Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Director Stephanie Sprecker was laying in bed scrolling through Facebook memories by 9 p.m. to ring in 2021.
“This year, I am hosting and putting on the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration,” Sprecker said, flashing a smile as bright as the anchor that rang in 2023 last night. “People tell me I look like I have my life together. I want them to know I haven’t always had my life together. I have had to work really hard at it. Other people can do it too. Just Never give up.”
Sprecker gained approximately 100 pounds in a single year to kick-off New Year's two years ago.
“I have always fluctuated in weight,” she said. “I would lose 60 pounds and gain 80. This was an on-going trend my entire life. When I gained all that, I decided it was time to fix this. It was physically and mentally exhausting. My health had taken a toll and health issues had risen.”
Sprecker felt bad about herself. The added weight negatively impacted her work and home life.
“You don’t feel good because you do not feel good about yourself,” said Sprecker. “I was so tired that I just wanted to come home after work and go to bed. I had two kids, so that was never an option. It was taking such a toll on me that I had to permanently find a way to avoid weight fluctuation.”
Sprecker went to see Dr. Jamie Adair of MyMichigan General and Bariatric Surgery. Together, they set diet, exercise, and nutrition goals. Sprecker was sure to stick to the prescribed nutrition and exercise plan. Still, her weight fluctuated.
“After a year, it was determined that I was a candidate for gastric surgery,” said Sprecker, who underwent gastric sleeve surgery on Jan. 27, 2021. “There is a lot that goes into being a candidate for surgery. You can’t just have the surgery. I had health issues.”
According to Dr. Raghu Rao of General Internal Medicine Helen Newberry Joy Hospital gastric sleeve surgery (sleeve gastrectomy) is a bariatric surgical procedure that removes a portion of the stomach, leaving a “sleeve.” Reducing the size of the stomach helps reduce hunger and restrict calories.
“I would not recommend gastric surgeries until all other options have been exhausted,” said Rao. “To meet the criteria, you must meet certain age and body mass index (BMI) requirements. Personally, I wouldn't go through with it unless my BMI was really high.”
The patient should have an obesity-related condition, such as heart disease or diabetes. Yet, the patient must also be healthy enough for surgery.
“I had a 45-year-old patient who couldn't get gastric sleeve surgery due to medical problems,” Rao said.
Complications post gastric surgery could result in pulmonary embolism, infection, adverse reactions to anesthesia, and more.
“Absorption is a major problem after surgery,” Rao added. “With the risk of malabsorption, you constantly have to check your nutrition levels. You have to be in tip top shape for absorption. It is important to keep up on fitness and nutrition.”
Following the prescribed nutrition plan post gastric surgery was the most difficult thing Sprecker said she ever had to do.
“It is almost like relearning how to eat," she said. "It is like you are starting out as a young child. They put you on a stage diet of liquid to pureed food. It took me a full year to get to that point. It took a lot of dedication and hard work to stick to the plan.”
In fact, Sprecker was unable to eat “normal” food until this past summer, one year post surgery.
“If you are not dedicated, you are going to fall off and gain weight back,” she said, plateauing after losing 42 pounds.
It was time to contact Caity Carter-Woolcocks and Phillip Woolcocks at UP North Nutrition & GYM 906.
Woolcocks wasted no time in creating a personalized exercise plan. He was sure to answer any and all health and fitness questions along the way.
“Stephanie has come a long way in her fitness journey,” said Carter-Woolcocks. “ It has been an honor to be a part of that. We are so thankful that she chose us, her local gym, to continue her journey. She has always set a positive example for all those who she encounters, especially her kids.”
Daughter LeeAnn Sprecker, 11, is actively involved in school sports. She choses to workout with her mother from time to time.
“She has worked very hard to get where she is now… 116 pounds lighter,” said LeeAnn Sprecker, mirroring her mom's proud smile. “Sometimes, she will say, ‘I will only do this for 30 minutes.’ Then, she will do it for an hour straight. Mom has taught me to put forth the effort when trying to accomplish my goals.”
Cardio at Gym 906 has become part of Sprecker’s daily life.
“I had to force myself the first couple months,” she admitted. “I became addicted to the way it made me feel, specifically the endorphins and euphoria. By going to the gym, I was able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and that made me feel good. I had so much more energy. I was more productive and happier.”
Gym 906 offers bodybuilding, cardio, metabolic conditioning, tanning, and supplements.
According to its website, the gym has certified trainers and a 4,000-foot fitness area, making it "the largest in the Eastern Upper Peninsula region."
Its owners and staff have helped Sprecker drop an additional 74 pounds. To start off 2023, she is down a total of 116 pounds.
“I am currently only four pounds away from my weight loss goal,” Sprecker said, showing off a toned gym photo taken just hours before her first anchor drop as DDA director to ring in New Year 2023.
Along her health journey, she has forged healthy lifelong relationships.
“My mom has made a lot of friends,” Leann Sprecker said.
The staff of UP North Nutrition & GYM 906 have created a “judgment free" and "safe space” for their Sprecker.
The gym is open from 4 a.m. to midnight seven days per week, including holidays with key fob access. It is staffed Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Contact UP North Nutrition & GYM 906 at 906-259-7085 or via email at [email protected]. The gym is located at 327 Ashmun St. Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
