Page 99 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2018

gastric sleeve.”
After her surgery in October 2013, Duke initially
struggled with the change in her diet and lifestyle. “It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, I know I could give up caffeine or carbonated beverages if I really wanted to,’ until your body says you physically can not have it,” Duke said. “My body was not physically hungry, it was mentally hungry as I had eaten whatever I wanted for the first 25 years of my life. It took some time to adjust to only eating two or three ounces at a time after surgery, but for the first time in a long time I actually felt full!”
Since receiving the gastric sleeve Duke has lost a total of 137 pounds, 100 of which she lost within the first six months. Today she weights 156 pounds and is down to what is considered a normal body weight according to her body mass index.
“My life has changed for the better in so many ways,” she remarked. “I’m able to be more active now and enjoy my hobbies more. You don’t realize how much the weight affects your level of activity and your mood in general until it isn’t there anymore. With that weight off my shoulders, I can fully enjoy the things I love, like watercolor painting, reading, swimming, kayaking and training my 12-week-old pet therapy Goldendoodle.”
The South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss Center has been helping men and women like Maggie Duke to meet their weight loss goals since their formation in 2000. Founded by South Mississippi Surgeons (SMS), they have been providing the Coast with quality surgical care for more than 30 years.
MAGGIE DUKE weighed 293 pounds before her surgery.
DR. WILLIAM AVARA, III DR. JASON PAYNE
THE STAFF at South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss Center
South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss Center
1124 Oakleigh Road, Ocean Springs 228.872.7277 • www.smsurgicalweightloss.com
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July 2018 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 99