209 pounds weight loss

Bobbie Solomon loves her life, especially because she never dreamed she would get it back. Since her weight-loss surgery, she has lost 209 pounds in 24 months and has returned to the sport she loves-springboard diving-as both a competitor and a coach.  She also found a new love in sprint triathlons.

Bobbie’s health had been trapped in a vicious downward cycle. Nerve damage in her hip made it extremely painful for her to walk. The less she could walk, the more weight she gained. Finally, she couldn’t walk at all and needed an electric cart to get around. In seven years, she gained a little over 200 pounds, reaching 371 pounds on her once-muscular 5’4″ frame.

“I couldn’t walk, let alone dive. I hated my life; I hated my looks,” says Bobbie, 50. Unable to exercise, “I came to the gradual realization that if I didn’t have weight-loss surgery, I would die of some problem related to morbid obesity.”

But Bobbie got more than she bargained for from her gastric bypass surgery. Her weight loss relieved the pressure on her hip nerve, leaving her pain-free. “Even if there are medical reasons for what happened, it’s still a miracle to me,” she says.

Referring to her nutritional guidelines and exercise regimen, she says, “I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do. It’s been phenomenal. I’m still losing weight.” Already, she has gone from a size 4X to a size 10.

Bobbie also credits her success to her surgeon-Thomas Bass, MD, bariatric specialist and surgeon on the medical staff of Memorial Regional Hospital and Bonita Community Health Center-and to his wife and bariatric coordinator, Tiffany Bass.  “They are absolute, incredible support.  They know how hard it is, and they prepare you.”

Dr. Bass says, “Weight-loss surgery is no quick fix; it takes real motivation and commitment to achieve and maintain long-term success… Bobbie has embraced real lifestyle change as an adjunct to having weight-loss surgery, and you can clearly see the dividends.”

Currently, Bobbie is springboard diving again in the master’s division, helping coach the diving team at the University of California at San Diego and completed her first sprint triathlon (500-meter swim, a 15-kilometer bike ride, and a 5-kilometer run). She is currently training to compete in three more triathlons for 2008.

“I never would have dreamed-even with the surgery-that I would have the life that I have today,” says Bobbie.