Blog | Bailey Bariatrics

Weight Loss Surgery Saves a Man’s Life

Charlie Groom, a man who spent 50 years of his life experiencing health issues related to obesity, says that bariatric surgery saved his life. It all started during a Boy Scouts summer camp when Charlie was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 14. After this, Charlie continued to deal with several other diagnoses throughout his life, including diabetes, sleep apnea and heart issues.

Taking 20 to 30 pills a day and weekly trips to various doctors became his reality. Being overweight and taking large amounts of blood pressure medication left Charlie’s heart struggling to... Read More »

Weight Loss Surgery: “The Best Thing I’ve Ever Done”

Keith Hurst constantly takes pictures of himself so he can actually see the results of his weight loss. “I take pictures because when I look in the mirror, I still see a big man, but when I see pictures of myself and compare them to the pictures before surgery, then it becomes real. I actually see the difference,*” he says. Keith reached his highest weight of 460 pounds while working as a truck driver for several years. Today, he is down to 268 pounds and went from a size 60 in pants to a size 40 after having gastric bypass surgery in August of 2015 at the Center for Bariatrics at Bailey... Read More »

Family Supports Mother Through Weight Loss Surgery

When Deborah Dobyns was first referred to Dr. Varnell at the Center for Bariatrics at Bailey Medical Center, she was nervous. After having a hysterectomy, her OB/GYN encouraged her to consider weight loss surgery because, at her pre-surgery weight, she was at high-risk while on estrogen medications. Deborah researched Dr. Varnell and Bailey Bariatrics and was drawn to the program after reading about its structure on the Bailey Bariatrics website. “Once I read about the program setup, and saw the support and education, I knew they would take good care of me. I would be making a good... Read More »

A Woman’s Determination through Weight Loss Surgery

For Lisa Dugan, the choice to have weight loss surgery was the only option if she was going to be there for her family. “I decided to go do the surgery because I wanted to stay alive and be healthy for my children and grandchildren, so this was a personal choice.” Lisa made the decision to have a gastric bypass surgery at the Center for Bariatrics at Bailey Medical Center three years ago. Today, she feels like it was the best decision she could have made as a mother and grandmother. “My grandkids feel like they don’t have the typical grandmother who can’t do things with them because of... Read More »

Weight Loss Surgery Changes the Lives of Owasso Woman and Grandson

Nicolle Ochoa struggled being overweight for 25 years. After having three children and trying multiple unsuccessful diets, Nicolle wanted a change. “I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, borderline diabetic, and had to have both knees replaced after tripping over gym equipment while I was working out,” Nicolle says. “I gained back all of the weight I had lost during recovery, and reached my highest weight of 363 pounds. It was horrible. My grandson asked if I could get on the slide with him, and I couldn’t because I was too big.”

Today, Nicolle has lost 144 pounds since her surgery on... Read More »

Transformation from Old Self to New Life

Sam Cowles carries around a reminder of his old life everywhere he goes. “I keep a picture of my ‘old self’ in my wallet and show it to people all the time,” he shares. At more than 400 pounds, Sam had stopped living life. His weight took away big things and small things. “I didn’t even care about what my hair looked like, because I dreaded looking in the mirror.” Today, he has lost more than 200 pounds through The Center for Bariatrics at Bailey Medical Center and says he feels and looks, at 46, younger than he did when he was overweight. “I feel great. I feel amazing. It is incredible... Read More »

Understanding Protein Portion Sizes: Measuring By Using Common Items

It’s not always convenient to have food scales, measuring cups, measuring spoons or food labels to help you calculate the protein in food. You can also use common items to be more accurate in tracking your protein intake:

Savor the Flavor for National Nutrition Month

Bailey Bariatrics dietitian Rene Norman, RD/LD, shares the importance of National Nutrition Month as a reminder of how our mindset towards food affects our nutrition.

March is National Nutrition Month. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietitians (AND) picked “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” for this year’s theme. To help celebrate this theme, AND asked dietitians to share their thoughts and inspirations about the best way to help consumers “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right.” The winner was Annelies Newman, RDN/CD of Utah. Here is her contribution:

"Imagine we are going to a... Read More »

Protein Supplements, Shakes and Smoothies – What’s the Difference?

Bailey Bariatrics dietitian Rene Norman, RD/LD, shares this tip to better understand what is really going into your protein shake.

Sometimes words can trip you up. We talk a lot about finding a protein shake that you like. Generally, a protein supplement is a protein powder and the protein shake is the liquid form, whether as a protein powder mixed with a liquid or the ready-to-drink protein shakes. Our guidelines state a protein shake needs to have 20 to 25 grams of protein, five grams or less of carbohydrates and three grams or less of fat. This ratio of protein to carbohydrates... Read More »

Sugar Blues and a Cheesecake Treat for Valentines

Bailey Bariatrics dietitian Rene Norman, RD/LD, shares insight into how added sugar infiltrates our diet. She also provides a recipe for Valentine’s Day for both pre-op and post-op patients to enjoy.

Too much added sugar in our diets is linked to a higher risk of developing heart disease, belly fat, cancer, liver disease, shortened life expectancy and speeding up the aging process. After bariatric surgery, too much sugar can lead to dumping. Sugar dumping symptoms include shakiness, sweating, heart palpitations and diarrhea. The naturally occurring sugars in milk and fruits aren’t... Read More »