The beginning:
At 48 years old I saw my life quickly starting to crumble. I was overweight and diagnosed with diabetes. Two years prior, my Dad had passed away, from a heart attack from being a serve diabetic. As this devastated me and it took me a long time accept his passing. In addition, my blood pressure was starting to rise and I found it difficult to complete daily tasks in my everyday life. My energy was low and I found myself tired a lot. At this point I knew something was wrong, because I wasn’t feeling myself and was unhappy. I consulted with my medical doctor, James Covalesky, who recommended seeking professional training and prescription diet pills. He felt that my current situation was due to my rapid weight gain. Shortly after, I met with trainer Donnie DeMary who worked with me for 3 consecutive months, and helped me lose a total of 45 lbs. I was beginning to feel healthy, but due to work and daily life I was unable to maintain my training. Although I managed to workout, I was unsuccessful in losing additional weight. Also, the diet pills were short lived and stopped working as many people could imagine. This began to take toll on my mental health and confidence. I found myself once again at my doctor’s office seeking additional advice. He suggested contacting Dr. Adeyeri of Sterling Surgicare who runs the Raritian Bay Bariatric Center, in Old Bridge, NJ.
Dr. Adeyari strongly recommended I have the sleeve surgery, which is when a large section of your stomach is removed, leaving you with a sleeve shaped stomach. The stomach size is permanently reduced through this process. Dy. Adeyari reviewed my qualification’s & stated I was a good candidate and met all surgical requirements. He reminded me I was in bad shape at 48 yrs old, my body mass index was over 65% and I was retaining water in my legs. After concurring with his analysis, I was then scheduled for Jan. 2, 2014 for sleeve surgery. I was hopeful that this would a life changing decision, to improve my health, social life, energy levels, stress, self-esteem, and my overall appearance. This gave me Faith!
Day of surgery:
On the morning of my surgery I was extremely nervous, I knew my life was about to change, forever. I knew the benefits that would come from this type of surgery, but it frightened me that my eating habits were going to change drastically, I didn’t know what to expect. After the surgery I woke up in extreme pain, not realizing that Dr. A removed two Hernias, my Gallbladder (which was dead), and a Hyenial Hernia, which was repaired. In addition to this surgery, I was also recovering from all of the above. The recovery time was estimated at 5 days, but with the other procedures it took 3 – 4 weeks.
Recovery:
In the weeks following my surgery, I was on a liquid diet that contained baby food, soup, and shakes. I lost a total of 28lbs during this time. The weight was pouring off of me the through first 7-10 weeks. By the 10th week it was a total of 49lbs. I also saw an increase in my energy levels, improvement in my sleep, and my overall mood was up. I was doing things again that I physically never thought would be possible again considering my age & health. For example, I was now traveling to Florida for work and pleasure, before this time, I hadn’t been traveling much at all. Also, I was starting to see the physical benefits, my arms and legs were more defined, my back and stomach were leaning out, and I was fitting into my “Skinny” jeans that had been tucked away since before my kids were born. My face was slimming down and my smile was infectious. I haven’t felt this confident in a long time. I was starting to now eat solids and educate myself on clean, healthy eating. Now, I eat 5-6X a day, but in small heathy servings. I also indulge in many of my favorite foods, occasionally: pizza, burgers, hotdogs, Chinese, and zepolis, but I’m more conscience of my food intake, than ever before. All things in moderation, your body is your temple.
Post surgery:
September 2014, 9 months after my surgery, I am now amazed about my weight loss and feeling terrific, about to turn 50 in December. I’m noticing now comes the hard part, my skin from the rapid weight loss is beginning to sag and lose elasticity. This brings on another bunch of insecurities. No amount of training can tighten it up what I was experiencing. Therefore, I now visited a Plastic Surgeon in Edison, NJ named Dr. Tusher Patel who recommended a body lift and breast lift. I scheduled my surgery for December 23, 2014 just before Christmas and 3 days after what I call “Fab 50” birthday. On the day of my birthday I was reflecting on my life, where it is, where it was, and where it’s heading. I realize how important it was for me to go through this life changing experience for both my children and my personal life. Reflecting on this while enjoying a surprise 50th birthday party with my closest friends and family, I knew that this was the right decision for me. In the end, it is all about being happy about who you are & what you can accomplishment. With my health improved, my focus was now on the maintenance my body needed as a result of my surgery. Although this was another process, it was something that I knew would take me past the finish line & back to the person I knew I was, healthy, happy & confident.
Life today:
After the plastic surgery my body is fantastic. I feel and look terrific. I went from a size 18-20 to a size 0-2. I lost a total of 98lbs. my body fat went from 65% to 15%. I am traveling, working harder than ever, enjoying time with family and loving the journey of my life, at Fab 50! My entire story, with all that has been said above, would not be possible without the direction and guidance of Dr. Adeyeri. Throughout this process Dr. Adeyeri has allowed me to truly become who I am physically, mentally and emotionally. Not only Is Dr. Adeyeri my doctor he is also a friend who knew what I wanted, who I was & where I needed to go. I am truly thankful for everything Dr. Ayotunde Adeyeri has done through this process along with everyone at his office. If you are having any thoughts or questions on if you should or should not go through this process, let my story be your answer!
In the end this is my story to tell it's all about turning Fab 50 and Loving Life.