Stacey’s Story: From Yo-Yo Dieting to the Mud Girl Run

Stacey Regino knew the cycle by heart: lose weight, gain it back, lose it, gain it back. The yo-yo dieting was exhausting. And while the weight went up and down, her health problems only went in one direction.

 In June 2024, Stacey attended her first session at GBMC’s Comprehensive Obesity Management Program, weighing 234 pounds. From the very first meeting, she felt a sense of belonging. 

“Everyone was welcoming, and each session was always extremely informative,” she said. 

Her gastric sleeve surgery followed in January 2025 with Dr. Shauna Costinett. In the three weeks before her procedure, Stacey lost 15 pounds. As of today, she’s lost 100 pounds total. 

The health transformations have been sweeping: Stacey is no longer prediabetic, her blood pressure is normal, her asthma has improved, and her knee pain is minimal. But here’s where Stacey’s story takes a turn that no one saw coming, maybe not even Stacey herself. 

“I have fallen in love with moving,” she said. 

She signed up for a Mud Girl Run in May and a Hyrox Fitness Competition over the summer. The woman who spent years trapped in a cycle of dieting and frustration is now training for competitive events, and loving every minute of it. 

“Best of all, I can keep up with my 6-year-old grandson,” Stacey said. 

Stacey’s story is about breaking the cycle, not just the cycle of yo-yo dieting, but the cycle of believing things couldn’t change. GBMC’s COMP didn’t just give her a surgery. It gave her a starting line.