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HOUSTON - A lot has happened this baseball season. The Astros have played phenomenally, making it to the ALCS playoffs. There have also been big changes for a couple of 'Stros fans, a husband and wife who together have lost nearly 200 pounds.
The Patranella's look absolutely amazing, and they say it's thanks to a trip to the restroom at an Astros game at Minute Maid Park a little more than a year ago.
"We've had about 15 years of up and down, yo-yo dieting, losing weight, gaining it back," explains Alecia Patranella.
This time things are different for Jason and Alecia Patranella.
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"I've lost about 65 pounds," explains Mr. Patranella, and "I've lost almost 120," smiles his wife. They're thanking the Astros, sort of, for their transformations.
Last season at nearly 300 pounds Mrs. Patranella went into the restroom at an Astros game. "It just was uncomfortable in there. I couldn't, I felt. (You could barely fit in the stall?) Honestly, that's humiliating, and my entire mood changed," she explains.
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So that night she did research and found Memorial Hermann Bariatric surgeon Dr. Jason Balette. After extensive screenings, nutrition, and psychology classes, Mr. and Mrs. had Gastric Sleeve surgery. She was in September 2022 and his surgery was in November 2022.
"It's a procedure where we decrease the volume of the stomach and patients can't eat very much without feeling full and satisfied," explains Memorial Hermann Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Jason Balette.
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"I was on blood pressure medicine. My cholesterol was through the roof, and now I'm completely off all of it. I don't take any medicine now. I'm 45 years old and in the best shape of my life, ever. I feel the best I've ever felt. We did it for our kids. We noticed we couldn't do a lot of things with our kids," Mr. Patranella explains and his wife adds, "I feel free now."
They how have healthy eating habits, regularly exercise, and get out and about with their kids without feeling worn out.
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"We try to work out at least 30 minutes a day," says Mrs. Patranella.
"We see success stories all the time after surgery. Before surgery, we see patients with health problems like Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Fatty Liver Disease, and Arthritis. We see a variety of medical problems that come with being overweight," adds Dr. Balette.
Who's a candidate for weight loss surgery? "Patients whose BMI is above 35 with medical problems or patients whose BMI is 40 and above," the doctor explains and Dr. Balette is encouraging you to get more information if you think weight loss surgery is for you.
"Go talk to a surgeon and go through the pros and the cons. Find out the criteria. See what works for you," says Dr. Balette.
Not many people chronicle their lives in 'Stros seasons but for the Patranellas the people in the pix from Astros 2022 seem like a distant memory.
"There's no trace of her honestly from my mood to our appearance obviously, our relationship with each other, our relationship with ourselves, other people. Everything is different. It's literally a weight off of us in every aspect," says Mrs. Patranella.