Heidi began gaining weight when she was 10 years old. Twenty years and two toddlers later, she decided to do something about it. “Something began to change for me after my daughter was born. Here I was, the mother of two beautiful children, and too heavy and out of shape to keep up with them. Even worse was the fear of not knowing if I would be around to watch them grow up. I decided enough was enough and in December of 2007, I began using walking videos and exercising.”
In January of 2008, she decided to get serious and commit to a change in lifestyle. She joined Weight Watchers, but first felt she had to embrace her weight. “I can see it as clearly as if it were yesterday. I sat down on the couch and told my husband I was no longer going to be ashamed of my weight, and said the number out loud—260 lbs.” She knew she was morbidly obese and decided to move forward and never look back. “My husband was so supportive. I knew this was going to be a difficult journey but all I had to do was look at my two babies, and there was no stopping me.”
Heidi began living by the Weight Watchers motto of “Stop Dieting—Start Living,” and had lost a huge amount by the fall of 2009. She exercised regularly, but knew some areas of her body just weren’t going to bounce back. “I loved the way my body was shaping up but after breast-feeding two children, my breasts were almost beyond help, not to mention the excess skin around my stomach.” She began looking into plastic surgery and made several appointments, when one of her husband’s friends recommended Dr. Johan Brahme, board certified plastic surgeon at La Jolla Plastic Surgery Centre. “I went to your website to learn more about him and immediately felt drawn to him from his picture. He looked so kind, and his credentials and experience were impressive.”
She saw two other plastic surgeons before her consultation at LJC. Shortly after walking through the doors, she already felt welcome and at home. She felt nervous in other offices, but was at ease with Dr. Brahme. He reviewed Heidi’s family and medical history, evaluated her goals, and made a decision. They agreed the perfect combination would be a breast lift, breast augmentation, and tummy tuck.
“I had something to compare my experience with after going to the other offices and meeting their surgeons. This immediately felt different.”Heidi
“I really couldn’t believe the consultation was free because they made me feel like I was a Queen. Dr. Brahme has a father-like quality that makes you feel so protected. What more could you ask for heading into surgery?” She had lost 100 pounds by Fall and was finally ready.
Two months later, she hit her Weight Watcher’s goal weight and had the body to show it. She proudly says she weighs just 136 pounds and has gone from size 26 to size 6. She no longer has to sit on the sidelines. The surgery was the icing on the cake for her hard work. She not only changed her body, but her entire life.