The last year and a half has been full of changes and realizing goals for Kaliantha Darden Riddick, starting with the fact that others see a lot less of her – now at 130 pounds and counting. When excess weight began to cause other health issues, the college financial officer decided upon gastric sleeve surgery to lose weight.
In a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, a large portion of the stomach is removed laparoscopically, and what remains is a banana-shaped stomach that is only about 10 to 20 percent of its original size. This weight-loss procedure restricts the amount of food a person is able to consume without immediate negative consequences (like vomiting or diarrhea). Hormonal changes as the result of the surgery reduce the risk of potentially life-threating disease.
Darden Riddick’s procedure was performed in April 2017 at SSM Health DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton by bariatric surgeon Mario Morales, M.D.
“There are few other surgeries that can actually reverse the effects of those very difficult diseases to manage, like the diabetes, like the high blood pressure, and heart disease and those types of things,” Dr. Morales says via SSM web page video. “From my perspective… this surgical intervention has a huge impact on patient’s lives.”
For weeks before her procedure, Darden Riddick was on a liquid diet to drop some weight prior to the surgery.
She said her recovery was longer and more difficult due to a reaction to anesthesia, but she got through it and her results have been beneficial.
“Everything about your diet completely changes, so your portions change,” Darden Riddick said.
However, solid food intake was slow and gradual, and she started with several more weeks on a liquid diet.
“You have to have a certain amount of protein every day – protein is your friend,” she said. “You drink protein shakes and, initially, you are in a step-up program to get back to solids.”
The long recovery made her former food temptations not so tempting.
“The shakes that I drank before— the taste of them became too much. They were too sweet,” Darden Riddick said. “Bread and potatoes were my weakness. I can still do some of the potatoes but, bread – it fills me up and I just don’t get enough protein and nourishment out of it, so that taste for bread is completely gone.”
Certain foods are not one the acceptable-to-eat list, like shredded coconut and popcorn, which she said are too hard to digest, and carbonated beverages are out as well. Although she misses the burp sensation from a good fizzy soda, Darden Riddick said she has not been tempted to stray from the list and slow down or hinder her weight loss.
She eats more frequently and eats much smaller portions. And she does not eat and drink at the same time. An air fryer is her go-to small kitchen appliance for her proteins. On the stove, it’s cooking spray and a nonstick pan. And eating out is not a problem for her.
For exercise, Darden Riddick said it was about eight weeks out before she could start physical activity.
“I just started walking because you weren’t supposed to do a lot of strenuous activity – they encourage exercise, but in limited portion,” she said. “As you started gaining your strength, they encourage you to walking the stairs or doing a little bit more as you progress through recovery.”
On June 23, Darden Riddick checked off an important bucket-list item that she posted on social media. “Today I accomplished something I thought not possible just a year ago … I walked a 5K with my mom (who beat us) and sister-in-law,” she wrote. “It was for a great cause but it was awesome to be able to complete it.”
Thus far, she has dropped eight dress sizes. Looking ahead, Darden Riddick wants to lose another 70 pounds, to get into what she describes as her “wonderland” weight which is any number under 200 pounds.
She said, “If I can get down to ‘wonderland,’ then I’ll stop.”
