By Jeff Kelley  

In a person’s weight loss journey, there are experiences known as “non-scale victories.” 

For Vanessa Logan, that victory — one not directly tied to the number on a scale — came when boarding a Bahamas-bound plane with her mom. For the first time, Vanessa didn’t have to ask for a seatbelt extender; weight loss surgery had dropped her from a 3XL to an XL. 

Now 27, Vanessa has newfound confidence with her slimmer physique — and enjoys a much healthier lifestyle and mental outlook, even if the work to stay that way never stops. 

“I love myself a lot more now,” she said. “What's funny is a lot of those bullies from school will come back into your life once you lose all that weight, right? But it’s too late for them. I definitely have more self-confidence and self-love within myself.” 

In fact, a few years after her initial 2020 surgery that helped her shed more than 100 pounds, Vanessa applied to and joined the VCU Health Surgical Weight Loss team as a medical assistant and often counsels other patients considering surgery. 

“Bariatric and weight loss surgery is something I'm passionate about. I can talk about it for days,” she said. “I love being a part of other people's weight loss journey. They don’t see me as another provider or employee, because I’ve been in their shoes. I can give you that confidence and that boost that you can do it — because I did too.” 

How weight loss surgery can be an option for those who are severely obese 

Weight loss surgery is an option for people who are obese and have not found success with diet changes or exercise. 

Vanessa was one of about 100 million American adults struggling with obesity, which puts people at a long list of health risks, like heart disease and diabetes, and personal burdens like low self-esteem, depression — or humbling moments like having to ask for a seatbelt extender on a plane. 

If the patient is a candidate, one of two forms of weight loss surgery may be an option. Vanessa had both over a period of four years: a sleeve gastrectomy in 2020, and a gastric bypass in 2024. 

You have to change your lifestyle. Surgery is going to help you, but you also have to be determined and want to better your life. 

Vanessa Logan, VCU Health patient 

At the time of her first surgery, Vanessa worked as a medical assistant at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. She’d struggled with obesity all her life. Diet and exercise didn’t work.  

One day her mom took her picture, and when Vanessa looked at it, “I was just completely astonished at how big I looked, and how I felt on top of it all,” she said. “I was like, ‘I have to do something.’”  

She learned that her own employer, VCU Health, was among the nation’s top health systems for weight loss surgery, accredited as a Level 1 Center by the American College of Surgeons for metabolic and bariatric surgery. Major insurers also cover the procedure. 

In 2020, Vanessa underwent a sleeve gastrectomy, a minimally invasive weight loss surgery where 75% of the stomach is removed, leaving a banana-shaped stomach. The procedure reduces food intake, aids in weight loss, and allows normal digestion. With guidance from a medical team and nutritionists, patients see significant weight loss while working to maintain their overall health. 

Still, Vanessa and specialists note — surgery is the easy part.  

A whole-body challenge requiring dedication 

“Weight loss surgery is not a fix-all,” Vanessa said. “You have to change your lifestyle. