Maggie McKay (Host): Welcome to Wellness in Reach, a Mount Carmel podcast. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Joining us is Bridgette Paolucci, patient of Mount Carmel Health System to tell us her story about bariatric weight loss surgery. Thank you so much for being here today Bridgette.

Bridgette Paolucci: Thank you for having me, Maggie.

Host: What inspired you to pursue bariatric surgery and what was the turning point that made you say it's time for a change?

Bridgette Paolucci: I have struggled with my weight loss since I was a little kid, and that was hard for me. Even at my heaviest, I knew that my weight was a problem, but I figured those bandaid diets would help with that. And it didn't help because something had to help, but it never did. I would see pictures of myself with my kids at the park and I was wondering like, where was I at?

And I realized I was at home. I was keeping myself from having this experience with my kids because I was overweight. And that's what really inspired me is not seeing myself with my kids or having memories with my kids outside. So that was really the turning point.

Host: So before surgery, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced physically, emotionally, or socially?

Bridgette Paolucci: Yeah, so physically I had bad knees because I carried so much excess weight. That was my biggest, I didn't have a lot of comorbidities. I, high blood pressure was my only other one. So just being overweight, bad knees and high blood pressure. Emotionally it was keeping myself from my kids because I didn't feel comfortable going outside and

that was a big emotional trigger for me is like, I don't want to embarrass myself or embarrass my kids or my family. And then I always put myself in a really small box. So it was, um, socially I would sit in the back or I would really scooch myself to the corner so I didn't take up that much space.

And, that was my biggest struggle for my, my weight loss surgery.

Host: How did Mount Carmel help you prepare mentally and physically for the surgery and the lifestyle changes that followed? Because after the surgery, it's a whole new ballgame, right?

Bridgette Paolucci: It really is, and the prep was amazing. They let you know ahead of time, like this is a list of things you need to accomplish, whether it's appointments or tests or, just mentally preparing yourself for it, with you and your family. They really did. So as they checked off items on the list, it really became more real and that got you excited, but also got you really nervous.

But they were really comforting. They let you know that it was always someone with you along the way. And if you had questions, call this number. Someone's always there to help you. That was really big factor in me feeling comfortable with proceeding with the surgery with the bariatric team at Mount Carmel.

Host: Right. Because you can't just be left on your own after something that big and life changing. What was the most surprising part of your post-surgery journey, something you didn't expect?

Bridgette Paolucci: I didn't expect to not have a mental change. So I still have I lost the weight. My size reduced, but I was still, I thought I'd be more comfortable with myself and my body and I wasn't, I still had that overweight mentality, so that was my biggest thing. I still felt like I was taking up space and a lot of it too came from food afterwards. I couldn't handle carbonation. It burns my throat. I can't eat chocolate ice cream or rice or anything with a high in starch because it'll make me really sick. Hot coffee. So no more coffee, no more caffeine. And so and that was really hard. Like you don't drink coffee.

Like, no, I can't drink coffee anymore. I could do a iced coffee decaf. And that's not the same as a big cup of hot coffee. So, that was sad and like you had to come to terms with that. But that was okay because, those things got me to the point where I was overweight and I'm okay with not having those anymore.

Host: I'm still back at the chocolate ice cream. That would be tough. So you can never have it. It still makes you sick now?

Bridgette Paolucci: Yeah, even four years out, or almost four years out, I still, I'll have a bite and it just immediately turns my stomach and it's just, it's so sad. But I can have like ice cream with chocolate sauce on it. Like it's almost the same thing, but straight up chocolate ice cream. Nope.

Host: Well, I guess, yeah. I mean it was worth it. But, how did your relationship with food and exercise evolve after surgery?

Bridgette Paolucci: It was coming to terms with the fact that an ounce of water could be a big struggle. In the beginning, that's all you could really have. And then slowly working up to bigger sizes of fluid or sizes of food portions. That was really hard because you, sometimes your body triggers you're like you're hungry but you can't eat that much or you need to drink something but you just ate so you have to wait.

And that was hard finding that balance of setting alarms to remind you to drink and then setting alarms to stop drinking because you gotta eat here soon. That was really big. And then the items, you know, the junk food you can get over that, you can get over not having carbonation or, pop or anything, but it's a mindset thing.

And that was one of the biggest struggles.

Host: I bet. Were there any setbacks or moments of doubt along the way. And if so, how did you overcome them?

Bridgette Paolucci: The biggest setback is when I woke up from surgery, I immediately started throwing up and I continued to throw up for several days after. And it was really scary, like what went wrong? Like, am I the outlier? Like I'm going to have all the problems. There really was just my body like, Hey, you just took out a big chunk of our stomach.

What are you doing? And after that, once to my body, got used to it, it became better. And I, wasn't expecting that. I was really scared. My kids were scared because I was in the hospital longer than I was supposed to be. But it was that once you got used to it, it was okay. And the doctor's like, everything's fine.

