Nurse loses 135 pounds, gains passion for hiking

ICU nurse Elisa DuFour, 37, struggled with her weight since childhood.

“I’d have short periods when I would maintain a healthier weight,” she says. “But it wasn’t for a meaningful amount of time. I would always put the weight back on.”

During new employee orientation at MultiCare Capital Medical Center, DuFour remembers hearing about the hospital’s bariatric surgery program.

“I technically qualified for surgery, but I wasn’t sure about the financial aspect,” she recalls. “Surgery sat in the back of my mind for a while.”

Then she started working on the unit where patients recover from bariatric surgery.

“I was caring for these patients after surgery and would talk to them about it,” DuFour explains. “I noticed they were typically my size or smaller, so it made me think about it more.”

She decided to attend an informational seminar to learn about the program.

“I realized surgery was a tool I could use to better myself,” she says. “And I respected and trusted Dr. (Monica) Young as a surgeon. After meeting her, I decided to move forward with surgery.”

A personalized approach to surgery and follow-up

DuFour underwent a sleeve gastrectomy in September 2019. She says the surgery went well; she had a short recovery and no complications.

“The nurses there on that unit are really great,” she adds. “The teamwork they have and the friendships they build is one of the things that make it a special place to work. I worked on that unit another year after surgery.”

And as a nurse with a busy job and schedule, DuFour says it was an adjustment to eat only small amounts at a time.

“I remember feeling frustrated,” she says. “But I got the hang of it and figured out how to manage eating at more regular intervals.”

DuFour was grateful to have ongoing support from the clinic and consulted with Sandra Pearce, the clinic’s dietitian, several times.

“Access to a dietitian is one of the things I really liked about the program,” says DuFour. “I got to know Sandra well. She’d assess what I was eating and would tell me I could benefit from more of this or less of that. It was really helpful.”

Another aspect of MultiCare’s weight loss surgery program she appreciates is the follow-up.

“My mom and sister had bariatric surgery elsewhere and didn’t have as much follow-up,” DuFour says. “Because of the frequency of the appointments, the MultiCare team really gets to know you and tracks you to see how you’re doing. That makes the program feel very personal.”

Finding a passion for hiking

Wanting to increase her physical activity level following surgery, DuFour started walking every day. She admits, however, it was difficult to walk even a mile or two.

Then, she met her now-husband Eric.

“He’s an avid hiker and wanted to show me hiking,” DuFour explains. “The first hike we did together was really challenging — about 3,500 feet of elevation gain over a short distance. I did it! And from then on, I loved hiking. I love the challenge.”

Now, she and Eric will do 20- to 30-mile hikes in a day, which is something she says she never could have done prior to surgery.

Their love of hiking is so immense, they eloped on a hike.

“I hiked in my wedding dress a few miles up in this beautiful area in the North Cascades, and my 16-year-old son married us,” DuFour says.

In addition to hiking, she started running and going to the gym.

“As I lost the weight, these activities became easier to do, and I found a love for doing them,” says DuFour. “I also started weight lifting — another thing I never thought I’d do.”

“With the jump-start of weight loss from her surgery, Elisa literally took it and ran with it,” adds Dr. Young. “It propelled her into a new lifestyle. It’s been an amazing transformation to see.”

“Surgery allowed me regain control of my life, become strong and healthy, and live in a fulfilling way.”

Another big life change for DuFour is that she’s pregnant.

“I didn’t think I’d ever have more kids,” she admits. “But my husband and I talked for a long time and decided this was something we wanted to experience together.”

She says it’s challenging being pregnant, due to the fact that it requires weight gain.

“But I’m exercising and still eating healthy foods, which is more important than a number on the scale,” DuFour says.

She tapped into the resources at the weight-loss clinic and received nutritional support from Pearce to prepare for pregnancy.

“She gave me some tips to make sure I was getting the right vitamins and nutrients before getting pregnant and throughout pregnancy,” she adds.

Dr. Young says that witnessing DuFour’s success is meaningful for her as a doctor.

“It’s been a joy to watch Elisa go through the whole process and see her in this next phase of her life starting a family,” says Dr. Young. “I’m impressed by all of the changes she’s made and how well it has paid off.”

DuFour didn’t realize how much surgery would change her life.

“It changed so many different aspects of my life,” she says. “Surgery allowed me regain control of my life, become strong and healthy, and live in a fulfilling way.”