Spotlight on Success: Jessica !

(@SleeveBritneyAlone)

Jessica has lost weight via weight loss surgery, and had wonderful results. She can tell you first hand that it is not easy, but rewarding. She has been enjoying Dive Bars for over 2 years and has been a delight to know. She is someone who started as a customer who was posting about Dive Bars quite a bit, and seemed to truly love them. As I reached out and got to know her, we learned that Jessica met her husband through a question he had about Dive Bars! But enough from me, let's hear it straight from her! 

-Professor Phil

Jessica and husband, Brant, last winter.

1) How/when did you know that you wanted to have bariatric surgery? How long was it from when you decided to when you underwent surgery, and what steps did you take during that time? I knew I wanted to have bariatric surgery when my son was about four months old. I was trying to interact with him on the floor and it was so incredibly hard for me to even get up and down. I knew at that moment that this was not the life I wanted for my son and I. I had my first consultation with my surgeon the beginning of November and three months later, I had my surgery. During my three month wait, per my insurance, I had to undergo a psychological evaluation, nutritionist visits, a slew of medical tests, and I was required to lose 60 pounds. I clocked in on surgery day at 59.4 pounds lost!

2. Did you discover the online community before or after your surgery? If you knew of it already, do you feel that it was helpful in your decision? Or if you learned of it afterward, was it helpful in keeping a new lifestyle?

 I joined the weight loss surgery community after my initial visit with my bariatric surgeon. I've found many friends that I was able to relate to and find guidance from. Until this day, over two years later, we still lean on each other for support. It is an amazing group to be involved in. Be warned though, there are some crazy WLS groups out there that could scare someone out of going through with surgery!

3. How is your relationship with food different since surgery? Were you a social eater, emotional eater, or do you feel that you may have been addicted to select foods? I was absolutely addicted to food and still struggle with that. Since surgery, my relationship with food has improved, although it is not where it should be. I still struggle at times with making good choices. Don't get me wrong, I allow myself occasional indulgences, but it sometimes turns into weeks of not being on top of my nutrition. That is something I am still working on, even two years later. I want to be able to enjoy a treat without throwing the whole day away. Some days it works and others, it doesn't. I'm a work in progress.

4. Your husband seems awesome and is such a wonderful part of your life, can you tell us how weight loss is involved in your relationship?  My husband, Brant, also had WLS and has lost 250 pounds. It is so wonderful to come up with new meal ideas together that will help each of us reach our health goals. One thing that we really enjoy doing is making videos together that showcase our food ideas. Another plus, it's really cheap to eat out because we always share a meal!

5. To keep healthy, you must see and avoid so many trends and scam items/books/diets. Are there any tips you can share on what is BS and what works? Is there anything that you tried years ago and would look back and say that was definitely misleading? 

I have to be really careful, even in the weight loss community, to not get caught up with misleading products. Losing weight is all about staying in a calorie deficit. You do not need any specials cleanses, smoothies, etc, to achieve your goals. Track your food and stay in a calorie deficit each day and most likely, you'll be successful. Having weight loss surgery was a drastic measure to help ensure that you live a long and healthy life. You should never need to resort to fad diets that didn't work for you long term.

6. Besides your own flavor of Dive Bar (super mucho congrats!) what is your fave flavor Dive Bar, and how are they incorporated into your diet these days?

My favorite Dive Bar flavor EVER is Key Lime 2.0 with the Key Lime Kit Kat pieces. I can't wait to see those on the menu again! I am a busy mom and Dive Bars have helped me hit my macros for over 2 years now. I grab them on the way out the door, so that I have a high protein food choice readily available, should I need a snack. I actually met my husband through a conversation about these delicious bars. How funny! He will always say Divorce Cake is the G.O.A.T!

Jessica worked with us to develop the "Mississippi Mud Pie" Dive Bar, which is available thru the month of June. We congratulate her on all of her success and happiness !