks and went through every test imaginable. Nothing came up. Everyone would tell me it’s a bad reaction to the bypass. I didn’t believe  that because 10 years prior to my surgery I struggled with the same symptoms so it couldn’t be the bypass. I was finally sent to an immunologist and much to my surprise, this was the last place my doctor knew to send me. After this we were at a brick wall. After many blood tests, allergy testing and immune testing we finally have it!!!

I was diagnosed one month ago with an immune deficiency. I have probably suffered with this all my life after reviewing my medical history as a child. I was diagnosed with S.A.D. (specific antibody deficiency). My body makes antibodies  to fight off infections and bacterias  but my antibodies don’t work, leaving me  with no immune system and vulnerable to recurrent infections.

Because of this I have had many many surgeries and almost felt like a pin cushion. Now I have an answer and a treatment.  I receive Immunoglobulin infusion therapy 2 times a month. I sit in a small room with an IV hooked up to plasma and I sit for several  hours. I  just received my first treatment and I feel so great and I am starting to wean off my nausea medicines and pain meds.

With all of that said, I just want you to know that I am living my best life since being diagnosed and starting treatment and I am 120lbs lighter and I have so much energy and getting to actually enjoy my weight loss. I  had to walk through a storm to get to the sunshine but  having the bypass saved my life in more ways than one. If I hadn’t  had it done most doctors would keep looking at my weight as ALL my problems, and I wouldn’t be the mom I am able to be right now. I am active, I play softball, I just recently started going back to the gym and lifting weights and I feel free!!! I love myself again and I am so happy I made the decision that I did 1 year ago on my actual birthday. I had a wonderful staff that was so sweet and caring in a very nice facility. I would tell anyone that is considering weight loss surgery it is hard mentally the first several months but if you really want change and stick with it you can get through the mental part and have a better life. I eat normally now but I have learned to push away and make better choices with food. It is a tool that can really help you.

Thank you so much for all your help and patience with me when I was making my decision. It was the best thing I ever did!!!

started: 260lbs

now: 140lbs

I am so grateful for all of your help and that in the end the struggle was worth it all!!!”

The team at BeLiteWeight is thrilled for you Savannah! It is always such a pleasure to see such powerful success from our past clients.

*See Below

For more information on Gastric Weight Loss Surgery and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today at 1-800-215-6497!

If you have any updates of your weight loss achievements that you would like shared please send them to jamie@beliteweight.com.

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Waiting For This Day: Michael 13 Months After Gastric Sleeve


Our team at BeLiteWeight is always excited and proud to hear from our wonderful patients that have found the success they are looking for. We just received an update from Michael to share that is really impressive! In just 13 months he lost roughly two hundred pounds and is now off all his medications! Here is his update in his own words:

“Finally hit Onederland! This quarantine was rough, but still managed to lose 13 lbs in the last 10 weeks. Now if I could be brave enough to go get a pedicure for these darn feet!
Highest Weight:399 (was probably over 400 at one point)
Current Weight: 199
Total loss: 200
Best part: off all medications and I feel great!

It is incredibly inspiring to hear from someone who has changed their life for the better in such a profoundly significant way. BeLiteWeight is so happy for you Michael!

For more information on Gastric Weight Loss Surgery and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today at 1-800-215-6497!

If you have any updates of your weight loss achievements that you would like shared please send them to jamie@beliteweight.com.

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Best Year Of My Life: Laisa’s Gastric Sleeve


weight loss surgery before and after vsg

New Year, New You! At least this was the case for Laisa in 2019 who is ‘beyond happy’ with her decision to choose BeLiteWeight! Laisa had her Gastric Sleeve surgery just days before the New Years and in one year shed over one hundred pounds! We recently received the update below from her along with some images that we are very happy to share:

So happy to hear from you! It’s been the best year of my life. I lost 109 pounds and I’m also down 4 dress sizes! I’ve had zero complications. I’m beyond happy with my decision and more importantly, choosing to go on this journey with Beliteweight 🙂 Thanks again for all of your help. I couldn’t have done it without you. Forever grateful!

weight loss surgery before and after vsg

A big congratulations to Laisa for her incredible achievements! She really looks great. If you have any updates of your weight loss achievements that you would like shared please send them to jamie@beliteweight.com. Happy New Years!!!

For more information on Gastric Weight Loss Surgery and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today at 1-800-215-6497!

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Couldn’t Be Happier: Michael’s Sleeve


BeLiteWeight would like to share an update from one of our patients that had the Gastric Sleeve with Dr. Rodriguez early this past year. He is showing incredible progress shown by the reduction in his blood pressure medication. Way to go Michael!

