Mom Makes Her Health a Priority With the Help of Weight-Loss Surgery

A mother’s love is powerful. Having a child can change someone’s whole perspective on life, something Gurpreet Kaur learned after giving birth to her daughter.

“My biggest thing was I wanted to set a really good example for her — and I can’t set a good example for her if I’m not feeling good or I am not feeling the way I want to feel,” she says.

Gurpreet’s weight started getting away from her long before she was changing diapers and chasing a toddler. For years she had struggled to make wise decisions when it came to her diet and had seen how her food choices affected her body. To combat her unwanted and unhealthy weight, she tried going to the gym and attempted multiple diets. Instead, she says she wasted a great deal of time and money because nothing worked.

Pictured at left: Gurpreet Kaur turned to Methodist Dallas and bariatric surgeon Sachin Kukreja, MD, for her weight-loss surgery. This picture was taken before her surgery in October 2018.

Finding the right physician

Gurpreet works in the medical field and knows maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important. After she got married and started a family, she became even more committed to losing weight so she could be the best version of herself for her daughter and husband. She felt like she had exhausted all of her options until she ran across the name of Sachin Kukreja, MD, bariatric surgeon on the Methodist Dallas Medical Center medical staff, on Facebook. Dr. Kukreja works with patients through the Methodist Dallas Weight Management Program.

“I didn’t read one negative review about Dr. Kukreja,” Gurpreet says. “I was sure that if I met him in person, he could tell me more about my options.”

After reaching out to some friends who had weight-loss, or bariatric procedures done before, Gurpreet set up a consultation meeting with Dr. Kukreja. Agreeing to do an elective surgery was the last thing she ever thought she would do, but after meeting Dr. Kukreja and talking to her family, she knew it was the right thing to do.

“This is it,” Gurpreet remembers thinking to herself. “This doctor is right for me; this procedure is right for me. I did my research and talked to my friends who’ve had this done before.”

There was only one setback: Her insurance wouldn’t cover the bariatric procedure. Luckily, Methodist Dallas stepped in to help.

Help is on the horizon

Dr. Kukreja knew that a gastric sleeve procedure would help Gurpreet lose the weight and get on her track for a happier, healthier life. “Bariatric surgery is probably the most effective, most durable way to not only lose weight but also resolve health problems that come with being obese,” he says.

In honor of National Obesity Care Week 2018, Methodist Dallas, her physicians, and a company that provides medical instruments partnered to make this life-changing surgery possible for her and give her the opportunity she craved to shed the pounds and reclaim her life.

She was shocked.

“What Methodist Dallas gave to me, nobody has given to me,” she says. “I felt like I was in the right place, where I should’ve been.”

Looking forward to the future

Gurpreet’s procedure took place in November 2018. She has changed her diet and is following doctor’s orders since her surgery, and has lost more than 60 pounds.

“I’m looking forward to a lot,” Gurpreet says. “I’m not going to be exhausted all the time, and I will feel good and look good.”

Gurpreet is a working mom who often put her wants and needs behind the needs of everyone else in her family. She hopes her story encourages other moms to take control of their lives so they can put forth the best versions of themselves for those they love.

“I feel like moms run the whole house, the whole show,” she says. “I would tell all the moms that if we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of anyone else — especially our children.”

Pictured at right: Gurpreet Kaur wanted to set a good example for her daughter and knew that feeling good about herself was key to doing that. Since losing more than 60 pounds after weight-loss surgery, Gurpreet is feeling great and able to be the mom she wants to be.

Though bariatric surgery is an elective surgery, it can help patients lose weight and combat some of the medical issues they are facing. To learn more about the bariatric services that Methodist Dallas provides, click here.