110 pounds lighter, Houston woman a bariatric surgery, exercise success story

When Kevin Tidd first joined Life Time Cinco Ranch, walking up even one flight of steps was a challenge. “To go from the entrance level to the second floor of the gym was an incredible struggle,” she recalled. “I couldn’t breathe.”

At the time, Tidd was taking a group fitness class. “But it was halfhearted,” she said. “And I didn’t hold myself accountable.”

Tidd, 69, said she struggled with her weight for as long as she could remember. “Nutrition has not always been my forte,” she said with a smile. “I kept getting heavier and heavier.”

At one point, her weight exceeded 300 pounds. In 2008, she underwent lap band surgery, a procedure which involves placing a band on the stomach to limit the amount of food that can be eaten.

Tidd lost 85 pounds, but it didn’t last. “You think that this is the magic fix, that you don’t need to do anything,” she said.

And she admitted that she did not make the necessary adjustments, like increasing her exercise or changing her diet. “I just kept eating,” she said.

Then, Tidd moved with her husband, Randy, to the United Kingdom and later to France, following his job. When his work took him to the Middle East in 2015, she moved back to Houston, returning to Cinco Ranch.

“I rejoined Life Time, but it was hit or miss,” Tidd said.

Her weight was increasing and her health declined. She was short of breath and had sleep apnea. Her blood pressure was high, and chest pain was becoming a problem.

“I wasn’t prediabetic, but I was definitely headed in that direction,” she said.

In May 2020, Tidd decided to have a gastric bypass. Even though COVID-19 placed elective surgery on hold, Tidd was able to meet virtually with her doctor and dietitians until she was able to complete the procedure.

During the operation, the surgeon removed her lap band, which had drifted and was causing complications.

“The bypass has been a lifesaver,” she said.

But what followed was an even

greater game changer, Tidd said. She contacted the leader of her old group class, Marcia Noyes, and set up personal training sessions.

“Marcia has been instrumental in this journey,” Tidd said.

The two meet for an hour, four times a week. Tidd then goes for a fifth day to work out herself.

Since starting working with Noyes, she has lost 110 pounds.

“And I’ve kept it off,” she said. “I’ve maintained my weight.”

At first, Tidd could not do a situp or a plank. She was afraid to get on the floor for an exercise because getting back up seemed impossible. And she could not even fit inside some of the weight machines.

Now, all of that has changed. She can hold a plank for a minute, fit on all the machines and

run on an elliptical machine without getting short of breath.

“The first time I did a situp with Marcia, I cried,” Tidd said.

Noyes said Tidd was committed to her workouts, making them a top priority. “She comes in whether she is feeling good or not,” Noyes said. “She’s gotten so much stronger and is doing so much better.”

These days, Tidd is able to do

exercises she would have never attempted in the past.

“She never, ever says, ‘I can’t do it,’ ” Noyes said. “I’ll tell her, this is going to be a little harder or I’m going to increase the weight, and she’ll say, ‘Let’s do it.’ She’s very positive. She’ll give it a try. It wasn’t always like that.”

Because of the gastric bypass, diet is not the challenge it once was. Dumping syndrome — diarrhea, nausea, cramping and lightheadedness after a meal caused by rapid gastric emptying — is common when patients have sugar, eat too much or drink during a meal.

And that makes it easier to avoid sugar and large portions, Tidd said.

Noyes helped her understand how diet can help with her fitness.

“Marcia has always been good about incorporating nutrition with exercise, describing why it’s important to drink water and why it’s important to have protein,” Tidd said.

Tidd’s health has improved. She no longer has high blood pressure or sleep apnea.“I feel stronger,” she said. “And it’s an awesome feeling.”

She can play with her grandchildren, and traveling is not a problem now that walking is easier. A couple of months ago in New Hampshire, she and her husband went hiking around a state park.

She recommends working with a trainer who can provide effective workout plans as well as needed moral support.

“Marcia always says, ‘Yes you can,’ ” Tidd added. “And you need someone to say, yes, you can. Don’t let anything stand in your way.”

Photos by Justin Rex / Contributor Marcia Noyes instructs Kevin Tidd on a workout with a cable machine. Tidd works out four times a week with Noyes and one hour a week on her own.

Tidd does situps during her exercise session. After her bypass surgery and many training sessions later, she says, she cried for joy when she did her first situp.

Tidd overhead-presses dumbbells during a workout.