Transcription:

Jennifer Korndoerfer: I mean, truth of the matter is, I am a foodie at heart, even still after the surgery, but I was like obsessed with food and it was, it ran my whole entire life.

Caitlin Whyte: For Jennifer Korndoerfer, her way has always been a back and forth battle. She was heavy as a kid, then lost a bunch of weight in high school and then gained it all back after a bad divorce.

Jennifer Korndoerfer: And I was the biggest I was in my whole entire life and food not only, I mean, did I look forward to it because it tasted delicious, but I seriously, like, it was my comfort when I was upset or, you know, whatever, lonely.

Host: She had gone to the doctor and left with a diagnosis of high blood pressure and pre-diabetes, that's when she knew she had to do something.

Jennifer Korndoerfer: So I was on medicine for that, and I was only 40, 41. I was like in between, like I was 40 turning 41, and I thought this is ridiculous. I'm way too young to be on the road to these problems. And my mother is overweight as well, and she has high blood pressure and diabetes and she's, I mean, 70 and seeing like 10 doctors.

She's always at the doctors and I just didn't want my life to end up like that.

Host: Jennifer got a gastric sleeve put in just over a year ago in October, 2019, but surgery was a family affair last fall. Her cousin also had a procedure done that November. So they recovered together keeping journals and figuring out diet plans and recovery.

Jennifer Korndoerfer: I've never really had surgery other than this one, but, um, we encouraged each other and we would walk even if we only walked for like 10 minutes at like a super slow pace, we would get together and walk together. Um, I mean, that really helped. It helped a lot.

Host: Jennifer, it says her whole life has changed with this surgery. Not just physically, but her mentality and relationship with food as well has changed. She told me a bit about her Thanksgiving this year.

Jennifer Korndoerfer: I like pie. I only eat pie on Thanksgiving, so I didn't. I had, um, a piece of pie at dessert time. And then later on when my belly wasn't as full, I had another little piece of pie. And honestly later on, like before bed I had, because there was three different pies. I wanted to try. I wanted my lemon meringue, pumpkin and pecan. So I spread it out.

Host: But Jennifer said she didn't bring home leftovers because she knew she would have been eating pie for breakfast the next morning. Jennifer is also a runner now. She did a Turkey trot with her family Thanksgiving morning, and she runs on a rail trail in her neighborhood, and she says she often runs into the same people on those trails, all trying to lose weight like she once was.

Jennifer Korndoerfer: And I wish they would go talk to my doctor and have the surgery because it would change their whole life. So it's just been amazing.