The Will To Lose: A Lean Year (success story of 2 women following gastric bypass)

The Will to Lose: A lean year
Surgery helped them lose weight. Now two women see their lives in a whole new light.
By Cynthia Hubert—Bee Staff Writer
Published 5:30 a.m. PST Thursday, March 28, 2002
One year.
Two hundred and twenty-six vanquished pounds.

Two ecstatic women.

If Lydia Cook and Nita Kurtz could have written the perfect script for the past 12 months, it would have read very much like reality.

“I am loving life right now,” an ultra-relaxed Cook said last week, her body covered by nothing more than a thin white towel as she lay on a massage table at a spa in Yuba City.

It was something she never would have done in her Fat Days.

“I always wanted to,” Cook said. “But at that weight? Letting someone rub my body on this little table? I don’t think so!”

Now she thinks she just might become a regular client.

Much has changed in the lives of the two sisters-in-law since March 19, 2001, when they underwent drastic surgery they hoped would end their lifelong battles with obesity.

First, of course, they look different. So different that longtime friends with whom they have lost touch sometimes fail to recognize them. So different that they carry “before” pictures in their wallets to validate their stories. So different that it sometimes brings tears of joy to the eyes of people who love them.

Both women, who grew up near each other in Yuba City and are as close as sisters, weighed 266 pounds on the day of their surgeries. As of last week, Cook, 25, who stands 5 feet 9 inches, was down to 140 pounds. Kurtz, 32, about four inches shorter, weighed 166.

But the changes have gone far beyond numbers on a bathroom scale.

Their general health is much better. Gone are Kurtz’s breathing problems, and the throbbing pain in Cook’s knees and hips. Kurtz, who had dangerously high blood pressure prior to the operation, now has a normal rate and is off all medications. Both women exercise regularly and eat foods rich in protein and vitamins rather than fat and sugar. Both of their families, including Kurtz’s husband, Tim, and her brother Brian, who is married to Cook, have followed the women’s leads and adopted healthier lifestyles.

Their journey has opened many new doors. Cook and Kurtz have become the stars of a support group for people who are obese, and spoke at a women’s conference in Sacramento in October. Cook started a business selling home products and began writing a book on her weight-loss experience. Kurtz worked her way up to biking 25 miles on weekends.

But it is the simple things about their new lives that the women appreciate most. Comfortably buckling their seat belts in the car. Romping with their children in the park. Trying on clothes without dread.

The surgery that made these things possible is called gastric bypass, and about 40,000 people are expected to undergo it this year. It involves shrinking the size of the stomach to a tiny pouch and rerouting the intestines to reduce absorption of calories. It is a major operation, carrying serious risks, and is generally recommended only for people who are 100 pounds or more overweight and who have related health problems.

Serious complications can occur, and some patients have even died following the surgery. But Cook and Kurtz, who had their operations in Roseville, have been relatively free of problems.

Cook did have to return to the hospital a week after her surgery because of a kink in her intestine, but she recovered completely. Both women lost some hair, a common complication following rapid weight loss, but most of it grew back. Cook has had difficulty digesting certain foods. But for both women, the adjustments have been easier than expected.

Because their stomachs can no longer hold more than an ounce of food at a time, Cook and Kurtz have had to learn to eat far less, eat slower, and make sure they get proper amounts of protein and vitamins. Kurtz expected to feel deprived, but that has not happened, she said. In fact, she appreciates her food much more than she did before.

“I’m surprised that I can eat pretty much whatever I like,” she said. “Sometimes I make the wrong choices, but overall I’m very happy and so much healthier.”

Kurtz and Cook still have some unfinished business. Both women plan to undergo plastic surgery to remove excess skin that their dramatic weight loss has left on their abdomens. The “tummy tuck” surgery, which usually is not covered by insurance, is likely to cost thousands of dollars. Kurtz has already begun saving for the procedure.

But on the first anniversary of the surgery that changed their lives, celebration was the main thing on Cook’s and Kurtz’s minds.

Cook began the day by dropping off her baby son, Austin, with Kurtz’s mother, Kat, and heading to a local spa.

“This is heaven,” she said as massage therapist Christa Wells worked her body, from her scalp to the tips of her polished toenails. “I feel relaxed, but energetic. Kind of like after I work out. I could get used to this.”

Later, Cook continued the pampering with a facial while Kurtz, whose four girls were in school, trolled the mall for a new outfit for the evening.

“I got out some pictures the other day,” said Cook, talking through a cloud of steam and a creamy white paste on her cheeks. “They were really hard to look at. It was depressing to see myself that big. I’m more comfortable in my own skin now.”

After she finished at the spa, she and Kurtz met at the mall and headed to a department store for a makeup consultation. That night, dressed to the hilt and their faces glowing, they and their husbands went to a local steakhouse for dinner.

“What more can I say about the past year?” Cook concluded. “It’s been awesome. It’s hard to put it all into words. It’s changed not only my body, but my health and my mind.”

Now it’s on with the rest of their lives.
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A tale of the tape
Changes in the lives of Lydia Cook and Nita Kurtz since they underwent gastric-bypass surgery on March 19, 2001:
Weight then:
Cook, 266 pounds;
Kurtz, 266 pounds

Now:
Cook, 140 pounds;
Kurtz, 166 pounds

Dress size then:
Cook, 22;
Kurtz, 28.

Now:
Cook, 7;
Kurtz, 14.

Waist measurement then:
Cook, 46;
Kurtz, 50.

Now:
Cook, 26 1/2;
Kurtz, 31.

Health concerns then:
Cook: joint pain, family history of heart disease and stroke.
Kurtz: chronic heartburn, high blood pressure, joint pain, mild depression, sleep apnea.

Now:
None.

Exercise habits then:
None.

Now:
Cook: 30 minutes of weight training three to five times a week, aerobic exercise 30 minutes to an hour a week.
Kurtz: bike rides, workouts on home exercise machine or exercise to videotapes several days a week.

Typical daily calorie consumption then:
3,000 to 3,500.

Now:
1,500 to 2,000.

Typical lunch then:
Chicken enchilada with extra sour cream and guacamole, side order of rice and refried beans, chips and salsa.

Now:
Three-fourths of a bean burrito or one-third of a deli sandwich with extra veggies; a few chips.

Source: http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifest...-2160278c.html