You're good. It's just, you gotta get used to it. And I think that was the, it was hard and I'm okay with that now and it's. You know, it's okay. The doubts I had was more like, is it going to work? And I knew the surgery would work. It would be my own mentality of letting it work and knowing that I have a tool, I've gotta use that tool, and I had the surgery for a reason.

I need to keep that reason going. And so that's how I, the doubts became less once I realized like, it, this is for me, for my health, for my future.

Host: Right, and it's a big commitment to do the surgery and all the work before and after. What led you to choose TaeKwonDo as part of your fitness journey?

Bridgette Paolucci: Funny enough, my daughter was going off to college and her and my husband would do the adult class together and he needed a, a buddy. So I'm like, okay. I was about four or five months out after surgery and I'd lost a bunch of weight. I felt more comfortable getting in a white suit and being, at that point I was like 39, almost 40, and I was like, okay, you know, I can.

I'll do it. And it ended up being the greatest thing ever. It was just, it was fun. You're there two, three nights a week and you do all the exercises, stretching. And I wasn't the only older person there, I wasn't the only new person in their forties, you know, trying to do a sport. So that was fun and I, it was the best thing I could have ever, ever done for myself.

Host: I know you're not going to brag, Bridgette, but I'm going to brag for you. You earned a black belt. That is huge. What an accomplishment. What that process? Yeah, what did that process teach you about discipline and resilience?

Bridgette Paolucci: One of the key factors of TaeKwonDo is discipline and respect, and not only giving it to others, but giving it to yourself. So it's a lot it 10 weeks, you learn first half of your form, and then it takes 20 weeks to learn your whole form. And I recently became a second degree black belt, which is like, yay.

That's exciting. But then you realize, you know, there's 82 moves in the full form of a, a secondary black belt and it's a lot of discipline to remember those moves and there's a lot of kicking and feet position. Your hand positions. Your head has to be a certain way and a certain direction and it's a lot.

You really have to discipline yourself on remembering the moves. Practice them daily, if you can. Whether you're actually physically doing it or running the moves in your head, it is a lot. And you have to be respectful of your instructors who are teaching you. Because they're taking their time out of their day and these are their lives.

And they're training you to be a better person. And that is, I'm respectful to them and they're respectful to me. And even when I'm down on myself, like I can't do it, he is like, yes you can. Yes you can. And I do it. It's like, look, you did it. And I'm like, yeah, I did it. So. It really is just, you really have to discipline yourself and know that you can do it.

You just gotta wait for your body to catch up with you that you can.

Host: Right. I bet you blew away your children. I bet they were so proud of you and your husband.

Bridgette Paolucci: Yeah, we're actually a family of black belts, so you know, it's, it's great.

Host: How has martial arts impacted your confidence and your overall outlook on life, your point of view?

Bridgette Paolucci: Oh, see, I still don't have a whole lot of confidence. I still struggle with the overweight mentality, even though I've lost a lot of weight. But, TaeKwonDo helps with that because you put yourself out there at testing in front of everybody, family and friends, your other classmates, and you do your form and you do it to your best of your ability and that tunes it out and you have the confidence in yourself that, yeah, you know the form, you're doing it and that's great. And so I really love that part of it. It's like, I can do this stuff. And then the weight loss and the bariatric program, it helped me realize like I can go out with my kids, I can ride a zip line with my kids.

I can climb ropes and I ride a bike. And you have to get over your mentality of like where you are and like you can do the stuff, you have the confidence to do it, and I'm so much better because of it.

Host: That's awesome. So for someone considering bariatric surgery or struggling with weight loss, what's one piece of advice you would give them today?

Bridgette Paolucci: I would say repeating the same mistake over and over again, it just prolongs your happiness. And it's not going to hurt to make a phone call to sit down with a doctor or a nurse and ask your questions, go over all your options. There are surgical options and there's also non-surgical options. It's just better to take that step, and at least get some questions answered rather than sitting and wallowing and, you know, wishing you had done something when you could be doing something, even if it is just asking a question.

And when I found Mount Carmel, I needed it in that point in my life. And my journey may have taken a long way to get there, but I got there in my own time and everybody has their own journey and they'll get there. It's just the sooner you start the process, the sooner you'll start being happier and start living your best life.

Host: It sounds like Mount Carmel is very supportive and has thought of everything you would need going through this.

Bridgette Paolucci: They have. They really have. And we, there's two meetings a month for the bariatric program and the dieticians, they're constantly asking questions from us, how we're doing, what we, they could do better for you. And you have all the other bariatric patients there asking questions and going through the same struggles or different struggles.

And we're all a big community of helping each other be our better selves in getting our goals through the weight loss program.

Host: That's so good to hear. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. It's been really informative as well as moving. We really appreciate you joining us.

Bridgette Paolucci: I appreciate that. Thank you for having me.

Host: Of course. Again, that's Bridgette Paolucci. Visit MountCarmelhealth.com/bariatrics for more information on weight loss options, and a pre-screening application.

Thanks for listening to Wellness in Reach, a Mount Carmel podcast.