Losing weight is one of the most mentioned goals in today’s society. One option for many has been bariatric surgery. Losing weight with bariatric surgery is not a problem, the problem could be, to stay motivated to keep it off. In this week’s blog and podcast, we would like to introduce you to a weekly running program that will keep you inspired. We also catch up with one of our new members Nicole Roe to get her experience with the surgery and her feelings of running her first 5k on January 1st, 2020. Please do not allow the word “running” to scare you, walking is great too. We like to do a mixture of a run, walk, run that anyone can find great enjoyment in doing at their own pace. 

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My name is Tadris Parker and I founded the Keep Calm And Run To The Best You training program in 2013. Our program helps people become healthier one step at a time through training for their first 5k race. 5k’s are a great introduction to running. Many 5k events in your community are held to raise money for a charity. Many of our members have gone on to run higher distances, such as 10k’s and half marathons. I had the privilege of helping an online client run the Chicago Marathon. Our program has been designed to always keep your eyes on the prize of how amazing you will feel to accomplish your goals. I make it a goal to run one 5k race per month. Having this on the calendar month after month has helped me maintain a 40-50lbs weight loss. I look forward to my 3 key training days per week to be ready for such events. I believe consistency over time yields the greatest gains. Although I personally have not had bariatric surgery, this program has been born from my experience with it. See, my wife had the surgery in June 2010. Two of my spiritual sisters and a brother had the procedure done. Countless other friends as well. Some of which, unfortunately, have put the weight back on. According to the Cleveland Clinic: “Losing the weight and gaining it back does nothing to mitigate the potential health problems associated with obesity. You must keep the weight off for a minimum of five years to consider the loss a success and one that can result in a happier, healthier you.”

When researching the benefits of having bariatric surgery, I appreciated the list of reasons provided by the Cleveland Clinic. I will list the 7 benefits below. 

Benefits of sustained weight loss through bariatric surgery include:

1. Long-term remission for type 2 diabetes. “A recent Cleveland Clinic study suggests that bariatric surgery causes long-term remission of difficult-to-control type 2 diabetes. The results of this study show the procedure is highly effective for obese patients with type 2 diabetes, allowing almost all patients to remain free of insulin and adjunct medications for at least three years post-surgery,” says Dr. Schauer. (Coach Tadris Thoughts: “I wish this was around for my grandmother who passed away in 1993 due to her long bout type 2 diabetes. Just one year later in 1994 bariatric surgeries were being introduced. Our group training is on Tuesday and Thursday, the same days that she would go to dialysis.”)

2. Improved cardiovascular health. Weight loss surgery decreases a person’s risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral heart disease. “Blood pressure and cholesterol levels can return to normal, or near-normal after surgery, reducing these risks and improving overall well-being,” Ms. Schulz says. (Coach Tadris Thoughts: “Weights build your muscles that everyone can see. Run, Walk, Running builds that one muscle people can’t see but they can feel…..your heart! ❤️” 

3. Relief of depression. Many obese people feel depressed because of poor body image and social stigma. Even younger people who carry significant excess weight find it difficult to participate in activities they might otherwise enjoy, leading to social isolation and depression. Losing this excess weight can improve emotional health in these patients. (Coach Tadris Thoughts: “I saw this first hand with my wife Nichol Parker who had her surgery in 2010. Although not a runner today, she enjoys her HITT training. Her consistency with her workout regiments and eating real foods have helped her fight not only weight regain, but depression.”)

4. Eliminate obstructive sleep apnea. Achieving and sustaining a normal weight range often allows people with sleep apnea to stop using a CPAP machine at bedtime. (Coach Tadris Thoughts: Personal fun fact, I used to sleep with a CPAP machine. Losing the weight has helped me stop snoring and get a better quality sleep.”)

5. Joint pain relief. Carrying around excessive weight puts a lot of stress on your weight-bearing joints, often causing chronic pain and joint damage. “The significant and sustained weight loss that occurs after bariatric surgery relieves the stress on joints and often allows people to stop using pain medications and enjoy much more mobility,” Dr. Schauer says. (Coach Tadris Thoughts: One of my favorite suggestions to help members with joint pain has been to eliminate all grains and sugars. Grains and sugars cause a ton of inflammation in our bodies that causes knee pain. You can feel a major difference in grain elimination in 7-14 days. For help and motivation with this, try out our 7 Day Health Challenge for free.”)

