‘I Have Lost 343 Pounds’

One in two Americans is overweight, and nearly one in five is obese, weighing 30% above their ideal body weight. For many, obesity leads to heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, as well as other ailments.

Two years ago, 30-year-old clerk-typist LaTonya Roland, after unsuccessfully trying other weight loss options, chose surgery to lose weight--a last-resort option for only those whose health is threatened by their obesity, according to the medical community. About 35,000 of these operations are performed each year, generally on patients who are more than 100 pounds overweight.

On the eve of the holiday season with its propensity toward overeating, Roland spoke with MARY REESE BOYKIN about her struggles to control her weight.

I weighed 524 pounds. Even walking half a block tired me out. I couldn’t tie my shoes, couldn’t cross my legs. At times, I couldn’t even move. A turning point for me occurred when Shi’Amber, my youngest daughter, entered kindergarten and wanted me to be more active--attending her field trips and riding a bike. I felt that I was letting her down. I didn’t want to go to school activities with her because I didn’t want to embarrass her. I know that kids can be cruel, that they would talk about her mom. I didn’t want to put that burden on my daughter.

Over the years, I had learned how to handle others. My guard was always up. I would go on the defensive. I knew if I took that stand, I couldn’t get hurt. It worked on the outside but not on the inside. Then, too, as much as I could deal with criticism directly, it was the whispers that hurt more than anything else. “How did she let herself get like that?” “She’s lazy.” “Why won’t she just stop eating?”

I was feeling “Why me? Why did this happen to me?” I was helpless. I knew that I had to do something. I chose a gastric bypass. I did the counseling, met with my physicians, got insurance approval, and then I told my mom and no one else, because I didn’t want anyone to discourage me.

My mom asked, “Why would you want to do that when you are not sick?” I told her that I needed to. She said, “If it is what you want to do, I’m behind you.”

I talked to my daughters. I told them I wasn’t sick but that I was going to the hospital so that I could run and jump and play with them. They asked, “Are you going to die?” I told them if they prayed, I wouldn’t die, but if I took no action, I wouldn’t live. Two weeks prior to my surgery, my daughters went to the doctor’s visit with me. They got to know the nurse who would take care of me.

At the outset, I was told that I would have two surgeries. The first was a gastric bypass to shorten my digestive tract. A tube was placed for osmolite, a nutritional feeding. I could only absorb two ounces of food every two hours. Four days later, I went home, weighing 64 pounds less. The doctors explained that the weight loss was basically water.

The second surgery was to remove the tube and permanently redirect my digestive tract to prevent weight gain. I can eat only two ounces of food every two hours for the rest of my life. But I am committed to weight loss success and to maintaining the loss. Six days a week, three hours a day, I work out with a personal trainer.

I went through counseling that taught me how to eat again. I even had to learn how to chew again. You can never predict other people’s reactions. There were many who genuinely expressed their enthusiasm for me. Others asked “Are you sick?”

Immediately after the first surgery, I felt more energetic. The key thing was that, at last, I was learning to eat to live, not to live to eat. You really have to be mentally prepared when you lose a significant amount of weight. Nothing is sure anymore. You can get depressed, for the people you leaned on before may not be there for you.

Most of my friends were overweight. My best friend weighed over 400 pounds also. She felt that I had turned my back on her. And it didn’t help matters that her family asked, “Why not you?” She said they badgered her when I came around. Our relationship distanced.

I have lost 343 pounds. My goal is to weigh 160 pounds. I always told myself that if I lost weight, I would help others lose weight. I speak to others who are considering surgery. I tell them not to be afraid. I still feel like a fat person. That feeling will never go away. I understand how they feel. I want everybody to know that there is a way. If you just reach out for help, somebody will help you.