Siberian woman loses 62 kg, learns paragliding
Athlete and Komsomol member
Tatiana grew up in sports. Always lean, «dry» and full of energy — that is how she describes herself. The first serious weight gain, immediately by 25 kg (55 lb), happened to her at age 20, after childbirth. She coped quickly: her young body and harsh methods («shutting her mouth») allowed her to shed the excess in six months.
However, Tatiana ended up losing more than necessary, turning into what was then called a «distrophic». The frequent scandals with her husband also took their toll: the relationship, she admitted, was abusive, with physical assault.
«I came to the hospital, and they said, «Why are you so skinny? Just ribs sticking out. How will you give birth?» And I replied, «I already gave birth!»» she recalled.
Until the age of thirty, Tatiana managed to keep her weight in check through willpower and constant training. But with age, the mechanisms began to fail.
«After thirty, hormonal changes begin, weight starts to increase. At 33, there was a jump — I gained 44 kg (97 lb), but I handled it again. I followed a diet, went to the gym,» the woman said.
Through constant training, the Siberian woman achieved the form of a «dried Schwarzenegger»: her weight then was only 52 kg (115 lb). But after forty, the body failed again, metabolism slowed, and weight crept back up. She continued to fight it — with training and dietary restrictions.
Experiences in her personal life also left their mark. After breaking up with her tyrant husband, Tatiana eventually found love. The new man loved to feed her: she was too thin. She did not refuse tasty food, but each time reaching the extreme, Tatiana would catch herself and take control.
«I had such a yo-yo effect,» the interlocutor sighed, talking about her weaknesses.
Point of no return
When Tatiana was already over forty, she reached the point of no return: she gained weight up to 127 kg (280 lb) with a height of 170 cm (5«7»). She was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, with asthma and hypertension as bonuses.
«My blood sugar was jumping, I ate 15 pills a day, some different ones, and nothing helped,» the woman said.
Doctors were preparing her to switch to insulin, but Tatiana was categorical: no insulin dependence.
Life shrank to hospitals and the couch, Tatiana abandoned sports, apathy took over. The realization of dissatisfaction with her own life came like a flash of insight.
«You wake up and realize: either you want to live normally, fully, or ... that«s it. Either you slide into disability, or you are reborn, like a phoenix. I decided I wanted to live a little longer, and not as an invalid,» the woman explained.
Path to salvation
At the same time, Tatiana«s daughter was also preparing to fight fat: she had been plump since childhood, and with age that plumpness reached 160 kg (353 lb). Having found, as it seemed then, a worthy doctor, mother and daughter signed up for a consultation. They were told about the existence of a quota for diabetics and about an experimental operation that can get rid of diabetes, or rather, put the chronic disease into remission.
After reviewing the patients« history, the specialist said he would treat Tatiana because she already had diagnosed diabetes, but he waved off the problem of her daughter Elvira.
«She«s fine, she»s just a glutton,» Tatiana quotes the doctor.
Needless to say, both were terribly dissatisfied and intended to continue their independent attempts to lose weight. But the main thing Tatiana took away from that visit was that there is a quota for the operation, and she can use it.
In the following year, Tatiana lost 16 kg (35 lb). A worthy result, but according to the woman, the excess weight went away painfully slowly.
«It was very hard, just some kind of torture. Because the brain always wants to eat,» the Siberian woman explained.
A light at the end of the tunnel came from a visit to a local endocrinologist, who advised Tatiana to contact the Research Institute of Clinical and Experimental Lymphology. It was there that she was offered appropriate treatment.
The woman went a long way to the operation, overcoming many difficulties. She was driven by the desire to become healthy, slim and young again, and she was determined to achieve it no matter what.
The golden rule of the «new stomach»
The operation — gastric resection — was successful. The volume of her stomach after surgical manipulations became only 50 g.
«That«s less than a 100-gram shot glass. Can you imagine? The brain wants to eat, but you feel sick, everything hurts,» Tatiana described the first days.
Her determination amazed the doctors: on the second day she was already walking along the corridor, counting steps for recovery, and on the eighth she was back to work.
Tatiana emphasized that the operation is not a magic wand, but a tool. People may think that just cutting down the stomach is enough and then nothing else needs to be done, but in fact it is far from that. The woman formulated harsh but effective rules for herself that allowed her to gradually return to normal while getting used to the new version of herself: «Eat often and little by little, don«t drink after meals.»
The weight began to melt. After six months, Tatiana fully recovered, and after a year she celebrated victory: she lost 67 kg (148 lb). True, she regained 5 of them: she decided that this way she felt better.
A second wind
Today Tatiana weighs 65 kg (143 lb). Her health has also noticeably improved: blood sugar is stable at 5.1, blood pressure has normalized, and there is no need for handfuls of pills.
«I tell all the doctors that I had diabetes, and they«re like, »What do you mean?« And I say, »I mean it!«» the woman smiled.
But the main thing is that incredible energy has returned. Tatiana admitted that she feels like she is 25 again, and describes her new life as a holiday.
«I get up and run,» she characterized it. «You know, I«ve developed a »travel addiction«: I spend all my free money on trips. I am very active.»
The woman takes horseback riding lessons, loves paddleboarding, paragliding, and hiking in the mountains.
«The world is beautiful and amazing, believe me,» the woman says.
Tatiana«s daughters also had the operation, and together they even participated in a television project on the NTV channel, where they told about their winding path to a new life. Looking back, Tatiana does not deny the difficulties.
«There was self-rejection, of course, but I always had a positive attitude. I am a sociable person, and people loved me as a cheerful fat woman,» the woman said.
But positivity aside, health comes first. Her main commandment today is to take care of yourself and never give up, even when it seems you have no strength left.
«They say that life begins at 40. Nothing of the sort, girls — my life began at 50, full and bright. And I am so happy,» admitted Tatiana Pilkevich.
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