Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - CH - 8

LOST

His pulmonologist told him that if
he could lose 100 pounds, he wouldn't
need oxygen anymore.
"That clicked in my mind, and I
agreed to go and get the surgery done,"
Durham says. "I took the seminar
at St. Mary Medical Center through
Healthy 4 Life. Dr. Michael Simpson and
my dietitian put me on a strict 2,700calorie-a-day diet. I began to lose about
20 pounds a month. I knew then that I
wouldn't need weight loss surgery."
Since he started keeping a food journal of what he has eaten, exercising at
the gym at least three times per week
and staying within his recommended
calorie counts, Durham has lost more
than 120 pounds. The results: No more
oxygen, no more electric cart, and half
the blood pressure medications.
"With all the weight that I have lost,
I can honestly say that the program
has helped me," Durham says. "My
monthly meetings have reinforced what
I have learned I need to do to keep the
weight off."
"I am looking forward to going
fishing this summer," he says. "The
Kankakee River is practically in
my backyard."
CLASS

Become a
Healthier You
Attend a free Healthy 4 Life
seminar, "Weight Loss Surgery:
Is It Right for Me?" to learn
more about individualized
options for losing weight.
Classes are held monthly
at St. Mary Medical Center in
Hobart, Community Hospital
in Munster and
St. Catherine Hospital in East
Chicago. Call 219-703-2019 or
go to COMHS.org/overit to
learn more.

8

SU M M ER 2 0 1 9

95

POUNDS

Katie Oberman

Now 24, Lansing, Illinois, resident
Katie Oberman had been overweight
since childhood.
"Diabetes runs in my family," she
says. "I didn't want to develop the
disease. After college, I gained a lot
of weight. My dad passed away and I
began stress eating and put on even
more weight. I had plantar fasciitis and
it was painful to walk. My mom suggested I have weight loss surgery. I said
I didn't need it and I could lose weight
on my own."
Three months later, at 260 pounds,
Oberman changed her mind. She
thought surgery could be the steppingstone that she needed to change her
life for the better. Her mom saw an
ad online and suggested she attend a
Healthy 4 Life seminar.
"I was ready to commit," she says.
"The bypass surgery had proven results
and I decided it may be the most effective surgery for me and my lifestyle."
Using six small incisions, the surgeon
fashions a small stomach and "reroutes"
a portion of the intestines. The result is
that the patient eats a smaller amount
of food before feeling full.

Teacher Katie Oberman, right, learned
to view food as fuel with help from the
Healthy 4 Life team, including bariatric
care coordinator Lisa Almaraz. Here at
the monthly check-in appointment, they
discuss total weight loss since surgery
and review current medications.

Since weight loss surgery on
February 13, 2018, Oberman has
lost 95 pounds and continues to
lose weight.
"I teach preschool," Oberman says.
"Weight loss surgery has made my
life so much easier. I am constantly
getting up and getting down, rolling
around on the floor doing yoga with
my kids."
"With Healthy 4 Life, it is not like
you have the surgery and you are
done," she explains. "The team goes
the extra mile to make sure you are
comfortable and informed. The program makes sure you stay on track.
It sounds cliché, but you really are
changing your life. You can't eat the
way you did. You have to change your
mindset to think of food as a fuel as
opposed to a comfort item."
"I recommend the program to anyone wanting a happier, healthier life,"
she says. ■
http://www.COMHS.org/overit
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - CH

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