Carla Eckels news segment

If people think they, oh, if I make a mistake, it's going to be edited, so we'll just work through it. But for the tape, if you would give me your name, please, your name, and spell it for me. Verita Ducons, VA, R-I-E-D-A, D-U-C-K-E-N-S. Okay. I'm going to write it down. I should have V. What is it again? VA, D-A. Okay. Ducons, D-U-C-K-E-D-A. Okay. Okay. Okay. Of course, I want to talk to you about the gastric bypass a little bit first. And so I just want to get to see how this all started. Did you meet Dr. Early and what happened? And that's right in your face. Let me move over just a little bit so I can see you. Okay. We decided to even get a gastric bypass surgery. Well, I was over 500 pounds to begin with.

And I was on oxygen 24 hours a day. And even with a few steps of oxygen, I had one of my doctors tell me that I was actually suffocating to death. My diaphragm didn't have any room to work at all because of the fact. And that my only hope was to put me on the oxygen and see if I could to extend my life a little bit and to see if I could do something about my weight in order to save my life. And what happened? Well, I was always waiting.

You know, I was a child. And my dad, I think they had a lot to do with it. And then I just kind of went into a depression and was eating a whole lot. And just not moving around a lot. You know, eating. And just the way it just came on. So I had to say, let's put you on a diet or anything like that. Absolutely. And also, I'm going to do Dr. Earleys also. And again, it's not to early no ass say that you had gone to Dr. Earleys also. Yeah. Dr. Earleys program. I had to lose the weight with the protein shake. And all, which I did successful in losing the weight. But then get off the program.

And I gained all the weight back plus. And I did that a couple of times. And I... I would lose like, close to 100 pounds. And then I would gain it back plus. And each time. I just became worse. And because I would get off with the program and I just eat, eat, eat, eat, eat. So when did you meet him? I believe I started Dr. Earleys in 1995. Okay, hold me now, I just want to get a sense of what we're talking about. I am 45. Okay, I thought we were close to angel. Yeah.

So that's been, I can't add, you were in your 30s. You don't know if you think you're in this season. Yeah. When you went to the person with that. Yeah. So I tried. It wasn't like I wasn't trying, you know, to lose the weight. I did try. I did the best that I could, but I wasn't doing very good. So you were trying to lose weight. And you went to, you started a protein shake. So when you put your own first ability suggested? The first thing he suggested, when I first went in to see him, is to start a food diary to write down everything I eat. You know, and to see what, you know, for a week or so, to see what I'm actually eating. You know, in that way you can tell if you're actually eating too much. Stop there and say, I wanted to write down everything I ate.

Just say that. He wanted me to write down everything I ate. He wanted me to write down everything I ate. So how did it, what happened with that? Well, okay, then I went back to him after that in the program, the protein shakes. Was that easy to write down all the information? No, it was not easy to write down all the information. It has to become a habit. You have to change your life. You know, when you started in on this sort of stuff, it's a life changing. All together. That would be my biggest thing, because I'm in the process of trying to do something. So I thought, when they say the food, they're asking, forget that. I'm not going to do it. You just have to write it. Keep paper down. Keep a paper with you. They give you a little book that you're supposed to write everything in. I don't always have that available. But there's always a piece of paper available.

And then you transfer that information into your book at the end of the day. What did you learn from that? What did I learn from it? Yes, I found out I was even more than I thought. And a whole lot more calories was going into me than what I thought. Like what? Oh, a whole lot. What kinds of things are you eating? Oh, my. Well, you know, I thought I was eating healthy, but I wasn't. I was eating a lot of fried things, which I didn't realize that. I was eating a lot of sweet things. And I didn't realize I was doing that until I started writing stuff down. And how could she not realize she was eating the sweet things she did she had a piece of fun to buy?

I mean, what do you mean? You don't realize what you're eating. The food, you know, you. You'll just get a shake or you'll get the fries or you'll pick up a cookie. When you when you're feeding your kids, you'll need to. You're not realize how many cookies you're going through in a day. And you're putting those calories in your body when you shouldn't be. You know, for the kids, but it's not okay for you as an adult. And you're not writing that down each time you put that in your mouth. You're not realize how much you're putting in your body. So then what's the place after you did your food or did you go back to him away? Yes. I went back to him and we started in on the program with the protein. We did the fast. The fasting protein.

Tell me what that's like. I'm trying to get a whole drum. The street wasn't back. Is that drinking shakes? What does that mean? Yes. It's drinking the shakes. And we can be very creative with the shakes. What do you mean? You can get put different things in the shakes to make them taste good. But you have to drink so many shakes per day. That's required. And you have to write it down. Let me back up. I'm sorry. I have to give you more details. Different things in the shakes. You can put ice in it. Frozen fruits in it. Just vanilla flavoring in it. You know, just different things to make it taste good. Diet. Diet sprite.

