By Charles W. Kim, Managing Editor
For many years, resident Ellen Birch, 56, fought to keep weight off, but it finally took an operation to change her life.
”It was something for self esteem and something I needed to do,” Ms. Birch said one year after getting an operation that took her from 340 pounds down to 217 pounds.
Ms. Birch said she struggled with diets throughout her life, taking some weight off but then always putting it back on.
”My grandparents were immigrants and my mother grew up in the Great Depression,” Ms. Birch said. “You always had to clean your plate.”
Growing up, Ms. Birch said food and being in the kitchen were centerpieces of life.
”Everything happened around the kitchen table,” Ms. Birch said. “You were always rewarded with food.”
Even though she was aware of her size as she grew, she never really viewed herself as obese or as having a problem.
”I was very lucky because my weight never effected me as a person,” Ms. Birch said. “I always had a lot of friends. I always had a lot of boyfriends.”
In later years, however, there were medical issues with diabetes and high cholesterol that made her think more about taking the weight off for good.
”I got to the point where I couldn’t (physically) keep up with a lot of things,” Ms. Birch said. “I wanted to be healthy, the weight loss was a bonus.”
Ms. Birch said many doctors she was involved with did little to recommend losing the weight or having surgery. Instead they would just keep prescribing medications for her various conditions.
”There was nobody there to say ‘you are killing yourself,’” Ms. Birch said.
Finally at 340 pounds, Ms. Birch decided she had to do something because it was effecting her life.
She tells of a plane trip west where she was concerned that a stewardess might ask her to leave the plane due to her weight, or that someone of a larger size might have to sit next to her creating an awkward situation.
”I cried the night before I left,” Ms. Birch said. “That was my ‘ah ha’ moment. I would do anything to get this done.”
In an effort to help, Ms. Birch’s husband, Ed, called bariatric surgeon Ragui Sadek who is the Associate Director of Bariatric Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Ms. Birch’s operation in July 2010 made her stomach smaller and now she says she eats much less and ends up leaving food on her plate.
”I was so ready (for the surgery,” Ms. Birch said. “It was something that I knew had to be done. Emotionally, physically I knew I was ready.”
Since the surgery, Ms. Birch has had a totally different mindset regarding food, but the urge for emotional eating continues.
”People who think this surgery is the end-all, should not have it,” Ms. Birch said. “It is a complete life change.”
Now, Ms. Birch can go out to a restaurant and observe others and how they eat, realizing how easily these problems with food can be masked through socialization and how much people really consume.
Another major change for Ms. Birch is the return of physical energy and the ability to do many thigs that were trying before.
”I can walk without huffing and puffing,” Ms. Birch said.
To help keep her healthy, Ms. Birch kept a diary of her journey and takes great care to continue measuring her blood sugar and what she eats.
”It was very important (to keep the personal diary),” Ms. Birch said. “When I go back (to the diary) and see the pictures (before the operation), I know I don’t want to go back there.”
Ms. Birch said she has a hard time remembering being so large and actually does not want to remember what that life was like.
”It was very different (then),” Ms. Birch said.
