It may seem like everyone’s on Ozempic these days, but some people are still losing weight the old fashioned way. That is, with bariatric surgery.
Take Deborah Gregory, a former international runaway model who went on to create the mega-popular book series “The Cheetah Girls” — which inspired the Disney Channel franchise by the same name.
Though the born and raised New Yorker spent much of her earlier life super slim, the pounds packed on as she got older — and she told The Post that she was “in denial” about her weight situation for a long time.
It wasn’t until her weight shot up from 130 to 305 pounds and she was diagnosed with diabetes that she had her first “wake up call.”
“Even at 5’11” I knew I couldn’t hide behind a fake façade of so-called fabulousness,” she said.
Gregory traces her Twinkie troubles back to landing a dream job as a fashion and beauty writer at Essence magazine.
She was so fearful that one day they would tap her on the shoulder and tell her, “Honey, this isn’t working out,” that her drawer quickly became packed with Snickers and other junk food.
“I was a skinny kid who didn’t have enough to eat in the foster homes, and as an adult I didn’t know that anyone can gain weight if they don’t keep on top of their eating habits enough,” she said.
Gregory knew she had a lot to gain by losing the excess weight, but it took a push from an IT tech, of all people, to spur her into action.
“During [a] visit to my home to fix my computer, he really pushed me to get the surgery done,” she said. “And so did my BFF, Beverly.”
Beverly is Beverly Johnson, 73, the first Black supermodel to appear on the cover of American Vogue — who also happens to be Gregory’s closest friend since her modeling days.
Making her move
After extensive research, Gregory knew there was only one type of surgery for her.
“The most popular weight loss technique is the gastric sleeve, but that’s really for people who need to lose 70 to 80 pounds max,” she said. “When it’s a worse case like mine, at the 100-pound level, then you’re really talking about gastric bypass.”
Gastric sleeve procedures, which involves making a pouch that restricts how much people can eat, can now be performed laparoscopically in less than an hour, in contrast to the 90-minute intestine moving gastric bypass surgery.
Gregory’s surgery with Dr. Cheguevara Afaneh at Weill Cornell in New York was covered by her insurance.
“All of the insurance companies, including Medicaid plans, cover this surgery. In the end, I simply had a $379 co-pay,” she said.
Recovery journey
Gregory said the aftermath was painless — but the liquid diet that lasted for two weeks afterward was strict. It consisted mostly of protein shakes, broth and Jell-O, then graduated to soft foods such as eggs until she was “home free” in the third month.
“You just had your stomach trimmed, so you have to keep testing your limits of what you can handle now,” she said.
One thing she could no longer handle? Hot sauce, which was tough for her to give up.
“There was a reason I had the character Aqua in Cheetah Girls carrying hot sauce in her purse — because that was me!’’
Getting 75 grams of protein a day is pivotal to preventing hair and muscle loss post-surgery, while taking a multivitamin every day for the rest of your life is also a must.
“You’re not eating as much so you won’t absorb all the nutrients as before,” she said.
Surprises after the surgery
After going under the knife, Gregory went on to lose 105 pounds.
While she’s pleased with the results, though, she noted that slimming down hardly solves all a person’s problems — so hinging all of your goals and dreams on weight loss is sure to end in disappointment.
In fact, she recalls feeling “deflated” in more ways than one.
“I looked better and felt better, but there was nothing else directly linked to that and I find with all big goals, there tends to be a sense of disappointment. I felt depressed,” she admitted.
There’s also the risk of putting the weight back on, as 30% of bariatric surgery do.
“It’s with you forever, that obsessive desire to eat — because despite any denial, the food addiction can be activated at any given time,” she said.
What she struggles with more than eating is exercising. It is recommended to work out once or twice a week starting six weeks after surgery.
“I feel guilty about not doing enough,” she said. “I hate the gym, but at least I walk. I still don’t want to give up my membership at Crunch because then it’s a sign of complete failure, but I really don’t like going there. All of those exercise bunnies in their skimpy outfits — oy!”
After losing the fat, she decided to focus on her face, undergoing a facelift that included her eyes and chin.
“Plastic surgery is definitely a follow-up reality if you lose more than 100 pounds, but plastic surgeon Dr. Bianca Molina took care of that. My face looks natural minus the few sags,” she said.