And instead of the water, you know, to make it taste good. They keep it for me. And to get you through it. And it's not easy. But they have where you can call. And to talk to someone. To help you through the rough times. You know, and if you need more than your six shakes a day. More shakes than to eat the food. Because there's you'll get your nutrition. And. Extra worries that you get out of the food. Oh, this was so much.

Was this back. Remember exactly. It's been a long time. Yes. So you were five hundred pounds. Yeah, that was when I was over five hundred pounds. Yes. Yeah. I was working on it at that time. Yeah. Actually, before I got to over five hundred pounds, I was working with Dr. Early. And it just kept. That's why I asked him about surgery. He was totally against it.

He said, well, we'll see after I go through his program twice. Twice. So you. Okay. Okay. So you're taking me. I did eat. Yes. And I get off the program. Life changing. You have to change your life altogether. Because I'm just trying to get a sense for your diet because I know there's a lot of sometimes people all die. Well, I is not that I ate all the time. It was what I was eating. And that I wasn't moving around.

Because physical activity is very important. And you have to drink your water also. And I think you're all together. You can't have. Still, I should eat in the right thing. Yeah. Okay, so Dr. Oh, you guys went to him and said, and what made you decide on the, what was it that you see, how did you find out about it? There's a trick about it.

Back in the 70s, like I said, I'd been overweight all my life and surgery at that time. But my parents were totally against it. And there were so many people dying back then when they had the surgery that it kind of scared of me. My parents at that time just didn't have it done. Um, my mom. Yeah, that's why I didn't know. Um, my, my sisters were overweight, not my brothers. Now that he's not playing, he is overweight.

You know, but he's got to get that under control and stop playing, which I heard that's a problem with some of the football players, you know. Okay, so how many kids do you have? I have two children and I have adopted. Really? Yeah. They are very good. Well, they grew up. Well, I was learning that eating had vegetables and fruits. And my daughter though, that's the only one. She is crazy about candy. And I think those just born in her and I'm having a rough time getting her away from the candy. But otherwise, they love the fruits and the vegetables, you know. And they're eating habits are pretty good.

Well, I kept on with them, you know, telling them that I really feel like I needed the surgery. The gastric bypass surgery is not a magic cure is only for me because he saw that I really didn't need the gastric bypass surgery done. So I had to have an open gastric bypass. What is that? It just opened up in surgery. And they wouldn't put it here in Kansas.

And they found the excellent surgery for me in Kansas City, Missouri. Now, I'm in the process of getting loose again, you know, and I've been really blessed to have such excellent people working with me, you know, Dr. and then you went back up and talked about the surgery before the surgery now, because I looked online and learned a couple of things about what happens. Now, did you have to go through a lot of, pardon me, a lot of counseling before you?

No, this I didn't, but see, Dr. and I liked the way he has it. He makes sure that his patients are ready or prepared for what's going to happen to them. And that's a good thing. I saw my surgeon one time before I had the surgery done. And I didn't have a lot of counseling to realize exactly what was going to happen. I knew I'd only be able to eat like two ounces at a time, and that I no longer have a stomach, I have a pouch, which would be the size of your thumb. What's two ounces, give us an idea that like a teaspoon full of food, what is that?

It's about the size of your thumb. I mean, two ounces. Two ounces. Yeah, two ounces is about the size of your thumb. Okay, that's that size there. And that's how much food you can eat. And did you see something that's that big? That that's a pouch now, yeah. Okay. You can only have like two ounces of food the size of your thumb. And that's right after your surgery. So, okay, so you had to ask somebody to go with you, obviously. No. Really, you did this on your own. I went on my own, my family was not behind me on this. My family was not behind me with this. And I had the red crawls take me down there. That was a blessing to have the red crawls. And then I had the surgery done. Oh, man, I'm really an opposite.

And then I stayed in the hospital for a week after that. What happened when you woke up? Um, let me explain. I think of those terms of being descriptive. Right. They can read us one thing. Well, they have a hamburger. I remember distinctly. And then I'd have one if I said because I didn't eat it. Well, I was thankful that I had made it through the surgery that I was alive. Number one. And then, um, I remember getting a lot of, I remember that, that morphine drop thing. Um, I remember that.

So you did all this on your own. You know what else was there? Like, no, no. My family was not behind me. So for the Lord, of course, he was always with me. And I had a lot of prayer going up from my church. And, um, so I was never really alone. So. Yes. Yes. Sorry. Ah. And let me look here. I don't want to make sure I understand because it's. I don't want to talk about that. I guess about the size of your A. And okay. So how many mouthfuls of food could you eat at a time? Um, at first, you know what I mean? Um, even one full fill you up. And, um, but you had to get your nutrition in.

