{"id":68958,"date":"2023-03-08T14:41:01","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T21:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=68958"},"modified":"2023-05-09T08:31:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T14:31:37","slug":"choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing to live healthier: How a single, working mom is building a better life."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Alexandria
Alexandria Johnson on her 32nd birthday in February. Photos by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reared in a family that included 18 adopted children, food was an integral part of the love language used by Alexandria Johnson\u2019s grandparents as they raised her in their Chicago-area home.<\/p>\n

It gave her comfort when she felt lost in the crowd, it was part of the festivities in a large household where there was always something to celebrate, and it was a way for her to cope with the pain of missing her parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how my grandparents responded to my hurt \u2013 with food,\u201d said the 32-year-old surgery coordinator at the UCHealth Cherry Creek Medical Center<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve always been an emotional eater.\u201d<\/p>\n

But as a single mom raising three young children, Alexandria came to realize that getting healthy was a critical part of the blueprint to building a better life for herself and her kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was having a really tough time, and I thought, \u2018I have to make some changes in my life, and I have to start with myself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Alexandria remembers her grandparents with much fondness. Her grandmother loved to cook and was a traditional homemaker, while her grandfather was a well-known Civil Rights activist in Peoria, Illinois where they made their home. After her grandma died when Alexandria was 15, her grandpa, who lived to be 96, pushed her to complete her education and attain the goal she set for herself; even when she lacked the confidence herself.<\/p>\n

\"Alexandria
Alexandria Johnson holds onto her son, Harold Smith III, as he releases the bar on the jungle gym. Alexandria says she\u2019s happy she can play with her children now that she\u2019s lost nearly 85 pounds and is choosing to live healthier. Before her bariatric surgery on Aug. 30, she felt tired nearly all the time, she said.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe always told me: \u2018If plan A and B fail, you have to go to C and D.\u2019 I knew he wanted me to be in a profession where I was helping people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alexandria\u2019s teen years were up and down as she struggled to find a clear path. She dropped out of high school and had her first child when she was 18. She named her son Cayden, but calls him James after her grandfather, who died a few months after her son was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod gave me something because he was going to take something away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her grandfather\u2019s death prompted her to take stock of her life and what he would have wanted for her.<\/p>\n

Motivated to change her trajectory, she earned her GED and obtained her medical assistant certification, working in the Chicago area for several years while she had two more children, Harold, now 3, and toddler Ava.<\/p>\n

Denver bound with three kids in tow<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a working, single mom Alexandria realized that a move to the Denver area might be a good change, as well as a chance to repair a tenuous relationship with her own mother who had moved there. The fresh start would give her a chance to forge closer ties with her younger brother, also a Denver resident.<\/p>\n

In the fall of 2021, when she noticed an opening at the UCHealth Cherry Creek Medical Center, she applied and hoped for the best. It came when she got an immediate callback from practice administrator Kim Turner, who was impressed with Alexandria\u2019s resume and attitude. While Alexandria was initially hesitant to leave her hometown and make the move with the newly born Ava, and two sons, the oldest of whom is 13 and has autism, she had a gut feeling that the \u201cstars were aligned in the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alexandria
Alexandria and her three children (left to right), Ava Smith, Cayden Bollinger, who holds Harold Smith III.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So she packed their bags and headed to Denver a few weeks later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just kept telling myself that I\u2019m doing the right thing, and this is for my kids, I\u2019m bettering their lives and I can do it. I broke down several times, but I did it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Part of her new life included a firm resolve to get healthy. She was having trouble taking the weight off she had gained while pregnant with Ava and was feeling sluggish trying to keep up with the demands of work and a hectic home life. She often opted for fast food, which was not always the healthiest option but satisfying for her busy family. But she didn\u2019t like how it made her feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so tired all the time \u2013 I couldn\u2019t keep up with them and couldn\u2019t even play with them on the playground. I thought: \u2018Let\u2019s rock n roll.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Step One was finding a new place to live with her children after having stayed with family members while she found her footing in Colorado. Moving her children into their own place last winter gave her the self-esteem boost she needed.<\/p>\n

Next was quitting smoking, a habit she had picked up 15 years earlier.<\/p>\n

And third, she was exploring whether bariatric (gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries<\/a>) was a path she wanted to take.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, she was in the right place to have all her questions answered. Working alongside her at Cherry Creek was Dr. Akshay Pratap Chauhan<\/a>, who specializes in bariatric surgery at the UCHealth Surgical Weight Loss Center – Anschutz Medical Campus.<\/a><\/p>\n

Becoming a SADI patient<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Alexandria
Alexandria evades her sons, Harold, 3, and Cayden Bollinger, 13. They enjoy challenging each other on the court Sunday afternoons at a neighborhood playground.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chauhan thought Alexandria would be an ideal candidate for the SADI-S surgery, a surgical weight-loss option that is less aggressive than previous gastric bypass options and comes with fewer complications<\/a>. SADI-S stands for Single Anastomosis Duodenal-Ileal bypass with Sleeve gastrectomy.<\/p>\n

