Jaime Lewis (Host): If you're one of the many Americans who deals with medical complications related to obesity, like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, or gallbladder disease, you may have considered weight loss surgery. Well, in September 2020, a woman named Kate Rutherford of Baldwinsville, New York decided to go for it.

And while she did indeed lose weight, she gained a lot through the experience too. And she's here to talk about it today on the podcast. This is the Crouse HealthCast from Crouse Health. I'm Jaime Lewis. Hello, Kate. We're so excited to hear about your journey through weight loss surgery and beyond.

Kate Rutherford: Hi, Jaime, thanks for having me. I'm so excited to talk to everybody about it and share my story with everyone.

Host: Wonderful. So tell us what made you decide to have weight loss surgery and why did you choose to have it at Crouse?

Kate Rutherford: I was probably considered obese at 10 years old, and when I was 18, I attempted to ride a roller coaster with my new college roommate that I had just met. And I was humiliated when I had to get off because the seatbelt would not fit. So, for me, that spiraled into worse eating habits. It was like a depression of sorts.

I had gone on many different diets and tried many different things, exercise regimens and routines to have a healthier lifestyle. But I had a baby in 2020 and I couldn't get on the floor and play with him comfortably. And I wanted to be able to do that. And it was very important to me to have a healthy lifestyle for my kids because that's not how I was living as I grew up as a child.

So it was very important to me, so I made sure that I took my health first. My first priority needed to be my health for my kids.

Host: And why did you decide to do this at Crouse Health?

Kate Rutherford: Well, I went to a information seminar with Dr. Kim and I knew when I met Dr. Kim that I had to have surgery with him. It was just, he was the doctor for me. I have been a supporter of Crouse for many, many years. I was an EMS and I always loved Crouse Hospital. So it was dedicated to Crouse and Dr. Kim.

Host: You've already touched a little bit on this, but what was your goal for after weight loss surgery?

Kate Rutherford: So after weight loss surgery, my goal was just to basically become healthy and have a healthy lifestyle for the kids. But I did end up having another baby after I had weight loss surgery. I lost a hundred pounds pretty quickly from September of 2020 to May of 2021. And you're not supposed to, but I did get pregnant naturally in November of 2021 and in July of 2022, I had another baby and I am just living the best life right now with them and being healthy and exercising and incorporating all of that into our daily lives.

Host: How wonderful to model that for them as well. How much, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you weigh at your heaviest?

Kate Rutherford: Yes, I weighed 319 pounds, and I'm 5'9 and now I weigh 169 pounds. I lost 150 pounds.

Host: Wow. That's incredible. What was the process like prior to surgery in terms of working with your team of doctors to address and meet those goals?

Kate Rutherford: So I had to have six months of required appointments for the health insurance. And I did get divorced throughout that time, so it was a little bit more spanned out over like eight or nine months, I believe, but it was still within the one year requirement. So that was good for me. The doctor's appointments are basically just to make sure that you're staying on track, trying your best to lose weight successfully, and proving that it is unsuccessful, ultimately a significant amount of weight loss.

So I have kept losing like a couple pounds here and there, which was how I've always was for my over 300 pound life, it was only just a couple pounds here or there.

Host: How was the post op experience for you?

Kate Rutherford: It was hard, honestly. I would tell everybody to get gastric bypass, but I would like to tell them about the hardships also. Food addiction is real. And I was definitely addicted to food. I had a hard time being around anybody that was eating. I felt like I was emotionally attached to food and wanting to eat, even though I necessarily wasn't hungry. And that was very hard for me.

Host: Did you experience any difficulty with when you did eat? I've heard that that can be a surprise for people post op.

Kate Rutherford: Yes, I definitely did. I, still to this day don't get hungry often. So that was hard for me to adjust to. The amount of food that you can eat is really hard. So, for me, I have a four year old and my four year old will eat just about as much as I can eat. And when he's done eating it, I understand that we don't need to finish our American size plate of food because our stomachs are so small.

So, I understand how difficult it is to take the food addiction out of the portion of the weight loss surgery.

Host: Right. Well, aside from physical aspects, what has changed for you since having that surgery?

Kate Rutherford: So I went on the rollercoaster that I could not go on when I was 18 years old.

My life is just trying to be the healthiest that I can for my kids. And we exercise all the time. We are very active members of the YMCA and all the sporting events. I went skydiving for the first time and I don't think I'll ever do that again, but it was

amazing, because you have to step on a scale to jump out of an airplane first. And that is a weight based experience. So it was amazing that I could do that.

Host: It is amazing. Do you have any advice for people who are interested in or considering undergoing weight loss surgery?

Kate Rutherford: Yes, absolutely. I would just go for the process. Trust the process. It is difficult and you have to make wise decisions every single day. This is just a tool, but I would definitely go for it and your life will change for the better.

Host: Well, this is a very vulnerable thing you've shared with us. Thank you so much for explaining your journey, Kate.

Kate Rutherford: Absolutely thank you and I love Crouse and I definitely recommend Crouse to everybody.

Host: I'm Jamie Lewis. To learn more about weight loss surgery at Crouse, visit crouse.org/weightloss. Thank you for listening to the Crouse HealthCast.