Married couple loses 500 pounds and gains a new life together after bariatric surgery

For some couples, togetherness entails date nights or a shared hobby. But Jennifer and Anthony Nuno took the concept a step further when each had vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery within hours of each other.

“We wanted to take this journey together,” Jennifer says. “We had our consultation together, did all our appointments together; we’ve done everything together so far, so why not do surgery together?”

The results, nearly two years later, have been far better than either expected. Together they have lost about 500 pounds. “It seriously is life changing,” Anthony says. “In the past year and a half I think I’ve lived more than I ever did before then. It’s amazing the things that Jennifer and I have been able to get out and do.”

Jennifer, 33, says she and her husband have struggled with their weight their whole lives. “I weighed 200 pounds by the time I was 12,” she says. Married 13 years ago, “we were both big and just getting bigger.”

And with the weight came diabetes, high blood pressure, menstrual issues and sleep apnea. Both realized they were “heading to an early grave” if they didn’t do something, Jennifer says. But they shared the belief that surgery was “the easy way out” and that they could handle the weight loss themselves. But not only was it not working, it was making them miserable.

“We both hit that point at the same time,” Jennifer says. “We looked at each other and said “It’s time.’” They asked their doctor for help and got a referral to the MultiCare Center for Weight Loss & Wellness.

From the initial consultation through surgery, the Nunos did everything as a couple. “It really works to do it together because there’s such a strict eating schedule, both pre- and post-surgery,” Jennifer says. “We would have been supportive of each other regardless, but it’s not the same as actually going through it with someone.”

Jennifer’s mom lives with the couple so they knew they would have help after surgery, but recovery was relatively smooth, they say.

The biggest surprise, says Anthony, is how much better he started feeling as the weight came off. “I feel physically amazing,” he says. “I get up in the morning now and I don’t feel like I’ve been beaten. I go to bed and wake up rested. That was not the case when I was over 500 pounds.”

He’s able to do things he’d never even imagined he would, like drive a car, book a regular airline seat and use an airplane restroom.

Anthony also credits the weight loss with helping him get a promotion at work. “Being able to drive into work, get up and around, communicate better, I’ve excelled in my job.”

But most importantly, the couple says they’ve discovered a love of the outdoors that they had never experienced, hiking and even training for some fun runs.

“Before we just considered ourselves homebodies, staying in, watching movies,” Jennifer says. Their biggest outing before surgery was grocery shopping — and that would leave them exhausted. “Now we hate to be home. We’re waking up early — we hate sleeping in now — and just finding places to explore. We have traveled so much in the past two years, more than we had traveled our whole lives before that.”

She says she didn’t realize how much her weight was holding her back. “I thought I had OK energy before, but that was nothing.”

And while they both have more weight to lose before reaching their goals, their health has improved so dramatically that they are no longer taking prescriptions for blood pressure or diabetes.

Both say they needed not just the surgery but the continuing advice and support they get from their surgeon and nutritionists at the Center for Weight Loss & Wellness. “That was the number one key to our success, them preparing us and us listening to their advice,” Jennifer says. “Make sure you find a doctor’s office that cares about you as an individual.”

Jennifer says she recently advised a friend contemplating bariatric surgery simply by asking her a question. “Would you rather be on diets the rest of your life, or try a new lifestyle?”