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| PHOTOS COURTESY HEATHER DENNIS |
When we asked our Welland friend Heather Dennis what motivated her to lose a substantial amount of weight since last October, her answer was quite frank...
“I was tired of being fat” Heather told Scribbles.
Heather is a RPN (nurse) and saw many patients on her floor who were dying due to weight related complications. Determined not to become another statistic, Heather spoke to her doctor about gastric bypass surgery.
“I did the surgery for my kids, to be healthy for them and also for myself” explained Heather.
Many people might think of bypass surgery as an easy out. This is simply not true. Getting yourself ready for the procedure involves weeks of advanced preparation and a limited diet.
“The hardest thing was the two week diet prep. That was hard” Heather said.
When Heather was referred to the gastric bypass surgeon her “referral weight” was 292 lbs. When she had the surgery on October 20, 2015 at the Bariatric Clinic in Hamilton, ON, she weighed 280 lbs.
Bypass surgery is only part of the change involved. “Biggest thing to remember in this process is
surgery [and it] is a tool, it is not a quick fix”, Heather explained.
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| HEATHER 2007 AND APRIL 2016 - PHOTOS COURTESY HEATHER DENNIS |
““I have to eat low carb and high protein” Heather revealed. “Hardest part for me is getting my protein in and eating enough. I am rarely hungry and when I get busy I forget to eat. I have a hard time eating enough now”.
With four kids at home and a fulltime nursing position, keeping active is a given for Heather. Her new look is an inspiration and her attitude is that of a winner. You can see it in her face, Heather seems much happier these days and her husband Rodney and children Kade, Alina, Maia and Kayla must be very proud her.
Asked if she had any advice for others, Heather told Scribbles, “U need to eat healthy and change your relationship with food otherwise there is no point.”
You said a mouthful Heather. Thanks for agreeing to do this article for Scribbles.