Since
her surgery, Jan has been able to hike and keep
up with her support person, her husband Bart.
Living life as a healthy, normal sized person is
an awesome experience. If Jan had it to do all
over again, she would have had this surgery
much earlier, especially with such a wonderful support
person. Finding and being a support person is a
difficult job. The book Bariatric Support,
gives you some guidelines to follow
for your surgery as well as being a support
person. In a nutshell, they have shared the ups
and downs from their personal accounts. They
have gone through all of the cardboard tasting
food to come up with some delicious low-carb and
high protein foods and recipes. Bariatric
Support is perfect for reading before and after
the surgery for both you and your support
person.
I used to be a size 30 and
topped the scale at 318 pounds. I would be out
of breath when I tied my shoes and couldn't even
fit on carnival rides. Forget about trying to
keep up with Bart, I had trouble walking down
the hall. Never mind keeping up with my athletic
husband. I underwent bariatric surgery on May
31, 2004. I explain my story, and my husband's
experiences, along with what I have learned with
a light touch of humor and fun in our book Bariatric Support. Now I can keep up with Bart,
and can fit in carnival rides, but I choose not
to. I am happier than I have ever been because I
am free from my old self and the fat that has
always weighted me down, both socially and
physically. I am a living model of what Oprah
calls an "ah-ha" moment.
Bart
has been athletic all of his life. At the age of
16 his life changed drastically when he became a
juvenile diabetic. In spite of the diabetes,
Bart continued in his athletic endeavors. He was
active in high school Cross Country and Track
and competed at the college level in Track while
earning his degree on scholarship. He has spent
his thirty-one years as a diabetic doing all he
can to maintain his health with exercise and
proper diet. Bart has run in 8 marathons and
innumerable runs from 5K to 30K. He has also
ridden his bicycle many miles in training for
tours including eight Multiple Sclerosis 150 bike tours which
rides from Houston to Austin (186 miles) every
spring for the M.S. Society. His marriage to Jan
in 1998 brought a new challenge to his life, the
challenge of obesity. He has dedicated himself
to both his and his wife's health as well as
being the best support person he could be in
Jan's efforts to overcome her life long problem
with her weight. Bart was with Jan during all the
pre-surgical events and was at her side during
the long and hard recovery including helping
with the serious behavior modifications that
were undertaken.