6. Improve fertility. Weight loss surgery can also improve fertility during childbearing years.

7. Alleviate other medical conditions. Weight loss surgery can alleviate metabolic syndrome, pregnancy complications, gallbladder disease and more.

With obesity and its associated health complications rising at an alarming rate in America, bariatric surgery certainly represents a powerful tool for providing sustained relief for overweight people. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/7-bariatric-surgery-benefits-besides-helping-you-lose-weight/

We were able to catch up with a very busy, single mother of two Nicole Roe to get her experience of having the surgery and taking up running.

The Nicole Roe Story

What is it that you do for a living?

Nicole Roe:

“I am a Surgical Tech and work in the Operating room. You are probably thinking what the heck is a surgical tech, right? Well, I am part of the surgical team and I prepare, set up and assist in surgery. But most importantly I am the voice for my patients while they are asleep under anesthesia. I make sure they stay safe and no harm is done to them.”

How long have you been in your profession?

“I have been in this field for 16 years now. It's crazy how fast time flies by! Even after 16 years what I truly enjoy about my job is the constant learning”

Our blog and podcast will be focusing on helping men and women who had bariatric surgery, such as the gastric sleeve or the gastric bypass, take up running as a way to keep the weight off.

Take us back to the start of your journey. What helped you make the decision to have bariatric surgery?

“Well, for me my journey started in Oct. of 2016. At that time I received the Gastric Sleeve surgery. Every since I can remember I was overweight. I was that person that would say ‘okay, Monday I will start my diet and stick to it this time.’ sometimes Mondays would come and go. Or I would try some yo-yo diet that I was doomed to fail at. Which I did. It was a constant roller coaster for myself with my weight. No matter how successful I was at a diet, the weight would always come back at some point and plus some. Being In the medical field I was familiar with the gastric sleeve procedure and the success it was having on people. Talking to my fellow colleagues, I was the ideal candidate for the surgery.”

What was your wake up call?

“My wake up call initially was during my pregnancy with my second child where I had gestational diabetes. I knew with getting diabetes during my pregnancy and with my strong family history, I was most likely going to get diabetes myself. The odds were against me and that scared me. Working in my line of work, I see what diabetes can do to a person over time and no one should have to go through that. It can be truly debilitating to a person. I knew if I could get down to a healthier weight I could prolong my chances or even dodge diabetes altogether.

My ultimate wake up call though is my children, I am a single mom. I need to be around for them as long as possible to see them graduate high school, graduate college, see them get married, and have kids of their own. I know life gives you no guarantees, but I felt by myself getting healthier, mentally and physically, I had a better shot of being there for them. So 6 months after the birth of my son Liam, I started the process to get surgery.”

How much did you lose after surgery and how long did it take?

“At the beginning after surgery it wasn’t hard at all to lose the weight, it was essentially melting off it seemed with little effort. It was so great, since all those years prior it was a struggle just to lose a few pounds! By the 9th month, I was 69lbs down. I felt like a new person!”

Now with every story, a person has a setback. Have you experienced any setbacks since having the surgery? Like weight regain?

“Oh yes! Sadly, I learned the hard way, surgery is only a stepping stone in your weight loss journey. It doesn’t instantly cure you by getting surgery. I still had to make the effort, put the work in. A year after my surgery my weight was slowly increasing. It's a horrible feeling, you get depressed, you feel like a failure. If you are a stress eater like myself, that state of mind doesn’t help any!”

So what was your new wake up?

“Honestly I didn’t have one. My best friend, Kristin, gave me my wake up call. Or I should probably say she gave me the opportunity for me to see my wake up call. We both have struggled with our weight and she texted me one day out of the blue asking if I would join a run club with her. At first, I thought she was going crazy! ‘We are not runners’ I told her. Why would we ever join a Run Club!?! I saw instant failure for us at the time. She then explained to me her friend Ed was part of this club and he lost 30lbs from doing it and raved about it. Kristin tried her best to convince me saying ‘what do we have to lose and it will be a great support system for us’, which I know to her is important. So against my better judgment, I told her I would join her and be that support she needed to reach her weight loss goals. Little did I know though by joining this group, Keep Calm And Run To The Best You, that it would change my life and give me the opportunity to finally finish what I started now nearly 3 years ago!”

We met during the last week of September 2019. Your first encounter with us was on October 1st in which I put you through a mile test on day one.