Anastomosis means \u201cone connection,\u201d instead of two, which is what separates this surgery from the duodenal switch surgery that had been the standard practice in bypass surgery for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more friendly surgery and allows more nutrients and vitamins to get through,\u2019\u2019 Chauhan said. \u201cIt\u2019s a bypass, but a different type of bypass.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the surgery was just the beginning. To be accepted as a patient, Alexandria\u00a0had to participate in six pre-op sessions that included working with psychologists and nutritionists to take a deep dive into her eating habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to be open and honest about what I ate and why I ate, and what I needed to change going forward,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd they helped me do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chauhan said that surgery is just one component of a successful weight loss journey. It also includes a multi-faceted and much more holistic approach than in the past: one that includes nutrition and counseling before any operation.<\/p>\n

To up the odds for patients keeping the weight off after surgery, a UCHealth team meets regularly to discuss whether a candidate is a good fit for the surgery and is motivated to make major life changes once they leave the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 95% commitment from the patient and 5% surgery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Alexandria
Alexandria and her children greet their neighbor, Barbara Meyer, on her balcony. The family left Chicago two years ago for a fresh start in Denver. “There are going to be bumps along the road,” Alexandria says, “but keep pushing. Get over it and push harder than ever.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It starts with everyone together in a multi-discipline approach. We don\u2019t want to set up obstacles for patients, but instead, create a situation where we see the best outcomes for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

After participating in the required nutrition and counseling classes, Alexandria lost 17 pounds in the week just prior to her late August surgery to help prep for the operation that included two surgeons (Chauhan was one of them) and took five hours.<\/p>\n

For Alexandria, that meant having 75% of her stomach removed through an operation called a \u201csleeve gastrectomy.<\/p>\n

The second part of the surgery included detaching her small intestine just below her stomach and reattaching it to a loop of intestine further down. With food now bypassing part of her intestine, there is less time for calories to be absorbed, which leads to weight loss. In addition, patients feel fuller after eating less, and various hormonal changes even re-wire their brain and the way they experience food.<\/p>\n

This has been true for Alexandria.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour taste buds change \u2013 for instance, pizza is disgusting to me now. It tastes like cardboard. Your brain does everything for you now, and not your stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the surgery, Alexandria spent three weeks recuperating as she tried to push through nausea and fatigue.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy body was just wiped out. I was drained. But after a storm, comes the light and I bounced back better than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her supervisor Kim Turner said the clinic was supportive of Alexandria\u2019s road to better health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have really enjoyed working with her and respect everything she\u2019s done. I know she\u2019s getting healthier for her family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Recovered and rejuvenated after choosing to be healthier<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During the past several months since the surgery, Alexandria has had to retrain her brain and body as they both adjust to a new relationship with food.<\/p>\n

She graduated from a liquid diet to pureed food, to normal eating, and makes very conscious decisions about what to eat and drink. Her Apple watch sounds an alarm telling her when it\u2019s time to hydrate with water, and she routinely:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • weighs her food<\/li>\n
  • eats lots of chicken, fruits, vegetables and legumes<\/li>\n
  • educates herself on nutrition<\/li>\n
  • takes nearly a dozen vitamins a day<\/li>\n
  • limits her carb intake<\/li>\n
  • and perhaps hardest of all, says no to both alcohol AND caffeine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    She\u2019s also incorporated lots of exercise into her daily schedule, taking walks during her lunch breaks, playing with her kids as they enjoy the park and participating in a 5K walk on Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI want my kids to know that their mom did all she could to get healthy and be there for them. It\u2019s been worth it – –\u00a0 1,000% — because I\u2019ve been able to put a smile on their faces.\u201d<\/p>\n

    She\u2019s not resting on her laurels though, recently registering for classes that she hopes will eventually lead to her dream of becoming a registered nurse.<\/p>\n

    Thus far, she has lost 85 pounds. While she doesn\u2019t have a specific goal weight in mind, she knows she\u2019s added years to her life by avoiding unhealthy outcomes like heart disease and diabetes.<\/p>\n

