Surgery Ends Decades of 肥胖, New Life Begins

“我在车里向他挥手，他想，‘那个向我挥手的陌生女人是谁?'" says Raffi-Rashed, of Novato, California. "Then, when he saw me, he said, 'Oh my God!’”他的母亲在减肥手术后发生了变化.

In July 2011, Raffi-Rashed had gastric bypass surgery 在 减肥手术 Center at UCSF Medical Center. 她身高5英尺3英寸，58岁时体重达到340磅. Obese since childhood, 几十年来，她一直在与体重问题作斗争，但没有时间进行手术.

后来，当她被富国银行(Wells Fargo Bank)解雇时，她发现了一线希望. She had time for the operation.

尽管她现在瘦到了155磅，“我还是像个胖子一样思考，”她说. “我的大脑仍然认为它想要更多，但我的身体告诉我它不需要了." But she adds, "Now, I'm in control of my eating."

Have you always struggled with your weight?

如果你看我幼儿园的照片，你会发现我在5岁的时候就已经肥胖了. 我记得在父母下班回家之前偷吃东西，把食物藏在浴室里. I learned early to eat large quantities of food. 即使我吃到快要炸了，我也总是想吃更多.

Have you tried a lot of diets?

In the fifth grade and when I was a junior in high school, I lost a major amount of weight, but then gained it back. 我父亲每天晚上都和我一起做一个锻炼项目，我父母在60年代让我加入了一家健身房, before gyms were popular.

In 1994, I went on a liquid fast. I didn't eat anything but drank liquids for one whole year. I lost 198 pounds, and then gained it all back in two years. 当你不练习如何健康饮食时，你就会回到你的旧习惯.

When did you decide to have gastric bypass surgery?

几年前我就想做这个手术，但没有得到保险公司的批准. Then in 2011, I got laid off from my job. 我的全科十大赌博平台排行榜建议我做手术，我说:“为什么不呢? I finally have the time."

为了获得手术资格，我花了大约四个月的时间. 我做了很多医学检查，还去看了肺科十大赌博平台排行榜，因为我知道自己有睡眠障碍, and I saw a nutritionist.

因为我不工作，所以我可以集中精力做我需要的测试和准备工作. 这成了我的工作. 2011年9月，拉菲-拉希德在手术后两个月就被富国银行(Wells Fargo Bank)重新聘用.)

Did you have a lot of health problems caused by obesity?

我的双膝都有严重的关节炎，这对我来说是个严重的问题. I was on the verge of being a diabetic.

我正在服用两种不同的血压和胆固醇药物，但我的血压仍然很高.

我还因为一生暴饮暴食而患上了脂肪肝. Now I've stopped drinking alcohol completely.

What is your diet like now? How many calories do you consume a day?

I count calories every day. I aim to eat 1,700 or fewer calories per day.

我现在几乎每天都锻炼，不是在健身房就是散步. I really enjoy exercise now because it makes me feel good.

How have you adjusted to this new way of eating?

It's really hard for me to put into words. I still have those fears that I'm going to eat too much, 比如我和家人在餐馆吃饭的时候. I still think like a fat person. 我的大脑仍然认为它想要更多，但我的身体告诉我它不需要了. Now I'm in control of my eating.

How did you change your lifelong eating habits?

我从一位心理学家那里得到了很多咨询，他帮助我度过了胃旁路手术的整个过程. 我每个月也会去一次加州大学旧金山分校的互助小组，这对我很有帮助. It's a good tool, but you still have to have self-control.

I talk to myself all day long. 我告诉自己, "I'm not going to eat, 我不饿, I'm only going to eat things that are good for my body.“我以前想吃一块16盎司的牛排和土豆，配上黄油和酸奶油, but I don't miss eating like that. Surgery actually changed my taste for food, so I don't want to eat things I loved to eat before, like beef and eggs.

What was the hardest part of having the surgery?

信不信由你，不是手术，不是恢复，也不是切口. It was grinding up pills, 在手术后的头几个月，当你的胃太敏感而无法消化整片或整粒胶囊时，你必须将其以液体形式吞下.

I would spend all day trying to get all the pills down. 我不得不服用多种维生素、甲状腺药物、钙、奥美拉唑和欣百达. 所有的药片都要磨成粉末，然后和布丁、酸奶或苹果酱混合在一起. It was hard to stomach and had a bad flavor. That lasted a few months.

脱发也很痛苦，但几个月后又长回来了. Hair loss is typical after surgery. 我认为这与你的身体正在经历重大变化有关. It was a short-term negative side effect. 与改善的整体健康效果相比，这一点也不坏.

What's the best part of life after surgery?

I'm normal, I can fit in places. 之前, 当有人邀请我去他们家吃晚饭什么的时候, 我担心他们没有足够大的椅子让我坐进去. I felt like I couldn't go places. I even stopped grocery shopping. I had my husband do all the shopping for me.

我丈夫来自埃及，我们过去每隔几年就去那里看望他的家人. 最后我放弃了，因为坐飞机太不舒服了. Then, last August, I went to Egypt again. I was able to fit in my seat and use the tray table. It was a great feeling.

Do you have any goals for the future?

Well, I want to keep the weight off. I continue to lose weight. 我已经减掉了185磅，要达到150磅的目标还差2磅. My original goal was 130 pounds, 但现在我明白了，我在那个体重下太瘦了，BMI低于安全标准.

My doctor, UCSF bariatric and transplant surgeon Dr. 波塞尔非常棒，他一直是我康复过程中支持我的一部分. 他鼓励我去做整形手术，因为他知道(在减肥后)留下所有剩下的皮肤会降低我对自己的感觉. 他是对的. 它改变了我的外表，现在我想成为那个能控制自己外表的人. He understands how we think.

你会给其他考虑做减肥手术的人什么建议?

Surgery has been a miracle for me. I would tell people, "You could be like me in a year.“人们看到200磅的赘肉就会想，‘我永远也减不下来了.“但是你可以。. You have to do it for yourself.