Baptist Success Stories

Dora Serna

Dora Serna gained weight gradually over the years after having her children. She didn't realize how heavy she had become until she saw her description on a medical chart after gall bladder surgery that listed her as 'morbidly obese.' Shortly after that she read a journal article that said life expectancy for morbidly obese people was seven to ten years shorter. The one-two punch got her attention. "I had tried Atkins, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem – all of them and many others, but nothing worked," says Dora. "At 257 pounds I couldn't do a lot of things. We never took the kids snow skiing for Christmas because I didn't think there would be clothes big enough for me, not to mention what I would look like in them. I was always careful to pick a seat at the movies or on airplanes where no one would have to get stuck sitting next to 'the fat woman'. I didn't ride the rides at amusement or water parks because, what if the bar didn't close and I would have to get off? I didn't want to embarrass my children. When my husband and I went out, I always looked around the room to see if I was the fattest person… and I always was. I guess other fat people just didn't go out, Dora says with a smile."

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