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Dori Stacker: For me, weight has always been an issue ever since I was a kid. I can remember hating going school shopping. And my sister was always skinny and I didn't like going to pool parties and being in front of other girls and undressing at gym. I was always a heavy child.

Caitlin Whyte: For Dori Stacker, a childhood problem only became harder to tackle as she became an adult.

Dori Stacker: I got a job in the city and I started working for 20 years at a desk. And over time, just getting home so late and eating late, I just gained a lot of weight. And I was in a relationship where I had gained a lot of weight. And at my heaviest, was probably about 11 years ago, I was 297 pounds.

Caitlin Whyte: This was the point Dori knew she had to make a drastic change. She said looking in the mirror was just difficult and considers this time her lowest point. She said she started dieting, clean eating, shakes and healthy meals, cutting out carbs and sugar. It worked for a bit, she did lose 60 pounds just eating right, but it wasn't cutting it.

After seeing some friends get procedures done, she decided to check it out. Dory had the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy done a year and a half ago.

Dori Stacker: It was the most sensible procedure for me and the weight that I wanted to lose. And they definitely explained the entire procedure, what it entails, what you have to do before and what you have to do afterwards to be successful with it. And everyone in the office just makes you feel like you're with family, everyone cares. They're very supportive and I had done so much research prior to going that I was just so comfortable with my choice that I didn't feel any hesitation in deciding to do it. It was just really what I wanted to do for me and finally doing something for myself that I knew was going to change my life forever.

Caitlin Whyte: Dori has since lost 106 pounds, remaining diligent to her new eating plans even through the pandemic. She says she knows a big part of the procedure working is what she puts into it afterwards.

Dori Stacker: When I took the time to do the research about it and decided to do it, it's definitely not something that you go into blindly. Like you need to be prepared for it. And it is a lifestyle change and you have to be ready to put a hundred percent into it in order for it to work, because it's a tool and it's not a means, and some people do tend to think of it that way. So for me, having the procedure done, it changed my whole life, everything about it.

Caitlin Whyte: And those changes have been nothing but positive. She says she has more energy and she doesn't mind looking in mirrors anymore.

Dori Stacker: I mean, now I literally have a closet full of clothes that I need to sell because nothing fits. And it's a wonderful feeling that none of it fits. I look in a mirror and I don't even recognize the person that I am sometimes. It just makes you feel better about so many things. It makes you feel better about getting up every day and not being ashamed of who you are anymore and being proud of the person that you've become and the work that you've put in. And I just look forward to maintaining this and just being this version of myself, because I'm much happier with this version.

Caitlin Whyte: For Dori, the surgery has been a total success. But for some of her friends, changes haven't been as drastic. She recognizes it's different for each body.

Dori Stacker: You kind of have to, at that point, just consider yourself. You don't compare yourself to anyone else. You are your own person. You have your own life and you have to do it for you and no one else. And that's when you'll have success with it.

Caitlin Whyte: Dori says this person has always been inside of her. It just took a little while for them to come out.