Jill Johnson
Jill's life used to be anything but active and healthy. That was before she made the decision to have weight loss surgery.
Jill Johnson is a great dieter. Numerous times, she lost 100 pounds on a single diet and exercise plan. While she had little problem losing the weight, she struggled to keep the weight off. Within a year or so, she would manage to gain back all those hard-shed pounds.
At her heaviest, 5-foot-7-inch Jill was 273 pounds and wore a plus-size 24. After a lifetime of a wild roller coaster ride of gaining and losing, Jill had enough. As an advanced nurse practitioner, Jill realized that weight loss surgery, coupled with diet and exercise, would offer her the best chance of losing the weight and keeping it off.
“I finally admitted it to myself," Jill says. "I was incapable of losing weight and sustaining the weight loss with diet and exercise alone.”
In September 2007, Dr. Timothy Hipp performed gastric bypass surgery for Jill. At the time of her surgery, she weighed 230 pounds. Post-surgery, Jill reached a normal, healthy weight with ease. But more importantly, she has not regained any of the weight. In January 2011, Jill weighed 130 pounds. Now a size 4, she has dropped more than 20 sizes from her heaviest.
Beyond her improved health and newfound vim, weight loss surgery has affected her love life. Married many years ago, she was single for 30 years prior to surgery.
"I had resigned myself to the fact that I would probably live out the rest of my life with no partner," Jill explains. "This was because I had such a poor self-image due to the constant fluctuation in my body size and the resultant changes in my appearance."
In one of her most dramatic life changes yet, Jill started dating after her three-decade-long relationship hiatus. She met Brian, discovering that it was possible for her to be in a loving and lasting relationship.
Although she appears to be younger, Jill is now in her early 60's and has retired. Ironically, she now has more energy than ever before. Her son and daughter-in-law are avid cyclists, so despite the fact that Jill hadn't been on a bike in 50 years, she bought a bicycle. She and Brian, both fresh-air junkies, spend their free time in the great outdoors.
Jill's advice to those considering weight loss surgery is to take action now. Weight loss surgery is not a magical solution, she says, but it does make what was once impossible become possible.