By DELANIA TRIGG, City Editor
Gainesville Daily Register
Gainesville —
Some of her friends call Terie Weaver “Skinny” and she’s thrilled with the new nickname.
Weaver — activity director at Pecan Tree Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center — said she enjoys sharing information about her progress after she won a free laparoscopic weight loss surgery courtesy of New Hope Bariatric Surgery Center in The Colony.
Weaver was chosen from a pool of 600 entrants in the “Lose to Win Weight Loss Challenge” sponsored by country music station 99.5 - The Wolf.
She won the contest in the spring and said her May 16 lap band procedure was “the easiest surgery” she’s ever undergone.
“I was just a little sore right after,” she said. “I had the surgery on a Friday and was back on Tuesday. A week later, I couldn’t even tell I had the surgery.”
Weaver said she’s lost 35 pounds so far and is still losing weight.
Her attitude is likely a factor in her quick recovery from surgery.
Weaver said when she signed on for the procedure and the public relations blitz that followed, she understood she was agreeing to make over her entire life.
“It’s a lifestyle change. I’ve joined a gym, and I’m making myself train for the Turkey Trot in November,” she said.
Even her husband, David, has joined the weight loss effort.
“He’s lost 30 pounds,” she said.
Adjustable gastric banding is a restrictive type of weight loss surgery which involves placing a silicone band with an inflatable inner collar around the upper stomach to restrict food intake. This creates a small pouch and a narrow passage to the lower stomach. This small passage delays the emptying of food from the pouch and causes a feeling of fullness. The silicone band can be tightened or loosened over time to change the size of the passage.
Since having the surgery, she’s undergone some saline injections to further reduce the size of the band opening, Weaver said.
She also said she is excited with the results and has reduced her clothing size from 22 to an X-large. She plans to continue losing weight, she added.
Weaver said she loves her life and her work. She also enjoys promoting the weight loss challenge which changed her life.
“I’ve gone to 99.5 to do commercials (for the bariatric center) and I was thinking ‘This is so fun,’” she said.
She said she likes working with The Wolf’s morning DJs Chris Sommer and Paul Koffy and isn’t nervous behind a microphone.
“I just read the script,” she said.
She also documents her progress on blogger.com and on Facebook.
Weekly photos depict the changes in her body.
But Weaver admitted lap band surgery requires a commitment to change one’s eating habits.
“I still eat normally, but I can’t have bread, pasta or rice,” she said.
Foods such as breads and pasta are prohibited because they can expand at the new opening created by the lap band. If foods block the small passage at the opening of the band, the result is gastric distress and vomiting — something Weaver said she’s learned first hand.
She also had to learn to take smaller bites and to chew her food thoroughly.
Weaver has plenty of supporters including her husband David and daughters Hanna, Halie, Harlie and group of close friends who call themselves “The Farkles.” She describes her friends as a group of men and women who are just like family.
Weaver is also a dedicated activity director who enjoys working with seniors, taking them on outings and spending time with them. Most Pecan Tree residents are big fans of Weaver’s weight loss efforts. They also dish out some good-natured kidding from time to time.
Resident Thelma Tuggle said she’s noticed at least one change in Weaver’s figure.
“Her rear end is getting smaller,” Tuggle said, laughing.
