Tracy Loses 70 Pounds, Welcomes her Outgoing Personality
As a teenager Tracy Mallery spent hours in the swimming pool. A competitive swimmer (she broke state high school records in freestyle and backstroke), her strict practice routine kept her body lean.
Twenty-three years and three children later, Tracy says she became “too fat and too embarrassed to put on a bathing suit.” In spite of her best efforts, her 240-pound body wouldn’t return to anything close to her high school weight. “I tried Weight Watchers, Metabolife, weight loss pills, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers again, anything and everything,” she recalls. “My stomach was hanging over my waist band and I couldn’t make it go away.”
Tracy Couldn't Hide her Social Mentality any Longer
By early 2007, Tracy was ready to change her body – and her life – once and for all. “I’m a social bug. I wasn’t going to spend another year hiding from people who might not recognize me because of my weight, or from people who wondered if I was pregnant again.” She considered gastric bypass surgery, but when her mother suggested LAP-BAND surgery instead, she did some research and liked what she read. “When I learned my insurance would cover 100 percent of the cost, I was sold.” Tracy’s husband Chris was sold on the idea also. “Chris was happy with the way I looked, but knew the surgery was important to me. He was behind me 100 percent which made me even more anxious to have it done,” Tracy says.
70 Pounds Down, Tracy's Personality is Back
Tracy’s new life journey began on the date of her LAP-BAND procedure in March 2007. She weighed 231 pounds. Three years later, she’s 70 pounds lighter, and her energetic lifestyle and bubbly personality have returned.
“I’m a new me. My kids have a new mom,” Tracy laughs. Camping, hiking and motorcycle riding are some of her favorite activities. She’s back in the pool too. “Yesterday I swam a mile,” she says proudly. “Exercise is number one with me,” she says. “It’s like Dr. Kerlakian told me – LAP-BAND is a tool, not a fix. You have to exercise and watch what you eat. I do both.”
Any regrets? “Are you kidding? I praise God for helping make this decision. It is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life!”