The Fail-Safe Fight Against Obesity 

The Norwood News, WFUV Radio, and BronxNet Television complete their five-part series focusing on health-related struggles impacting the Bronx.

Jennifer Hernandez, 43, of Soundview faced a brick wall when it came to losing weight. At 248 pounds, Hernandez attempted to reverse the outcome for her obesity, a disease that’s often a nexus to even more debilitating conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.

And so it goes for the 28 percent of Bronx residents considered obese, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2015 Health Rankings. Stubborn obesity genes can be the culprit, with poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and poor sleep the engines to obesity.

“I tried a lot, and I wasted a lot of money,” said Hernandez of the variety of diets she adopted, adding that eating smaller food quantities just couldn’t do it.

So even after all the rigorous dieting and exercise, Hernandez, who makes her living as a school bus driver in the borough, couldn’t make dieting work anymore.

“The gain was still there,” said Hernandez, who was referred to her primary care doctor to consider sleeve surgery, where surgeons dramatically reduce the size of a stomach by removing large sections of it altogether.

“Your stomach is not what it used to be,” said Hernandez, estimating that at least 80 percent of her stomach was removed.

There was some homework on Hernandez’ part, including quitting smoking and reducing the size of her liver by cutting out alcohol. The idea was for Hernandez’ surgeon, Dr. Nissin Nahmias, director of the Center for Weight Loss Surgery at St. Barnabas Hospital Health System in Belmont, and his team to get to her stomach.

“It’s definitely not going to be cured by surgery. It’s a lifestyle, and education, and understanding of all the possible reasons why people end up in this situation. It’s multi-factorial, and it’s not simple,” said Dr. Nahmias. Bariatric surgical procedures can help prevent, slow the progression of, or even reverse certain obesity-related conditions, by restricting the size of the stomach. In some ways, the sleeve procedure resets the clock, allowing those who were once deemed obese to eat the kinds of nutritious foods that won’t tip the scales. At his center, Dr. Nahmias and his team offer patients who weigh up to 350 pounds a minimally invasive way to transform their lives.

In September, Hernandez underwent the procedure. Today, she’s at 164 pounds with a goal of coming down to 140 pounds.

In some ways, obesity’s headstrong nature can be attributed to the variety of genes inherited in families that slow down one’s metabolism, presenting surgery as the only viable option.

“Many people have inherited genes that promote being overweight,” said Dr. Nahmias. “On top of that, cheap, calorie-dense, but nutrient-deficient food is readily available to everyone, especially in a food desert like in the Bronx. “Stress, sedentary life- styles, and sleep problems add to the risk. It’s a perfect storm for weight gain.”

Hernandez is now a pescatarian, fore-going chicken and beef meals to only consume fish. It’s a lifestyle she hopes Bronx residents can embrace. But it’s not for everyone, according to Hernandez.

“If you don’t have that mindset of this- is-what-I-want and I’m going to do it, it’s sad to say, but you’re going to fail again,” said Hernandez. “You’re wasting your time.”