Weight Loss Transformation Builds Confidence

Susan Gagliardi, like Tanya Sasala, opted for laparoscopic bariatric surgery last year. Both women who only have five small scars following minimally invasive surgery, now speak confidently at the New Perspectives support group about the many ways in which this experience has forever changed their lives.

“The support they give you is fabulous,” says Susan, who began her journey at 273 pounds and shed 110 pounds over 13 months. “When you feel good about yourself, you can’t believe the difference it makes.”

The support network at UH Parma Medical Center reaches out to patients from their first visit. A dietitian counsels patients on proper nutrition and ways to increase physical activity safely as they prepare for surgery. Susan dropped 10 pounds in the first two weeks alone, simply by not eating past 7 p.m. She also began exercising at the Ridgewood YMCA Express to supplement her five-mile walks in the park.

Now, rather than staying home and perpetuating a cycle of eating, gaining weight and feeling reluctant to go out, Susan can hardly sit still. As fan of theater, she joined the red-coated volunteers at Playhouse Square and took a trip to Broadway in New York where she enjoyed going out on the town, shopping and trekking 15 miles on foot around Manhattan.

“I’m out there now,” declared the Parma woman, who celebrated her 50th birthday with a trip to Florida. “Now I look for things to do and nothing stops me. Shopping is so much more fun and you wouldn’t believe how much you save on groceries.”

For More Information about Weight Loss Transformations

The Bariatric Surgery Information Session is presented each month through UH Parma Medical Center’s bariatric program. Please call: 440-285-6476 for more information and to register.