Helms Gets Her Life Back after Huge Weight Loss through Surgery

By Ellen Brown

Melody Helms, a 36-year old Sevierville resident, has lost 206 pounds over the past two years.

It's been a long journey, but she remembers the one turning point when she knew she had to do something about her weight.

"It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life," said the mother of two preteen daughters. "I was going on a ride at Dollywood with my daughter, and I couldn't fasten the seat belt. I had to leave my child and walk away in front of all these people."

She had been overweight her entire life. At 386 pounds, there were a lot of things Helms wasn't able to do.

"When I went to a restaurant, there was the constant panic about asking for a table instead of a booth. I couldn't walk from one room to another without getting tired.

"I might lose an initial 20 or 30 pounds, but I could never keep it off."

Then Helms was hired as an employee at Foothills Weight Loss Specialists.

"I became a patient advocate. Getting to see (weight loss) firsthand was different than seeing it on TV or in magazines."

In March 2009, she had a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy procedure in which 85 percent of her stomach was removed.

Within the first five months, she dropped around 60 pounds -- but this time she would continue to keep the weight off.

"You've got to have your mind in the right place. Food is everywhere, so you have to learn new ways of thinking. Before the surgery, I was hungry all the time. I never knew what it meant to be full."

The psychologist she has worked with has been a great advocate, encouraging "mindful eating." Helms knows her triggers -- the things that had been preventing success before -- and she stays away from them.

"I drank full sugar sodas before, but it's been two years since I've even tasted a carbonated drink. I choose not to eat things that are carb-laden, like pasta, but that doesn't mean I can't ever have anything ‘bad.' I take a few bites of a doughnut and then throw it away.

"I eat things that are high in protein, like meat, beans, fish, and vegetables, and I take vitamins."

While she did cardio exercise three times a week at the beginning of her weight loss, she now does free weights, walks around the block and uses an exercise video with her daughters.

She is adamant that surgery is not a quick fix to weight loss.

"Complications could arise if you don't change your lifestyle. If you're not willing to change your habits, you shouldn't have surgery. The thought always in my mind is 'I don't want to go back.'"

Instead, she's focusing on moving forward.

"My goal is to do the 11-mile loop at Cades Cove by the end of the summer. That's something I would have never even thought of before."