Raising four children is a full-time job, one that Nathali Sanchez and her partner Pedro, value deeply. But a busy lifestyle can often lead to unhealthy eating and poor exercise habits.
“I became pregnant with my first child when I was 18,” recalled Sanchez. “So over the next 12 years, I was often pregnant and gained a lot of weight. By the time I turned 30, I weighed 265 pounds.”
Sanchez tried to lose weight but she experienced difficulties that slowed her progress.
“We were so busy as a family that our meals were often carry-out fast food,” she said. “I also didn’t have time to exercise and never went to a gym. I was too self-conscious about my weight to exercise in public.”
When Sanchez discovered the weight loss surgery and bariatric program at Portneuf Medical Center, she made an appointment and met with Alexa E. Roth, MD.
“Dr. Roth and her staff were very organized and shared a lot of information,” she said. “They told me what was going to happen throughout the whole process, step by step. They even said that I needed to change my lifestyle to see real changes. I appreciated their guidance.”
She also met with a Portneuf dietitian about how to change her eating habits. “She told me what foods I could eat, the amounts I could eat and drink, and what foods to avoid,” she said. “With my new, smaller stomach, I would have to follow their recommendations very closely.”
Gastric Sleeve Surgery
On the day of her surgery, Sanchez checked into Portneuf Medical Center for gastric sleeve surgery.
Gastric sleeve surgery involves the removal of a large portion of the patient’s stomach. It keeps the stomach at the same length but with a much slimmer width, like a shirt sleeve. No changes are made to the patient’s intestines.
With a sleeve gastrectomy, approximately 80% of the stomach’s volume is removed. After surgery, patients eat much smaller meals and tend to have fewer cravings and hunger than they did before surgery. This is because most of our ‘hunger hormone’ is created in the portion of the stomach that was removed. Removal of that part of the stomach results in much less of the ‘hunger hormone’ being produced.
Watch a video to learn more about gastric sleeve surgery
After the surgery, Sanchez felt comfortable that she could call the office at any time with questions.
“Whenever I was concerned about what I was doing, they were always there to answer questions or get back to me quickly with the information,” said Sanchez. “Even now, two years after my surgery, I can still call with a question or schedule an appointment with the dietitian. Dr. Roth’s team has been phenomenal.”
New healthy lifestyle
With her new, smaller stomach, Sanchez has also worked on developing healthy exercise habits.
“The team told me to focus on strength training because while you want to lose weight, you don’t want to lose muscle mass,” Sanchez said. “I also walk a lot, though it’s often very cold in Idaho.”
Sanchez’s at-home workout routines have helped her drop 80 pounds since her surgery. Her children have also noticed her new exercise activities.
“They see me exercise and ask if they can join in. I say, ‘Sure, let’s work out together!’ I keep encouraging them to stay active like me.”
The family have also changed their eating habits, especially with fast food. “Since my surgery, we tend to eat at home much more,” she said. “My children prefer red meat over chicken, but they like some of the chicken dishes I prepare. I tell them to eat the chicken or beef first, so they fill up on proteins. Then we eat our vegetables and smaller portions of carbs. We eat a lot less fast food these days.”
Sanchez is happy to express her gratitude to Dr. Roth and her team. “I haven’t had the chance to recommend Dr. Roth to someone considering bariatric surgery, but I do so today,” she said. “Dr. Roth and her team are amazing and I’m so glad I received her care.”
For more information on weight loss surgery and bariatric services at Portneuf Medical Center, visit our web page.