Natalie Moore is happy to report that her surgery went very well.

Natalie before her surgery

        Natalie, now 18, underwent gastric bypass surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in May 2001 to lose weight. Before the surgery, she weighed 298 pounds.

        A recent checkup put her current weight at 161 pounds, she says.

        It hasn't been easy.

        The Yoder, Ind., teen underwent a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. First surgeons stapled the top portion of her stomach to create a small pouch, restricting the amount of food her stomach can hold.

Natalie at her high school prom last April. | ZOOM |

        Then surgeons attached a Y-shaped section of her small intestine to the pouch, which allowed food to bypass the top portions of her small intestine and reduced the amount of calories and nutrients her body can absorb.

        It's rare for teens to have the surgery, and Natalie and her family had to undergo psychological screening before the procedure.

        The surgery and its after effects are difficult for adults; doctors wanted to make sure Natalie was mature enough to handle the maintenance routine the surgery would require.

        Natalie still has to exercise, count calories and keep a food journal to make sure the weight comes off and stays off.

        And, despite the surgery, she can re-gain the weight if she doesn't watch what she eats.

        “I feel great,” she says. “I have more self-esteem and I can stick up for myself more. And I have more self-confidence.”

        Natalie begins her senior year in high school later this month, then she'll head to college in Fort Wayne. Eventually, she hopes to become a pediatrician.

        Any other news?

        “Um, my boyfriend?” she says. “He's 19. He's a sweetheart. My parents love him.”

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