{"id":9996,"date":"2021-04-14T13:58:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T13:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primesurgicare.com\/staging\/8680\/?p=9996"},"modified":"2021-04-14T14:04:18","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T14:04:18","slug":"ten-years-after-gastric-bypass-how-jessica-kept-the-weight-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primesurgicare.com\/staging\/8680\/ten-years-after-gastric-bypass-how-jessica-kept-the-weight-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Years after Gastric Bypass: How Jessica Kept the Weight Off"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pandemic has made weight loss and weight management a challenge for all of us, including people who had bariatric surgery. Regardless of the procedure\u2014lap band, gastric sleeve or gastric bypass\u2014it is possible to regain the weight after surgery. <\/em><\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, Jessica Berger Cruz checked in to let us know that she had just passed her 10-year surgiversary and had maintained most of her 150-pound weight loss since 2011. <\/em>She kindly offered to speak with us and share her personal tools for long-term weight maintenance:<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"Jessica
Jessica, age 24, before gastric bypass bariatric surgery (2011).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jessica has faced weight challenges since childhood. Once she was an adult and ready to start her life, her size 24 body restricted her confidence to go after everything she wanted in life.<\/p>\n

At age 24, she weighed close to 300 pounds and was out of diet and exercise options. \u201cI had my whole life ahead of me and didn\u2019t want to face it being so heavy,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

She and Dr. Seun Sowemimo<\/a><\/span> agreed that bariatric gastric bypass<\/a> <\/span>would be the optimal surgical weight loss tool to propel her mind and body forward to living a healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was inspired to have bariatric surgery because I wanted to live life, not just be living.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

Jessica Berger Cruz<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

Immediately after surgery, Jessica felt the weight loss momentum finally kick in and she quickly lost more than 100 pounds the first year after surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program gave me simple tools to live by,\u201d Jessica explains. \u201cTo this day, when I need to regroup, I go back to those steps to start losing again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prime Surgicare\u2019s bariatric dietitian explains Jessica\u2019s success strategy<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Lori Skurbe, MPH, CDE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the past decade since weight loss surgery, Jessica has faced several common milestones that can lead to weight gain and even obesity: marriage, having a baby, career changes, health challenges and the recent pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cJessica sets a terrific example of what dedication to basic bariatric lifestyle principles can accomplish,\u201d says Prime Surgicare bariatric dietitian Lori Skurbe, MPH, CDE<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEating healthy meals, drinking calorie-free fluids and consistent exercise are the essential keys to long-term weight management success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facing the stress of Covid-19 and weight regain<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cDuring Covid-19, I\u2019ve been at home working and taking care of my eight-year-old, who is still not back in school,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s been tough to get out and exercise and it\u2019s also been a stressful time on both the work and home front.\u201d<\/p>\n

Six years ago, the paralegal was shocked to see her weight had crept up to 180 pounds during a doctor\u2019s appointment. \u201cI knew I had gained weight after having my son, but I didn\u2019t realize how much.\u201d<\/p>\n

She immediately returned to her personalized Prime Surgicare post-op bariatric guidelines to get back on track and eliminate bad nutritional habits that had snuck back into her diet.<\/p>\n

One of the key assets she turned to was journaling everything she was eating. \u201cJournaling doesn\u2019t have to be a permanent part of your life, but when you veer off course, it can help you see on paper the wrong things you are eating during the course of a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: Why Journaling during Weight Loss is Worth the Effort<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The extra weight steadily came off and today, she keeps her weight range between 145 and 160 pounds and a 6-8 clothing size.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking off the weight I had gained made my clothing fit right again and I just felt more like myself,\u201d Jessica explains.<\/p>\n

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Jessica in 2021, successfully maintaining her weight loss for 10 years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy mantra is \u2018when you look good, you feel good, you do good!\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

Jessica Berger Cruz<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

Today, she shares her healthy eating habits with her son. A snack<\/em> in the Cruz family means fruit or a whole grain bar and a treat <\/em>is a sweet treat offered only occasionally.<\/p>\n

Keeping fit with chronic back pain<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Jessica\u2019s low back pain restricts some fitness opportunities, so she relies on cardio dance classes, biking with her family and competitive daily step counting with her husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the height of the pandemic, I was doing laps around the house just to beat my husband\u2019s number at the end of the day,\u201d Jessica says with a smile.<\/p>\n

Advice for future bariatric warriors<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Jessica is a healthy living role model for her young son.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jessica offers words of advice a decade after her own experience having gastric bypass weight loss surgery:<\/p>\n