And eat some. Eat your nutrition at one time. And then later on. And if you get over full, it's coming up. So if I talk to you, you said so you can only eat. You can't only eat. Yes. What happens if you stuff yourself? It comes up. You can't stuff yourself. That's one of the things about the surgery. You cannot stuff yourself. Because I hear that's a lot.

People say that because, um, you know, I think well. All together forever. Um, it's not an easy thing. It's actually a hard thing. And, um, it's just that you have it and that you're about to die. Which I was in that situation. You know, it was health, the surgery, or die. I kept the surgery. I kept it and had the surgery.

And God blessed me. And I walked away. And I'm, I'm breathing. I'm able to walk. But I have to watch my nutrition. Um, I'm constantly being. You know, not having energy. Okay. You can't. Oh, you've had a surgery. You don't want to eat. Which is really amazing. And you have to stay on it. You're nutrition.

And you have to take vitamin. Until later on, after you're healed up, some. Yeah. She had to start out with liquid things first. And then you, you go. Yeah, there's something to chop up your food and all that. Yes. Yeah. Uh-huh. Did you have your kids when you did this? Yes. I have my children. How long have you had your kids? Not the same age as you had surgery.

Yeah. How were they when you got? Well, I, like I said, I adopted my children. I get. Well, I have 95. I had the, no, I'm sorry. I had the surgery. They were still small. But my, my sister and my mom watched them for me. I had surgery done. I'm sorry. It was amazing that, you know, they even allowed me to adopt. These children as a single parent with my health the way it was.

Now, um, let's see. You know what? I had, there's always. And they had to take the stitches out. And it took me from April till September to hill up. And I had to help the home health nurses come in and stuff. Every day until I healed up. So the surgery is not an easy way of, you know, going. That was easy way out because she's like you said. It was not an easy situation to go through, but she's so glad that she did.

Yes. Yes. Um, people were, um, okay. They talked about people being prejudiced against overweight people. How do you, um, what? When you were in Japan, what kind of. Oh, yeah. They are very, the society is very prejudiced against overweight people. Um, they look at you. With your family. And, um, it's embarrassing. You know, um, it's hard to get in and out of the cars. It's hard to find clothes, even though that part is getting better. They're getting more shops for clothing. Um, it's just plus size shops. Yes. It's hard to go anywhere or do anything when you're overweight.

So people say, um, critical things to you or how? Definitely. They, they do. And, uh, the, the parents say that sometimes it's the parents saying the critical things instead of the kids, but they don't say anything to their children when the kids say things to you. So how do you support yourself? If you don't, if you don't want to share, you don't have to. Well, I, well, at that time, you know, I, um, gotten on SSI because of my health issues. I'm sorry, is that social security disability insurance? Yes.

Because I had worked long enough to, um, to get the disability insurance. People are cruel. And I don't even know hear that. Yeah. So people are, um, how did you respond when people say, say things to you? Well, I had been hurt. It's an area. Tell me a story. I had been hurt too many times. That I just. From it. And it just kind of. As a child, I got into many fights. Um, because they needed to hit me, you know, for some reason. But, you know, well, I, I got into fights because of my weight.

And then it, well, just because of a size, um, what's your folks tell you about that? Your parents when you come home, maybe six. I remember crying. Being called fatty crying. What kind, what, what, how did they respond to that? My, no, I didn't have a whole lot of friends. But my, my parents always tried to help me lose weight. They always tried. Uh, I remember. Uh, Jacqueline. They signed me up for that when I was a kid. And I'd have to write my bicycle. This is the amazing thing. I had to write my bicycle from 17th street. All the way out to, uh, um, twin lakes shopping centers. Where Jacqueline's was.

Uh, to work out. And then I write it all the way back. And, and this was to help me to lose weight. Wow. That's incredible. It is. But they, they did the best they could for me. You know, they realized I had an issue. And they were. And they were. Uh, there's eight of us all together. So eight. Is that ends your big name? Yes. So eight that ends. And were you the largest one? Would you say out of you? Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay. Um, let's see back to this. Okay. Okay. So did they give you a lot of prescriptions and stuff or two? Yes. Was there something that you didn't have to do to prepare for your surgery? Um. They didn't help me do anything in particular to prepare for it. No. What kind of anxiety did you have before surgery?

I just wanted my kids to be taken care of. That's the, that was my main thing. I didn't really have any other anxieties. Uh, because I already knew that one way or the other, either I'd make it through the surgery or I was going to die anyhow. So I was in God's hands. So I really, I didn't have, you know, I wasn't afraid. I wasn't afraid in that way. Um, I wasn't scared about it. Um, I knew the side effects of the surgery. Uh, that you could have the dire rear and, and, um, you know, and all the other stuff that could happen. And, but I wasn't afraid. I wanted, I wanted to try it because I knew this was my last chance. Okay. Let's see. What have you done?

