Weight-loss Squad Steps Out In Style
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Del.icio.usYvette Ho strutted down the runway in an orange sleeveless blouse and pants adorned with a sheer yellow-and-orange top as one of the 14 models in the “New Dimensions” fashion show Sept. 30 during a Castle Medical Center health fair.
Ho and the others earned the spotlight wearing Calista fashions because they are success stories about losing weight through surgery or medical programs at the hospital. Collectively the women lost 900 pounds.
Ho initially logged in at 252 pounds, but after a surgical “lap band” procedure July 25 under the direction of Dr. Steven Fowler, she now weighs 30 pounds less and has dropped two pants sizes. (The band is placed around the stomach, and it can be tightened or loosened.)
Being in the fashion show was quite exciting, Ho admitted. “Being a fat person for so long, and to be in the public eye!” she said. “It was almost like being a butterfly out of a cocoon, we felt so good.”
While 30 pounds may not seem like much to some people, it’s given Ho, 59, a new lease on life, health-wise.“I can walk up stairs now,” she exclaimed with relief. “My blood pressure is stabilized. I don’t need blood pressure pills any more. My sleep apnea is almost resolved. My asthma is under control. Now I’m more vibrant and energetic. I can keep up with my 5-year-old grandson, Ramsen.”
Ho noted that her doctor has her on a 4-pound-a-month weight-loss plan, and she has committed herself to do what it takes to lose weight. “Food was my best friend, and it’s hard to have to put your best friend on the back burner,” she said.“I met the challenge, and I feel good about it. Instead of going back for seconds and piling my plate, I eat smaller portions.”
Another model at the health fair, Sue Wild of Waimanalo, once weighed 335 pounds. It was two and a half years ago that she collapsed while in Canada, where she was resuscitated and a doctor told her to lose weight. Castle’s dietitians told her about the Medifast program of five packaged meals a day - and she now weighs in at 205 pounds.
“It’s a pleasure to get up in the morning,” declared Wild, noting that she recently spent time with some of her grandchildren at Tokyo Disneyland.
Wild works out every morning at the Kailua YMCA, right next to some 90-year-olds who inspire her. She intends to lose another 40 to 60 pounds.
Wild’s success story, she said, had also inspired four of the other weight-loss models to consider the Medifast program. Her son, who lives in Maryland, also lost 120 pounds on a different regimen.
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