Brain Over Belly Episode 11: Meet Efrain & Victoria

From Stair Fatigue to Running Daily

A Husband and Wife’s Story of Support Systems and Tiny Weight Loss Habits 

If there is one word to describe Episode 11 of Brain Over Belly, it’s “uplifting”.

We hear first-hand the incredible journey of 33-year-old Efrain, a patient of Dr. Brown who is eleven months removed from bariatric surgery.

And it quickly becomes clear that he feels as good as he looks.

The Road to Bariatric Surgery

Rick and Dr. Brown welcome Efrain and his lovely wife Victoria, both of whom set the tone for a vibrant and joyful episode. We begin understanding Efrain’s background and the path that led him to weight loss surgery at Idaho BMI.

Going back to his youth, Efrain was always big. But after some time hovering around 380 pounds, he didn’t just know something needed to change. He felt it. He tried all the diets, and while there was some success with the ketogenic diet, he just put the weight right back on.

Then, the decisive moment. A conversation with a cousin’s fiancée informed Efrain that insurance can in fact help cover bariatric surgeries. And the work began.

Efrain met with various specialists and surgeons, but he knew he had something special in Dr. Brown’s program. They went over each and every step: to-do’s before and after the operation, food, fasts, habits, guidelines, you name it. And surgery was set.

Days Leading Up

Many patients can grow depressed by the drastic food change that comes post-surgery, so professional help beforehand - normally a psychologist and dietician - is immensely valuable. Now, Efrain personally never regarded food as a coping mechanism; he just loved the heck out of it! Not helping matters was his family’s habit of huge meals for gatherings, and Mom’s insistence that Efrain was never eating enough despite his 380-pound frame!

Efrain’s wife Victoria explains that despite nervousness about the surgical procedure, she fully supported him. She recalls hearing how he would be out of breath at work, simply from walking up stairs. That solidified to her that yes, something needed to be done, which was a big help for Efrain.

Dr. Brown recalls how engaged Efrain was during their first meeting. He was an attentive listener and enthusiastic from the get-go, which is why Dr. Brown isn’t surprised in the least by Efrain’s success - which we’ll now share, is a whopping 165 pounds lost and kept off! And it gets better - Rick totally underguesses Efrain’s age in a funny driver’s-license exchange.

Struggles and Successes After Weight Loss Surgery

Efrain explains that the only thing that’s really hard post-surgery is his Mom doing Mom things and worrying that her son is underfed. She is slowly coming around to understanding his new life and new brain as Efrain’s dad lovingly nudges her to “LET THE BOY BE!”

But that battle is totally offset by the good, and for Efrain, that comes in the form of energy. You really can sense the joy in Efrain’s voice when he explains how much better he feels at work and how even less obvious things like clothes shopping are so much easier.

Victoria shares how Efrain’s energy level was so consistently low, that he developed this ability to just sleep anywhere. Or sleep in. That is now gone, and you know what’s replaced it? Running, and running every day. Efrain is up to two miles, quite an achievement considering where he was just 11 months prior. And guess what the running has allowed for? Deeper, better sleep.

The Process of Weight Loss

We know what Efrain did, but how? Dr. Brown shares that it was buying into the little things consistently, a theme that actually drove an entire previous episode. This includes hydration, good sleep, counting between bites and more.

So what’s next for Efrain? He doesn’t have a target weight goal, he just enjoys listening to his body, and feeling energetic. See, something about Efrain he won’t come out and say - he is the definition of a hard worker, and in more ways than the 12-hour shifts he pulls at work. He truly enjoys the Idaho BMI program and the steps he takes daily to ensure not just weight loss, but genuine health and longevity.

Advice for Bariatric Surgery and Weight Loss

So, what advice do Efrain and Victoria have for anyone struggling with weight, anxiety or depression? Chief among them is a support system. An individual can only work so hard, and without at least one person having your back, failure becomes probable. Their second slice of advice is focusing on the end reward. For Efrain, it was knowing he’d get his energy back if he just stuck to, as Victoria puts it, the small stuff.

And look what it motivated him to do.

Ultimately, it is these types of results, for these types of wonderful people, that bring such deep satisfaction to Dr. Brown and the team at Idaho BMI every day. Because it’s not just one thing that will change your life. No single exercise regimen, diet hack, or even bariatric surgery. But a collection of small, consistent, and over time easy things will.

And Efrain, with his glowing personality and encouragement for all of us, is living, walking running proof.

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What have you got to lose?