Weight-loss surgery leaves Lompoc woman re-energized and healthy

The weight gain didn’t come all at once for Leslie Wuest. 

She considered herself active and worked out. She was fit and healthy. But then, she opted to be a stay-at-home mom for a few years when her children were teenagers. She became more sedentary but didn’t change her eating habits. 

“Little by little, I gained one or two pounds a year,” she recalls. “It didn’t really get to the point where I felt I needed (weight-loss) surgery. It was more like I need to buckle down and take these 10 pounds off.”  

But the weight crept upward, from 130 pounds, to 140, to 150. She became, she says, “psychologically discouraged.” 

Finally, in 2022, she noticed a co-worker had undergone bariatric, or weight loss surgery. By then, the U.S. Army veteran and former Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy weighed about 225 pounds. She was considered pre-diabetic, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  

Leslie, 58, made an appointment with Dr. Christopher Taglia at Lompoc Health – North H Center to learn more about weight loss surgery. She felt she was “the perfect candidate.” 

“It’s interesting what my expectations were,” she says. “As an overweight female, I thought I was going to be walking into a lot of judgment and shame. Not that he would convey it like that, but more ‘Why are you overeating’ or asking me questions I wouldn’t have any answers to. The opposite actually happened. He thanked me for having the courage to come in.” 

The doctor and patient talked about the process and expectations. 

“He was very honest about it,” Leslie said. “He said ‘This isn’t a magic wand. I’ll do the surgery, but you have to do the work. And if you’re up for the work, I’m up for going through the journey with you.’” 

Dr. Taglia was so kind and encouraging, she said she felt she could move forward with surgery. She opted to undergo gastric sleeve surgery. With a gastric sleeve, the surgeon removes most of the stomach, allowing patients to feel full more quickly and reducing hunger. Dr. Taglia also told her to lose 20 pounds before surgery. 

“I said, ‘OK, I can do this,” Leslie said. “I was committed when I left there. He was so nice. He reenergized me into wanting to be healthy.” 

Before having the surgery, Leslie was required by insurance to see a Registered Dietitian three times, during which she learned enlightening truths about her eating habits. She also was required to see a psychologist. 

In evaluating her routines, Leslie discovered she was a boredom eater who liked crunchy foods such as pretzels and chips. When she came home from a long day working at Wal-Mart, she’d turn on the television and start snacking before her husband came home. 

She was advised to break that habit by coming home and starting chores or other tasks, to divert her attention from snacking. 

“She gave me a new plan,” Leslie explained. “If you’re busy, you’re not going to overeat … With that knowledge about myself, I started a new routine.” 

She learned she could still have the snacks she enjoyed – just in much smaller quantities. 

“It was freeing,” Leslie says. “You sabotage yourself because you fell off the wagon and had a cookie. It’s OK. Just keep on the path.” 

Leslie was able to lose weight prior to surgery and weighed in at 203. She underwent surgery, and a new life began. 

“Once I got home, I felt overwhelmed,” she admits. “They were telling me to take vitamins, drink water and protein drinks. You have to fit all this in, but your stomach is only holding so much … When they say it’s a change in lifestyle, they’re not kidding.” 

Luckily, she had taken three weeks leave from work, and concentrated on figuring out her new routine. Leslie now weighs about 133 pounds. She walks about eight miles a day at work. Her husband, inspired by her new habits, has also lost 30 pounds. Her dress size went from a 21 to a size 4.  

“The gastric sleeve procedure is an investment in yourself and will pay dividends through better health, happiness and productivity,” Leslie says.