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Celebrate Bariatric Surgery Success Story - Jenna - Celebrate
Lifestyle
July 16th, 2024
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Celebrate Vitamins ambassador Jenna shares her bariatric surgery story and how choosing the right supplements has been essential to her sustained success. After overcoming many obstacles during her weight loss journey, Jenna inspires others to live healthier lifestyles. Today, we celebrate Jenna for her commitment to the bariatric community.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR LIFE BEFORE BARIATRIC SURGERY. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO PURSUE THIS OPTION?
Jenna: Like many people who struggle with obesity, I was not overweight my entire life. I really started to gain weight in high school, which came with its own unique set of challenges. As my weight gain continued into my 20’s, I was eventually diagnosed with PCOS which further complicated my difficulties with losing weight. Mental health issues, living a high stress life (nursing school, working as a pediatric ICU nurse), and sustaining a traumatic knee injury really contributed to my inability to gain control of my health, and fed into the vicious cycle of obesity.
I was motivated to pursue the option of bariatric surgery because I had yo-yo dieted consistently from a very young age—I would lose 20 pounds and gain 30, I would lose 40 pounds and gain 50. The stress of constant weight fluctuations on my body and hormones only worsened my PCOS symptoms and proved my inability to maintain meaningful weight loss without medical intervention. I needed a permanent option to help me maintain my weight loss. I was so young when I started my fitness journey (24 years old) and I knew I had a lot of people on my side who loved me and wanted to see me live a long and healthy life.
WHAT CELEBRATE PRODUCTS ARE YOUR GO-TO’S AND HOW HAVE THEY BENEFITED YOUR JOURNEY SO FAR?
Jenna: I have used Celebrate products from day one after my bariatric surgery. I take the Multi-Complete 60 Multivitamin Capsules and the Calcium Citrate Soft Chews every day. The cherry and grape flavors are my favorite. Celebrate products hit all the marks of my bariatric program’s vitamin requirements, and they don’t make me nauseous. There are a ton of different ways to take your vitamins with Celebrate (tablets, capsules, soft chews, etc.). Autoship has saved me money as well, and it’s just one less thing I have to worry about remembering to order!
ONE YEAR LATER, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN TERMS OF YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS JOURNEY? ANY FAVORITE NSVs?
Jenna: One thing I am super proud of is making the decision to put myself out there and share my journey on social media. I honestly started posting Tik Toks as a way to keep myself busy while my husband was gone at the police academy, but it quickly grew to so much more than just silly little videos. In just about 6 months, I have grown a community of over 300,000 like-minded people who all have the same goals—to live a longer and healthier lifestyle! I post videos with healthier alternatives to foods/drinks we already love, protein coffees, meal/recipe ideas and workout content. I love that no matter what kind of journey my followers are on (surgical, medication-assisted, all natural weight loss, or just trying to live a healthier lifestyle in general), we can all come together and share ideas and encouragement. I want to let people know that they are NOT alone in this journey. When I was considering the idea of bariatric surgery, I relied heavily on viewing others’ experiences online and I’m happy I can provide that for someone else now.
My favorite NSV by far is being able to fit on a roller coaster again. On my 18th birthday, I was kicked off a roller coaster because the safety belt wouldn’t buckle. On my 26th birthday, I went on that same roller coaster, sat in the same row that I got kicked out of 8 years prior, and had about a foot of slack on the belt. Talk about an amazing accomplishment!
YOU UNDERWENT BARIATRIC SURGERY, WHILE YOUR HUSBAND DID NOT. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS YOU EACH FACED, AND HOW YOU SUPPORTED EACH OTHER THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS?
Jenna: Shortly after our wedding two and a half years ago, my husband and I realized that we vowed to give each other the best versions of ourselves, and in the state we were in—we were simply not doing that. We wanted to grow old together like we promised each other we would, but that did not seem likely at the time while being morbidly obese and suffering with the health complications that came with it. My husband and I both struggle with the disease of obesity, yet our weight loss journeys looked very different. We both relied on each other for hope, encouragement and accountability throughout it all. Losing weight together tested us at times, but ultimately brought us closer together in the end. We hold each other accountable in the kitchen and motivate each other to push ourselves in the gym. Although my meals are much smaller than my husband’s, we now eat most of the same things which made the dietary changes so much easier. Having a shoulder to cry on throughout this process has been so important to me, because trust me—there were tears! The hard work is not over, and never will be because this is a lifelong journey, but I’m so thankful to have Jake by my side because he just “gets” it.
WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT BARIATRIC SURGERY AND ITS IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?
Jenna: One thing that really surprised me about having bariatric surgery is how little people know about it—therefore, how judgemental people can be! There is a big misconception out there amongst people who don’t understand the physiology of obesity that bariatric surgery is “the easy way out” or “cheating.” My husband has lost over 180 pounds WITHOUT bariatric surgery, and he tells people all the time that from watching me go through it, he can vouch for how difficult my journey has truly been. Bariatric surgery takes A LOT of mental, emotional and physical work and it is not a magic wand. My surgery was simply a tool to help me maintain my weight loss. Ultimately, people can judge me for the way that I lost my weight, but I understand that obesity is a chronic illness that often requires extensive medical intervention to treat. Bariatric surgery saved my life and my only regret is not doing it sooner!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO IS CONSIDERING BARIATRIC SURGERY?
Jenna: My #1 advice to someone who is considering bariatric surgery would be to find the supportive people in your life, keep them up to date on your plans/goals, and remain consistent. This journey is not linear—there will be challenges. One day you will feel on top of the world and like you’re absolutely killing it, and the next you will feel like a complete failure and that maybe you shouldn’t have gotten surgery at all. Realize that you did not gain the weight overnight, so you will not lose it overnight. Listen to your doctor, be an A+ student in your bariatric program’s guidelines, and never give up on yourself because you deserve to live comfortably in your own body!
Follow along Jenna's weight loss journey by connecting on Instagram or TikTok.
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