Surgery and healthy diet lead to weight loss, new attitude.
Gastric sleeve surgery leads to smaller, healthier meals and a better outlook on life
Day Edwards was so small and slender growing up that her family and friends nicknamed her “Slim.”
It wasn’t until college that the Kingwood resident started to gain weight. “I started eating terribly,” she recalled.
When Edwards’ son, Daymond Stanley, was born, her body changed even more. “I went from a size 2 to a size 16 in just a four-year period,” she said.
The extra pounds weren’t the only thing weighing her down. “I wanted to be more active with my son,” she said. “I wanted to go to the zoo and enjoy Houston. But mentally, I didn’t feel good about myself. I had to get to a place where I felt comfortable with myself to get out of the house.”
That’s when she decided to start her journey to a healthier lifestyle — one that took her from the operating table to the kitchen counter.
Edwards started experimenting with diets first. She had been a vegan in her past and yo-yoed between eating meat and doing without it completely.
When she continued to gain weight, she started researching a surgical option — the gastric sleeve. A relative had undergone the procedure and was enjoying the results.
The surgery removes part of the stomach and joins the remaining portions together to form a smaller stomach or “sleeve.” Since patients cannot eat as much, they lose weight.
At first, Edwards was not a candidate for the surgery because she was not overweight enough. “But then I gained more and had the surgery,” she said with a laugh.
Edwards ended up losing about 60 pounds the first year, but she still was not completely happy with the results.
“I thought the surgery would fix everything,” she said. “But I found out the surgery is just a tool.”
The sleeve requires that patients eat smaller meals, Edwards said.
“Still, I was eating the most highcalorie things I could find,” she said. “It was a learning process.”
Edwards eventually decided to commit to eating healthier meals — and decided to go back to being a vegan.
“I started to cook better and eat cleaner,” she said. “Now I regret that it took me so long.”
Not only did she learn how to convert almost every recipe into a meatless wonder, but she also hired a life coach, Nikki Jackson.
“I wanted to know, ‘Why didn’t I feel like I was deserving of good food?’ ” she said. “You have to get to the root of it. Our sessions are always awesome and revealing. We don’t always recognize things until we process them. And sometimes we have to do a lot of processing.”
Jackson, whose financial counseling and life-coaching business is called Nikki J Transforms, said Edwards opened up to her. “A lot of times, we don’t realize what a person is going through,” she said. “Now Day has gone through a total transformation — her life, health and finances. I’ve seen a huge change.”
Edwards now has the energy to keep up with 4-year-old Daymond, she said.
“I don’t feel sluggish,” she said. “And I definitely feel more confident. I feel good about my body.”
She recommends that others struggling with weight consider their options. “Do your own research,” she said. “Make sure it’s something that truly works for you.”
Edwards also suggests hiring a life coach, talking to a friend and working on self-esteem problems that may be at the root of overeating.
“Know that you are worthy of having the best of the best,” she said.
Jackson agreed. “Once you’re comfortable with yourself, you can do anything in the world,” she said. “You have to find your true identity. They you can walk into a room and own it. That’s how every woman and man should feel.”