“Yes, you did! Kristin or I had no idea what we signed up for that night! You definitely just threw us in the deep end and pushed us to our limits. I was definitely exhausted, however, I was so proud of myself and Kristin just for completing it and surviving that practice! I remember texting my siblings shortly after (mind you they are all runners themselves) saying I just ran my first mile in 13 mins 11 secs!”

How have you been enjoying the run, walk, run process?

“I actually love it since I’ve been doing it! Prior to this, I really didn’t know much about it or realized people ran marathons like this! What I liked about the run walk run program is that it makes running less intimidating. I never saw myself as a runner before. By breaking the running up with walking and rebuilding your body back up, makes total sense! Anyone can achieve this.”

What was it like on January 1st, 2020 to rock your first 5k?

“How was it like to run my first 5K, ugh it's an emotional one! It's really hard to even find the words to express how I felt that day. Think about it. I was this fat girl that wasn’t physically able to do much most of her life, I never thought I would be a runner to start with, nevertheless sign up for a 5k and actually complete it! That's a HUGE accomplishment for myself, I’ve never felt so PROUD before in my life! Plus To be able to run with my older brother and his wife when normally I would just be standing there on the sidelines cheering them on as they ran their races was just priceless for me. For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged, I could keep up, and do what they do now.”

What are your healthy habits right now? Exercise Routine? Do you Intermittent fast? If so, what is your eating pattern?

“Well as you know, my exercise routine is limited since due to a hip injury from a few months ago. Even though this is a set back for me, I’ve learned so much especially on the importance of stretching and core strengthening. It is vital for us runners! So even though I can’t do as much as I like right now, with all the strengthening I have done, I am stronger and my running will reflect that once I start back up very shortly.

When it comes to diet, I have found a new love for Intermittent fasting and a Whole30 diet. I have an 8-hour eating window from 11 am-7 pm. I have had great success with the two.” (Get help with this by trying out our 7 Day Health Challenge)

How do you feel now since adopting this healthier lifestyle?

“This healthier lifestyle has truly helped me just not physically but mentally as well! It's crazy how you change one thing and it starts a chain effect. My whole mindset is different now, I’m more positive, I've gained so much more energy, I see things more clearly. I also strive to now teach my children this healthier and more active lifestyle, Plus without even realizing I have inspired others based on my lifestyle change. It's a true domino effect.”

How much have you lost since joining our program?

“Since I joined the group in October 2019, I am 38lbs down. From my surgery date 3 years ago I’m down 75lbs! However, I’m not done yet! I’m determined to hit my goal weight.”

How does your family enjoy the new you?

“My family is my biggest supporter! I’m not sure where I would be without them. I’m truly grateful to have them and my two children love their new ‘running’ mommy, with all my newly found energy. We have many little races of our own now it's great!”

What has you excited today? Any special events coming up that you are working on at the moment?

“To be honest, I am far from perfect and in the last few weeks or so I haven’t been on my A-game. Life unfortunately throws you curveballs and it can take you off the path that you were once on. So by doing this interview today with you, it's getting me excited and refocusing me to get back on track to accomplish what I started 3 years ago. So once again thank you for that!

This month I’m going to start training again. I have many races booked throughout the year to assure I stay on track. So my next race is April 25 the Amerihealth NJ April Fools 7k on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. I’m excited about this one since this will be my longest distance to date. I have two others in May, one in June and one in October to look forward to. 

What fires me up everyday are my children, they will always keep me going!”

What can you say to our listeners who may be ready to start their journey tomorrow?

“I would say no matter what your past failures have been, if you truly set your mind to it….. ANYTHING is possible. I have had countless setbacks but here I am today calling myself a RUNNER! Stay open minded like I did when my best friend asked me to join a run club and I thought she was ridiculous. That one decision I made that day changed my life forever!

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. You are amazing and will continue to accomplish amazing things! Keep putting one foot in front of the other as you march forward to your goals. - Coach Tadris

Have you had weight loss surgery? 

Have you had weight loss surgery and now run? 

Has this article and podcast helped you with a new mindset? 

We would love to hear your story. Feel free to share in the comments or email coachtadris@gmail.com

New Couch 2 5k Training Forming Now!

We will be signing up local members on March 7th, 2020 at our Spring Health Kick Off Meeting (RSVP Now) This 12 week program will lead to our Keep Calm And Run To The Best You 5k on May 30th to help support children with disabilities play baseball.

Don't live in NJ?

No problem, join our Online Training Program and get tons of support along with a personal coach to help you tackle any race distance. 

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Thank You - Coach Tadris