    Her brother, Kyle Carter, is proud of her: \u201cShe moved here to create a better life for her herself and her children — she\u2019s been eating healthier and exercising, and she has a such a great attitude. Overall, it\u2019s been a real positive change. I\u2019m excited for her and this journey, and I know she\u2019s going to keep making good decisions for her and her kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Alexandria, who credits Chauhan with \u201csaving her life,\u201d encourages others who are unhappy with their current health status to not give in to despair.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI want to let people know there are going to be bumps along the road but keep pushing.\u00a0Don\u2019t stop just because you have a hurdle or two ahead of you. Get over it and push harder than ever before. I could have gotten discouraged a long time ago, but my kids make me push so hard. When I\u2019m tired or sad, I cry in the shower so they can\u2019t hear me.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI am happier now and I can feel it. Do I miss things? I would love to eat a Big Mac, fries, and a Dr. Pepper, but instead, I eat some seasoned chicken with cauliflower rice and go out and play with my kids \u2026 and that\u2019s the tradeoff.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Reared in a family that included 18 adopted children, food was an integral part of the love language used by Alexandria Johnson\u2019s grandparents as they raised her in their Chicago-area home. It gave her comfort when she felt lost in the crowd, it was part of the festivities in a large household where there was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2357,"featured_media":68961,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[9039,551,4812],"class_list":["post-68958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-uchealth-cherry-creek-medical-center","tag-weight-and-metabolism","tag-weight-loss-surgery"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChoosing to live healthier: single, working mom building a better life - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cThere are going to be bumps along the road but keep pushing.\u00a0Don\u2019t stop just because you have a hurdle or two ahead of you."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Choosing to live healthier: How a single, working mom is building a better life.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThere are going to be bumps along the road but keep pushing.\u00a0Don\u2019t stop just because you have a hurdle or two ahead of you."\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-08T21:41:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-09T14:31:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/7c91e8a4932eea6caad6cc64ac28dede\"},\"headline\":\"Choosing to live healthier: How a single, working mom is building a better life.\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-08T21:41:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-09T14:31:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/\"},\"wordCount\":2008,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"UCHealth Cherry Creek Medical Center\",\"Weight and metabolism\",\"Weight loss surgery\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/\",\"name\":\"Choosing to live healthier: single, working mom building a better life - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-08T21:41:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-09T14:31:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"\u201cThere are going to be bumps along the road but keep pushing.\u00a0Don\u2019t stop just because you have a hurdle or two ahead of you.\\\"\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":517,\"caption\":\"Alexandria Johnson on her 32nd birthday in February. Photos by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Choosing to live healthier: How a single, working mom is building a better life.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/7c91e8a4932eea6caad6cc64ac28dede\",\"name\":\"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d579b3ef424861e3376c7c220aff746632d6c832db6518dfb106680e04f407?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d579b3ef424861e3376c7c220aff746632d6c832db6518dfb106680e04f407?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d579b3ef424861e3376c7c220aff746632d6c832db6518dfb106680e04f407?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth\"},\"description\":\"Mary Gay Broderick is a Denver-based freelance writer with more than 25 years experience in journalism, marketing, public relations and communications. She enjoys telling compelling stories about healthcare, especially the dedicated UCHealth professionals and the people whose lives they transform. She enjoys skiing, hiking, biking and traveling, along with baking (mostly) successful desserts for her husband and three daughters.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/mgbroderick\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Choosing to live healthier: single, working mom building a better life - UCHealth Today","description":"\u201cThere are going to be bumps along the road but keep pushing.\u00a0Don\u2019t stop just because you have a hurdle or two ahead of you.\"","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Choosing to live healthier: How a single, working mom is building a better life.","og_description":"\u201cThere are going to be bumps along the road but keep pushing.\u00a0Don\u2019t stop just because you have a hurdle or two ahead of you.\"","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2023-03-08T21:41:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-09T14:31:37+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/"},"author":{"name":"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/7c91e8a4932eea6caad6cc64ac28dede"},"headline":"Choosing to live healthier: How a single, working mom is building a better life.","datePublished":"2023-03-08T21:41:01+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-09T14:31:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/"},"wordCount":2008,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.webp","keywords":["UCHealth Cherry Creek Medical Center","Weight and metabolism","Weight loss surgery"],"articleSection":["Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/","name":"Choosing to live healthier: single, working mom building a better life - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.webp","datePublished":"2023-03-08T21:41:01+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-09T14:31:37+00:00","description":"\u201cThere are going to be bumps along the road but keep pushing.\u00a0Don\u2019t stop just because you have a hurdle or two ahead of you.\"","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/03\/08143427\/alexandria-johnsoneee.webp","width":800,"height":517,"caption":"Alexandria Johnson on her 32nd birthday in February. Photos by Sonya Doctorian, UCHealth."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/choosing-to-live-healthier-single-working-mom-building-better-life\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Choosing to live healthier: How a single, working mom is building a better life."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/7c91e8a4932eea6caad6cc64ac28dede","name":"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d579b3ef424861e3376c7c220aff746632d6c832db6518dfb106680e04f407?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d579b3ef424861e3376c7c220aff746632d6c832db6518dfb106680e04f407?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9d579b3ef424861e3376c7c220aff746632d6c832db6518dfb106680e04f407?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth"},"description":"Mary Gay Broderick is a Denver-based freelance writer with more than 25 years experience in journalism, marketing, public relations and communications. She enjoys telling compelling stories about healthcare, especially the dedicated UCHealth professionals and the people whose lives they transform. She enjoys skiing, hiking, biking and traveling, along with baking (mostly) successful desserts for her husband and three daughters.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/mgbroderick\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":2357,"name":"Mary Gay Broderick, for UCHealth","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/mgbroderick\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2357"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68958"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69917,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68958\/revisions\/69917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}