Now She Can Keep Up With Her Son

Weight loss surgery, small meals and exercise help Bangor woman shed pounds and stay healthier.

Tina’s motivation – A photo of her former self kept on her desk acts as an incentive for Tina Moyer to continue to add to the 150 pounds she already lost.

When Tina Moyer couldn’t keep up with her active 4-year-old son, and routine household chores left her sore and exhausted, she knew she had to make a major change in her life.

The Bangor resident weighed 350 pounds and was just 36 years old, but she felt much older. Her eating was out of control: large portions, fatty foods and too many carbs. Diets didn’t work; in fact, she gained more weight after losing and returning to her old habits.

Her knees and feet ached from the burden of her heft. Her cholesterol, triglycerides and sugar were sky-high, and she was tired of not feeling well.

Tina decided to have weight loss surgery to improve her health, and she wanted to have it at Lehigh Valley Hospital because of the program and its surgeons’ reputations. On March 31, 2004, Dr. Richard Boorse reduced her stomach to the size of her thumb, so she can’t each more than a few mouthfuls of food at a time.

The pounds disappeared quickly with the small portions and frequent exercise. To date, she’s lost 150 pounds and 14 dress sizes.

And the improvements aren’t only physical. “My self-esteem is better, and I’m more assertive and outgoing,” Tina says.

But surgery isn’t magic, she’ll tell you. “I still have to battle every day. I love food.”

For added motivation, Tina keeps a “fat” photo of herself on her desk as a reminder of her past. “It’s a great incentive,” she remarks.

What also helps her is coaching patients who are preparing for the same surgery, telling them what to expect and what challenges lay ahead. She uses guided imagery and mind-body techniques she learned in Peggy Huddleston’s book “Preparing for Surgery” as she readied for her operation. “This helps keep me on track, because you can gain weight back even after surgery,” Tina says.

But for now, she’s able to control her food intake, snacking on a forkful or two of chocolate cake instead of eating the entire piece…or two.

Friends and family support her more than ever, referring to her as “the new Tina.” She eats whole wheat pasta and brown rice. The “old” Tina loved MacDonalds’ sausage and egg sandwiches, with hash browns. Some days she ate two for breakfast.

Lunch these days is a Weight Watchers entrée or salad with chicken. And because of this discipline, she’s traded her former “tent” dresses for tailored slacks and stylish fitted tops.

And Tina wants it to stay this way. She walks on her treadmill almost daily and limits her sugar intake. And that pays off, keeping her weight, cholesterol and triglycerides at safe levels, though she admits she could lose a few more pounds. She’s joining The Weight Management Center’s Bounce Back program to keep on track with her weight control efforts.

“I’m happy with my new self,” she says. “I’m lighter and healthier than I’ve been in a long time, and I have more energy to keep up with my son. The surgery did wonders for me.”

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