Traci Dillman was not the typical gastric bypass patient who walked through the doors of North Vista Hospital last fall. She led an active lifestyle, only consumed small portions of food and had tried almost every diet and exercise program available. Yet, she weighed 287 pounds and feared her weight would jeopardize her long-term health.

"I went to the gym every night, participated in Jenny Craig^®, Weight Watchers^®, Metabolife^® and more, but nothing worked," she says. A year later, 10 sizes smaller and 156 pounds lighter, Dillman is discovering all of the things in life she had been missing.

Reaching the Turning Point
Being overweight was never something that bothered Dillman. "I was always very positive. It was just a few little things every now and then – like not being able to fit into seats on the roller coaster at amusement parks – that were more of a nuisance than anything," she says. It wasn't until a plane ride home from visiting her father that Dillman decided it was time to change. "I couldn't get the seat belt to latch, but hoped the flight attendant wouldn't notice. But she did notice, and started talking really loudly about how I needed an extension for my seat belt so the plane could take off. I was already upset about leaving my father – listening to her on top of that just caused me to burst into tears."

Worth the Wait
Soon after her trip, Dillman started to research gastric bypass surgery and decided it was time for a change. However, like many patients, funding that surgery presented some obstacles. A single mother looking to buy a new house, a major surgery didn't fit into the equation. "My insurance company at the time didn't pay for the surgery as they didn't view being overweight as a health risk – even though my weight would eventually cause health problems. But then I changed jobs, and my new insurance provider covered the surgery. I needed to work at the company for six months to receive my first week of vacation, and six months after starting, I had my surgery," says Dillman.

Within a matter of weeks, Dillman started to see results. "I could cross my legs, I fit in my truck better and I could feel my hip bones for the first time – there's so many things I took for granted that now I really appreciate," she says. "I went from a size 26 to a size 8 – I couldn't believe it."

Gone Hollywood
Dillman's change in physical appearance has caused some unusual reactions, however. "So many people tell me that I look like Goldie Hawn," she laughs. "At first, it was maybe one person a week, now I get a comment at least once a day."

Dillman also experienced the downside of looking like a movie star. "When I really started to lose the weight, people would ask me if I was abusing drugs or had an eating disorder," she said. "When I would tell them I had surgery, they didn't understand. They thought I should just be able to just eat less and exercise more, but there are exceptions."

Dillman is one of those exceptions. The only time she ever lost weight was when she was pregnant. In fact, she lost 37 pounds right after giving birth to her son. "I joked that I had found the answer to my weight problems – just keep having babies! Thankfully, there is another option out there."

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