First Magazine - February 7, 2005

"I lost 210 pounds with 'metabolic bypass' pills"

Sometimes a few extra pounds are enough to rule out a roller-coaster ride, a rugged nature walk or a trip to the movies. But on one fateful day, Gloria Argueta's excess weight didn't just prohibit her fun-it almost took her life.

Fortunately, an angel intervened, giving Gloria a precious chance to find her diet solution: a surgery-free bypass that uncovered her dream body. Here, the inspiring story that may just set you on the path to permanent slim.

No way! I'll never make it down 50 flights of stairs without having a heart attack. That panicked thought ran through my mind over and over again as I listened to the announcement that something-no one was sure what-had happened across the street from my office at the World Trade Center. Everybody had to evacuate immediately via the stairs.

Having no other option, I started my descent. With 47 flights to go, my heart began to pound...42 flights to go and sweat dripped down my face...33 flights to go and I was gasping for air...28 flights to go and I grew dizzy and faint. Am I going to make it? I wondered. My coworkers saw my struggle and became very nervous for me. Several took turns hooking their arms in mine and slowly escorting me down the stairs. At every few landings, they would offer me sips of bottled water and even pour some over my head, like I was running a marathon. But when we got to the ground floor of the building, we saw the terror of what was happening: The South Tower was starting to crumble. Suddenly there were no more escorts-it was every man for himself, and I was left to fight my way through the chaos in the street.

I had managed to go only a few yards when a thunderous avalanche of dust and debris came crashing into me. My legs gave out and I collapsed in a heap on the sidewalk. The air turned pitch black, and I was covered with a thick layer of soot and dust. I couldn't see, breathe or move. I just lay there, trapped by my own body. Thinking I was going to die, I began to pray that I would go peacefully.

But by the grace of God, a man who was running for his life tripped over me. "Help me, please...help me!" I screamed. And in the midst of the incredible turmoil, this angel helped me up and escorted me into a safe building, where he phoned for an ambulance. The emergency workers quickly came to my rescue and put me in a wheelchair, but it took a team of eight firefighters and EMTs to lift the chair and me into the ambulance. That was over three years and 210 pounds ago.

"Pasta was a way of life for me and my family."

Weight was always a problem for me. I grew up in a family that loved to eat, and pasta was a way of life for us. It quickly became a dear friend that offered a solution for my every need, whether it was hunger, loneliness, fear or even celebration. When I was 12, I weighed 150 pounds. By 15, I was crash-dieting, but the call of carbs was too strong to resist and my weight continued to climb.

I have known the humiliation of chairs breaking under me and people asking me how I could bear to wake up in the morning. Those harsh facts of life kept me from doing even the simplest things-the things most people take for granted. I wasn't able to drive because I was too big to fit behind the wheel. I could hardly walk even short distances. And whenever I did manage to get anywhere, there most likely wouldn't be a chair that could accommodate me.

That made for an unhappy, not to mention unhealthy, life. I was depressed and had high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes and horrible back and joint problems.

    
Then: 355 lbs. Now: 145 lbs.

"A new approach changed everything."

But after the tragic events of September 11, I set out to change all that. My primary goal was not to look thin and sexy but simply to be in good enough shape to walk and, if necessary, run. I began looking for a doctor who could treat my health problems and help me lose the pounds. By good fortune, a friend recommended Dr. Dennis Gage. He was confident that he could help me, and I was ready to be helped. I learned that, in addition to a healthy diet, his plan features "metabolic bypass" pills tailored to each patient's needs. I took a medication to regulate my blood sugar, which helped me break free from my pasta-eating habit and control my diabetes. I also supplemented my diet with protein bars and shakes. And Dr. Gage's plan started working immediately. In the very first month, I dropped 20 pounds!

I was inspired-and for the first time, able-to cut out the big plates of pasta and other heavy dinners that I'd used to console myself in the past (usually just minutes before going to bed). Instead, I enjoyed meat, veggies, fruit and lots of water.

"I'm so thankful for my 'normal' life"

After I lost the first 80 pounds, I began to walk for exercise...baby steps at first, like climbing a few flights of stairs. But it became easier as the pounds melted off-210 in just 18 months. And these days, I have a routine of walking two miles during my lunch hour, from the building where I now work to Ground Zero. I go there to give thanks that I survived and pray for those who did not.

People often ask: In addition to the health benefits (I no longer suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure or back pain), what's the best part of having lost all that weight? And my answer is "I can be normal!" I can cross my legs for the first time in 20 years. I can drive a car and go to the mall, or to the movies...even parties and the beach! I can get all dressed up and dance and meet new people without being completely mortified by the look of disgust on their faces.

One recent morning, during those first few seconds before being fully awake, I'd forgotten if I had lost all the weight or if I'd just dreamed it. But when I reached down to touch my stomach and realized it was true, that I really had done it, I whispered, "Oh, thank you, God! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Insight
Find Your Shortcut to Slim There's a new way to get the benefits of gastric bypass surgery without going under the knife, reports Dennis Gage, M.D., author of The Thinderella Syndrome (Vantage Press, 2004). He prescribes "metabolic bypass" pills that block the body's absorption of a significant percentage of dietary fat or carbs. "The less you absorb, the less fat you store," he says. But you don't have to pay prescription prices to benefit. Simply ID your craving below to find the OTC supplement with similar powers.

Dr. Gage prescribes Precose, which impairs amylase, the digestive enzyme that breaks down carbs into sugar. This slows carb digestion and reduces postmeal blood sugar spikes, which in turn prevents a majority of carb calories from being stored as fat.
Your natural alternative:
Phaseolamln, also known as Phase 2, is a white kidney bean extract that inhibits amylase. Taking 1,000 mg with meals allows 75 percent of starches to go undigested, explains Steven Rosenblatt, M.D., Ph.D., coauthor of The Starch Blocker Diet (HarperResource, 2003). In one study, it yielded 84 percent more weight loss than a placebo. Try Vitamin Shoppe Phase 2 500 mg ($17 for 100 capsules, at vitaminshoppe.com).

Dr. Gage prescribes Orlistat (or Xenical), a drug that adheres to lipase, the digestive enzyme that absorbs fat. It prevents one-third of dietary fat from remaining in the body.
Your natural alternative:
Chitosan (composed of shiitake mushroom and shellfish compounds) sticks to dietary fat in the gut to prevent its absorption. According to Finnish researchers, taking 1,000 mg at lunch and dinner delivers an 8 percent loss in body weight in just one month. Try Now Foods Chitosan 500 mg Plus ($16 for 35 capsules, call 866-998-8855).

We're here to help!
The brands listed here were ranked tops in a consumer survey by ConsumerLab.com, a nonprofit organization that tests the safety of natural products.

 

 

 

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