Professor’s weight transformation

It’s hard not to admire a person that shares themselves completely. She will tell you that she shares too much, but it is the people that do not hide behind their insecurities that are leaders for people that are afraid.

Genelle Belmas considers herself an open book; she has never been ashamed to share the details of her battle with her weight, or the particulars of the extreme procedure that almost killed her and saved her life.

After undergoing a gastric bypass surgery one year ago, Belmas has now lost over 145 pounds. She has dropped from a size 5X to an XL or sometimes a large, but the surgery is only the beginning to living a healthy lifestyle. The limited space in the stomach forces patients to be crucially selective about what they eat, it is imperative that they get the proper nutrition in first because it’s possible nothing else will fit.

“For people that are obese, I would say do everything else before this. I would still not say just do it on a whim,” Belmas said. “Do everything you can before this, because it is really hard, but if you have made this decision don’t listen to the naysayers because it probably saved my life.”

The road to where she is today was not simple, after the surgery, Belmas returned to the hospital on three different emergency visits. It was apparent to her and her family that something was wrong when any substance, including water, would come back up. She was admitted and immediately hooked up to IV’s to compensate for the extreme dehydration.

On all three occasions, her doctors inserted a tiny balloon down her throat to re-open the hole leading to her new stomach, which was repeatedly closing. As of January, Belmas has suffered no more medical problems, but to this day she can’t look at scrambled eggs or Sun Chips.

“It was pretty tough,” said communications professor Beth Evans. “There were some initial side effects and complications, it was tough as a friend to watch her go through that.”

The actual bypass procedure detaches both intestinal tracts from the stomach and re-attaches them to what is referred to as a “gastric pouch,” or the new stomach. After the surgery, the pouch is the size of a shot glass and for weeks patients are limited to consuming liquids and soft foods.

“If you and I had this interview in December I would have said what the fuck was I thinking,” Belmas said.

Belmas admits to never being a tiny girl, she said that the years after graduate school were the hardest. Her “freshman 15,” she jokes, was more like a “freshman 50.” Her racial background gave her the Scandinavian bones to carry the extra weight and she compliments herself as a wonderful cook and entertainer for all her friends.

Belmas attributes her slightly addictive personality and her love for food to the continuous weight gain. After years of nurturing her academic side, she had failed to take care of her physical side. She eventually reached a life threatening weight of over 300 pounds.

“I would drink a lot and eat a lot. I did not need to be 200 pounds overweight,” Belmas said.

Belmas earned her bachelor’s degree at The University of Wisconsin in journalism and political science, her master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin in political science and her Ph. D. at the University of Minnesota in mass communications. She is currently the concentration coordinator for the communication department at Cal State Fullerton and an expert in the First Amendment and freedom of speech.

Virginia Belmas, professor Belmas’ mother, shared feelings of regret for encouraging her daughter to finish her plate as a little girl. She, as well as her daughter’s husband, became increasingly concerned with the weight gain. Both of them were initially weary about the surgery Belmas would go through, but with out a doubt, they gave her the support she needed every step of the way. Virginia, as well as Belmas’ father, flew to California to be with their daughter after her surgery.

“Her decision to have the surgery was not a surprise,” Virginia said. “She had talked about it on and off for a few years and although it wouldn’t have been my first choice for weight loss, I felt that her weight was at a point that it was dangerous to her health.”

Looking back, the problems have been extinguished by all the accomplishments and things that some people take for granted have been her greatest payoff.

“I had to buy all new clothes; the only thing I can still wear are my socks,” Belmas said.“What I have gained from what I have given up, the trade-off has been worth it. The trade-off is worth not being able to stuff your face with cheesecake, even though I love cheesecake.”

Belmas is a gem, she has a way of transforming huge concepts of law into obtainable daily ideas, keeping her students thoroughly excited about learning. But it is through her honesty and straightforward attitude that she teaches everyone around her to take life by the horns. While her physical silhouette is shrinking daily, it is Belmas’ unchanged brain and heart that makes her an extraordinary human being.