FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS—
Yoli Johnson has a spring in her step these days because she's a new woman--and her husband Brandon is a new man. Both had weight loss surgery--Yoli in February and in March Brandon had his in March. The results have been great and according to a new study it's not uncommon.Family members who have weight loss surgery together lose more weight--30% percent more than those who go it alone.
Yoli considers it a simple case of been there--done that.
"Absolutely--I was there to tell him this is how you are going to feel afterwards and you know if he said oh, you know, I want this to eat and I would say no, you really can't tolerate that you'll feel much better if you have this," Yoli said.
Dr. Sina Matin is the medical director at the Weight Loss Surgery Center at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Grapevine.
Dr. Matin says spacing the surgeries is key and the study proves there is security in numbers.
"One needs to coach the other through the first four to six weeks which are the toughest times." Dr. Matin said. "Having two of them doing it at the same time--I mean is very difficult--it's like having two people at home with pneumonia it's very difficult."
Yoli said she has newfound energy and spends it playing with her son's Ethan and Parker.
She and Brandon now live a more active lifestyle complete with some friendly competition.
"I know that we're always getting on the scales and so--how much did you lose this week? Well how much did you lose this week? You know, so there is this competition that is there all the time," Yoli said.
Yoli was borderline diabetic and has lost 76 pounds while Brandon has lost 55 pounds and is no longer diabetic.
Maybe the Johnson family is proof that if a couple has weight loss surgery together--they'll lose weight together.
"I can't tell you how much it's meant to me to have my husband do this with me."
Both Yoli and Brandon want to lose another 50 pounds. Last year more than 220,000 people had weight loss surgery.