I am down almost 80lbs, I’m running, BP is down (not as far as I’d like but down) and I’m off 2 BP pills. Couldn’t be happier at this point.

For more information on Gastric Weight Loss Surgery and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today at 1-800-215-6497!

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Loved the Security: Deborah’s Juarez Sleeve


At the beginning of summer our BeLiteWeight team received a touching update from Gloria who had the Gastric Sleeve surgery by Dr. Rodriguez and his team in September of 2017. She still remembers the “final straw” that led her to surgery and the “wonderful” staff that helped her through the process! Read her letter below for some of her after thoughts on the entire process of medical care in Mexico.

After working out for decades and trying all sorts of meal plans, I’d never been able to achieve my weight loss goals. I’d stopped smoking 9 years prior to surgery, cut out soda for 4 years, adopted healthier recipes and had been competitively been walking 5ks for two years. My weight wasn’t increasing but neither was it decreasing. The final straw was when my previous gynecologist said “you need to quit shoving food in your face”. He didn’t care to know what I was doing nor did he take my health issues, like PCOS, into consideration. The insurance I had access to excluded bariatric coverage. So after consulting with my family doctor, he agreed that my best option was surgery. He said he could do tests to find out why I had trouble losing but surgery would be my best option, if I was comfortable with it. He agreed to follow me, if I choose to go to Mexico. I chose BeliteWeight and Dr. Villarreal-Rodriguez because I was able to find several local people from Indiana who he had also treated. The stay and the staff at the hospital were wonderful. I loved the security of being in a safe hospital setting with immediate access for emergency medical help, although I didn’t need it. I’m thankful I had made so many healthy changes prior to surgery. It made post op life easy to adjust to. It was amazing to watch the pounds melt off. My heaviest weight was 298. Preop, I was 275. By nine months after surgery, I had made my original goal of a healthy BMI for my height of 5’7” – 159. I realized that I hadn’t dreamed small enough. I made my ultimate goal of mid range healthy BMI by 12/18. I now average 140. (Picture is a size 22 to a size 4.)Instead of needing two blood pressure meds twice a day, I only need one pill once a day. This summer I’ve signed up for my regular 5ks but now have added a couple 10ks. Being able to squeeze into the back seat as a third person is fun too. The best advice I received with surgery, from a friend, was to not stop working towards your weight loss goals just because others tell you you’re getting to small. For me, most people have never seen me at a healthy weight, as the last time was 3rd grade. Some days will be hard, when you routinely hear “you’re almost (or are) to small” but don’t give up or back off. Seek out positive people, they’ll be help strengthen your resolve.

Gloria it is truly amazing how you cut more than 50 percent of your maximum body weight off! We are so proud of your accomplishments.

For more information on Gastric Sleeve and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today!

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Bariatric Surgery & Your Liver



The benefits of bariatric surgery for the moderate to morbidly obese cannot be understated. Over the past 30 years medical advancements and research has led the bariatric surgical industry to a point where each year tens of thousands of people are finding success with options like the Gastric Sleeve and the Bypass.

Candidates for these weight loss surgeries are at a higher risk to already have and be more susceptible to liver disease and other underlying medical conditions. Studies have conclusively shown that for the majority of people bariatric surgery is an incredibly effective treatment for these conditions. However, there are important exceptions to be aware of with respect to malnutrition and anorexia.


It is an issue for certain individuals to not properly nourish their bodies after having gastric surgeries and to fall in to a cycle of non-eating or only eating very limited amounts of food that does not provide the body with what it needs.


To maintain a healthy liver after weight loss surgery it is especially important to maintain a consistent intake of high quality protein and nutrient dense foods. At BeLiteWeight we take pride in our teams extensive knowledge and follow up care so that our patients are able to thrive!

If you are interested in reading more about this we have included a link below. For more information on Gastric Sleeve and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today at 1-800-215-6497!

” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5061986/ “

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Courage to Change My Life: Jeff’s 4 Year Update


weight loss surgery before after vsg gastiric sleeve

Earlier this month we received a touching letter from one of our blinding success patients Jeff who has really turned his life around since we first chatted with him on the phone about 4 years ago. Read for yourself!

I just wanted to drop a quick note to the amazing folks are BeLiteWeight.com and give a quick update. It’s been four years since I found the courage to pick-up the phone and change my life.

When I decided to change my life, I was miserable and unable to do so many of the things that I wanted to do. I was always tired, miserable and my life was absent of anything to keep me going – except food.

When I called, I wanted to do the surgery fast! From the time I first called there was only three weeks until I left for the Gastric Sleeve.

The experience was amazing – and the years following the surgery have also been amazing! I feel great, look great and people tell me that I look so much younger now than I did then.

I can’t tell you how greatful that I am to everyone at Beliteweight for the amazing guidance that I received and for the support leading up to the surgery and the post surgical support that was fantastic from the minute I got home until I felt like I had it under control.

The process was worth it, the cost was unbeatable and the way my life was changed cannot be put into words.

The BeLiteWeight team is so proud of you Jeff! Keep up the hard work and you can achieve all of your goals and inspirations!

For more information on Gastric Sleeve and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today!

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Keto-Korean Beef Short Ribs


weight loss surgery before after vsg gastiric sleeve walking exercise

For our next recipe get out your steak knives! With only 2 basic steps and 8 easy ingredients this keto-friendly and high protein meal is a perfect option for health conscious individuals interested in losing weight!

Ingredients

2 lbs of Beef Chuck, Flanken-Style Short Ribs (3/8 to 1/2 inch thick)

1/2 Green Onion – Chopped

2 teaspoons Dark Sesame Oil

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

2 Minced Garlic Cloves

1/2 TSP Black Pepper

1 TBS Toasted Sesame

1/4 Cup Water

Directions

#1 – Combine onions, ginger, oil, garlic, pepper, and water in a small bowl and pour in to a plastic container with the beef. Marinate for 4-8 Hours.

#2 – Grill! For best taste cover the meat over medium-high heat for 5 minutes before turning over and continuing for another few minutes!

For more information on Gastric Sleeve and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today at 1-800-215-6497!

* Recipe Adapted from KETO RECIPES – Pilcook Books

** One of our patrons suggested adding Ginger and it is quite a valuable upgrade! & Be sure to always purchase organic and non-GMO ingredients!

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How to Live Again: Karina’s 3 Year Update


One of our most inspirational patients sent us this heart warming email that the team at BeLiteWeight is honored to share with you! Below are pictures of her throughout her journey. You are amazing Karina!!

My heart is full of gratitude as I sit down to write this email . Next week will mark 3 years since I’ve had surgery with Dr.Rodriguez. What a roller coaster this ride has been. From learning to portion control, learning new habits, learning to love the gym , it has honestly been learning how to live again. >>>> We all these changes came self love I never knew I had . Confidence to follow my dreams and the well power to keep going. I have been able to maintain an average of 105lbs lost and have gained about 15 safely . I have had a breast reduction with a lift and I am currently recovering from a tummy Tuck with lipo of the back and flanks. I feel great . Life is great. The work is never done that’s for sure . We will forever gain and loose and fluctuate. What’s important is the healthy habits I have been able to maintain and the structure I have set for myself . I will once again tell you I’ll never forget that lunch time phone call outside my local Starbucks where you told me your story and within a month I had my surgery booked . I was ready .

2 Months!

4 Months!

10 Months!

1 Year!

18 Months!

Doesn’t she look incredible? Karina, you are such an inspiration to people who want to make a major change in their life!

For more information on Gastric Sleeve and other weight loss surgical questions, please call BeLiteWeight today at 1-800-215-6497!

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How to pick out the perfect bathing suit after WLS


With summer right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about what you're going to wear to the beach. Here's a guide to picking out the perfect bathing suit after weight loss surgery:

How to pick out the perfect bathing suit after WLS If you are large-chested…

Look for something with structure so you can be sure to avoid those Janet Jackson-like wardrobe malfunctions. Also, a suit with fabric that gathers at the waist can create a pleasant division between your hips and chest.

If you are small-chested…

Look for a suit that plays up your bust line. One way to accomplish this is to find a suit that rests high on the hips. This will give the allusion of longer legs, elongating your frame and making your chest less of a focal point.

If you have a pear shape …

Find a suit that extenuates the things you like most about your body as well as your upper body. It could be your chest or your shoulders or your waistline. The key is to minimize your hips. Think "sexy" and "demure," which are not mutually exclusive. You should avoid suits with vertical stripes or designs running across the midsection—both of which can make your waist appear larger.

If you've got an athletic body …

Look for a suit with a strong vertical axis and something that adds femininity. Making sure to find balance across your torso is important to being comfortable.

The bottom line is that there are bathing suits for every body and everybody. The trick is to find one that puts the focus on the parts of your body you want to highlight—and to put comfort above all else.

If you haven't reached your weight loss goals yet …

Look for something that makes you feel comfortable and practical. A suit that extenuates your bust while providing coverage on the backside can give you the confidence to walk a beach, swim and splash without feeling self-conscious. Also, don't be afraid to accessorize. Wear a colorful sarong or matching shorts.