Photos courtesy of Linda Thornton

Linda Thornton stared at the television, fascinated. She wondered how the 400-pound woman on the program could have let her weight get so out of control. As Thornton took another bite of her second large sandwich, reality bit back. It dawned on her that at 370.5 pounds, her weight wasn't much different.

"I couldn't get up easily after sitting down. I couldn't walk very far without being out of breath," she explains. "Seeing that woman on TV helped me decide that was not where I wanted to be."

Thornton had battled weight all her life. Even though she hated being the brunt of cruel jokes, she couldn't stick to a weight loss program. More important, over time, she developed the conditions that commonly accompany obesity – diabetes, sleep apnea and arthritis. "Diabetes was taking over my life," Thornton says. "I would feed the diabetes or starve it, to whatever my sugar level needed to be, creating a losing battle. I had imprisoned myself, and I wanted out. I started evaluating my options."

Seeking Help
After doing some researching and soul searching, Thornton decided she wanted to try gastric bypass surgery. She set up an appointment with one of Methodist's bariatric surgeons, as well as the Weight Management Center at The Methodist Hospital for the same day.

To qualify for the surgery, patients must have a body mass index of 35 or greater and be older than age 18. Although Thornton met the criteria, the surgeon felt she needed to lose 50 pounds to shrink her liver before doctors would even consider surgery.

The surgeon was thrilled that she also had contacted the Weight Management Center, and he encouraged her to enroll in the center's Medical Weight Management program, which emphasizes a behavioral and nutritional continuum of care.

"Weight loss is an ongoing challenge. We provide the tools and programs to support patients, no matter where they are in their process," says the center's director, Sue Thompson. "Patients are monitored by a doctor, nurses, dietitians, counselors and exercise specialists."

This medical weight loss program is not only a pre-surgical program but a weight loss program in and of itself. Typically, patients lose 2 to 5 pounds per week. It consists of three phases:

• New Beginning: Rapid weight loss of 2 to 5 pounds per week, using a medically formulated, low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, high-protein meal replacement beverage.
• My Journey: Gradual return to food through a reduced-calorie diet. Weekly group sessions that focus on diet and exercise as well as one-on-one support with a registered dietitian help support the transition.
• Living IT: Maintenance using the knowledge and tools gained through phases one and two.

Taking Control
Determined to lose the weight so she could have the surgery, Thornton enrolled in the program the same day.

"I was put on the protein shake program. I won't lie to you, the first three or four days were hell. I went from eating 6,000 calories a day to drinking 900," Thornton says. "But the pain of those first few days was worth it." With the help of the staff and support of her family, she lost 50 pounds in a month. In November 2008 she was ready for bypass surgery.

After surgery and a three day hospital stay, Thornton returned home. She remembers being impressed that there was so little discomfort or pain after surgery. "The dietitians at the Weight Management Center visited me daily when I was in the hospital, making sure everything was going well and my diet was being followed," Thornton says.

"They called me at home as well and took good care of me."

A New Outlook
Within a few months after surgery, she'd lost 100 pounds. Thornton then began to exercise, expediting a total loss of 208 pounds. Bypass was not a silver bullet, she says. It took work and adherence to the program to reach her goal. She learned a new way of eating and exercising that requires constant vigilance. "I was chosen as one of the FIT Texans for the Governor's Texas Roundup, on April 28, 2010," she says. "It's an accomplishment I never could have dreamed of."

Her overall health also has improved. "Since I lost weight, I no longer have diabetes or sleep apnea, and my arthritis doesn't bother me as long as I exercise on my regular schedule," she says. "I'm in really good health, and I have added at least 40 years to my life."

Thornton's new motto – food does not taste as good as skinny feels – pretty much says it all.