Losing the Weight gets Clarrissa Up and Running

Clarrissa Stinson was overwhelmed and she was scared. She knew at 44 years-old, it was time to do something about her weight. “I didn’t want my BMI (body mass index) to match my age,” she says. She also was motivated to living up to her own mission working in the healthcare field. “I always felt like I can’t promote being healthy when I, myself, am not healthy.”

After trying what felt like every diet program that yielded little to no success, Clarrissa turned to her primary care physician, who referred her to Nina Gray, MD, a bariatrician with TriHealth Weight Management.

“I actually scheduled multiple appointments with her but, when the time came I would get nervous and back out,” Clarrissa explains.

Not this time. Struggling not only with her weight, but also with depression and anxiety, Clarrissa took that appointment with Dr. Gray and never looked back.

“I knew this was my last resort. I just wanted Dr. Gray to tell me what was wrong with me. Am I going to be heavy my whole life? I felt hopeless and wanted some answers,” Clarrissa says.

Finding the Right Fit

With the help of Dr. Gray and her team, Clarrissa began her wellness journey.

“I decided to go the non-surgical route because, quite frankly, I didn’t want to have surgery,” Clarrissa says.

Clarrissa acknowledges that one big issue for her has been working through her emotional eating. Addressing that has been a huge factor in her success.

“About 40 percent of our patients have emotional eating,” asserts Dr. Gray. “The key to managing it is focusing on mindful eating rather than a strict diet regime in the short term. The long-term approach involves finding out what the ‘driver’ is to their emotional eating and dealing with that appropriately.”

Finding her “emotional baggage” has helped Clarrissa improve her life and approach to food, leading to healthy eating habits and weight loss.

“Before I started my journey, if you would have met me you wouldn’t have known my struggles,” she says. “On the inside I was crying for help, but on the outside, I covered it up with my bubbly personality. To be able to sit with Dr. Gray and her supportive team and just share everything I was going through was amazing.”

Getting into the Race

Twenty pounds down and with seven inches off her waist, Clarrissa feels like a new person. One of the biggest changes was going from relying on an inhaler to help her breathe to no longer having upper respiratory problems. In fact, now an avid runner, she’s come so far that she is achieving milestones that she once thought impossible.

“To go from struggling to breathe to now being able to run half marathons is one of my favorite accomplishments in life,” Clarrissa boasts.

Clarissa ran her third half marathon in 2018 really wanted to share this accomplishment with the TriHealth Weight Management team.

“I want them all there! Without them I wouldn’t be here. To anyone considering TriHealth Weight Management Center – go! The whole team is wonderful and will help you create a program tailored to you.”