Okay. One woman said that she was only emotional rollercoaster when she got out of surgery after a while, you know, because she wanted that she was, you know, trying not to eat and the whole thing. Um, did you experience a six months or so after surgery? Um, how did you feel? Were you wanting to eat or not eat or where were you at, okay? Six months at the surgery. You see, I was still, um, recovering. Okay. And, um, I was still trying to get my nutrition in. So, uh, no, at that time, no. Um, well, here's my thinking. Is that they say that, you know, food is behavioral. Like this morning, I saw some cheese cubes. I mean, I would not have even eaten them if I hadn't seen them. I thought, that's interesting because my brain said eat those. So, it was like when the refrigerator got them out and ate them. And I thought, I've got a problem with, you know, like, if I didn't see it, I would have never even thought to eat. But I thought, that sounds like I ate them. And I mean, my thing is that, um, one guy said that she had to do other things to, um, instead of eating like, uh, he said, you know, sometimes we eat to feel good or relieve stress or, um,

abort. What was your reason for eating, would you say? Whew. To make me feel better, a lot of the times. Um, but, uh, through Dr. Early's program, we learned environmental control. And to help the right things in the refrigerator. So, when I felt like eating, the only thing that was in there was the correct things to eat. The fruits and vegetables, you know, and, um, then after surgery, the protein things. So, I had learned, I had that, like I said, the lifestyle change all together. And that has started a long time ago. See, that's so good. Okay, okay, because I was thinking about that. Okay, let's see. Um, you can't, you learn not to help the chips and, and dip and, um, the cookies and all that sort of stuff laying around the candy.

Um, if those are your weaknesses, don't have them in the house. Um, even if it's something the kids like, um, my, I was blessed or cursed. Either way, you want to look at it to live right next door to my mom. And I'd have the things like that that my kids liked over at her house. And if they wanted that sort of stuff, they could go over there. So that I could keep my environment clean, you know, and that helped me a lot. So, you go in there and see that care and think, I don't know which that was, you know, taco or something. Right, yes. So, now are you comfortable with, you know, being able to, are you tempted by the foods now or what's the life? Um, I am now able to eat a regular sized serving. Um, and I can't eat some of the things that I used to could not.

And, um, yes, I am still, I'm still a human being and yes, I am still tempted. And sometimes I do eat the wrong things, but you, I've learned to write it down. So, you still have a journal? Yes, I do. So, you write down everything you do all the time? Yes. I still, I still do that. That's amazing. And, um, you write it down and then you get back on your program. Okay, let's talk about it. So, you have, I can't be mine sharing how much weight now? No. Okay. Can we say, oh, you don't mind? No. Okay, I'm just going to wait. I weigh 200 pounds right now. So, you've lost over 300 pounds? Yes. Um, what has changed? Well, a lot has changed. I can, um, fit into... Are you sure I can? Yes.

I should tell you to take it out, because I can hear it. I should tell you that I'm sorry. Because I was going to say, what is that chewing? You may, you may, you may. I should know better. Well, we don't do it. I was interviewing Andre Crouch and he had something in his room. And it was all the phone. I was going, oh, my God. But I was like, he's chewing candy or something. But I wasn't chewing it all the time. I just keep it back there. I keep my mouth moist. Sorry. And that's okay. Um, so, okay, back to, uh, yeah. What has changed? Because I'm getting, I want you to get to... I want you to go in general. And then get to the story about your brother, because that was incredible. He came home and didn't, you said didn't recognize you, but back to you. What has changed? Well, a lot has changed. Um, the sizing. What is that? Off mode in five seconds. I don't know what to think of this, but that's okay. We're going to just have to keep in the seconds. And I don't know why this is happening. I want to just so annoyed. I don't give a praise.

Okay. This is good. I still have it over here. I was going, oh, I don't know. And this something was going on with me. This machine is good. Okay. But that's okay, because I've got you over here. Okay. I think that's it. Okay. You know, the time that you want to make to people that are contemplating how they can do this way, because this is all about, let's get moving. You know, getting off the couch and getting to exercise. Uh, the first step is just to do it. If you feel like you need professional help, there's good professional help out there. And I say go to it. I want you to say go for it. Go for it. Say I say go for it. I say go for it. Okay. Let me say anything else. Okay. All right. Okay. I think I did that. How do you think? We have three. Maybe say three.

Oh, I'll be going to. Yeah. Yeah, there's two. Oh, where's one? I know you don't want? I think that was the one that didn't say what it was. But that's okay. And this one, I'm going to try it out. I'm going to do this to make sure I've got a DCKV in S. OK, that way, you want to see what happens. Connected there. Yes. OK, now.