She Gained Confidence After Surgery

More self-esteem – The fact that Brenda Stetler went from wearing a size 28 to a size 14 has caused her confidence to skyrocket.

Brenda Stetler blames emotional eating for her weight gain, which peaked at 309 pounds in 2007. That, and cheeseburgers. She binged on them after her first husband died in 2000.

She tried diets over the past 20 years, but kept putting on the pounds.

“I was desperate,” says the 54-year-old Bethlehem woman, who works as a medical secretary at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “I knew I’d have serious problems if I didn’t do something.”

She was already suffering from high blood pressure, sleep apnea and arthritis in her legs.

In April 2007, Stetler had weight loss surgery, performed by Peter Rovito, M.D., at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Now, her stomach reduced to the size of her thumb, Stetler eats small meals, walks 30 minutes each day on her treadmill and has lost 140 pounds and counting.

The biggest plus is her increased self-esteem. “My confidence has sky-rocketed,” says Stetler, who sports size 14 outfits, down from 26/28.

Moving is easier, too. “I can walk without huffing and puffing,” she adds. Which makes exercise and traveling with her new husband much more pleasurable.

“I wish I had done this sooner,” she says. And since her surgery, she hasn’t eaten a single cheeseburger.

ARTICLE TOOLS: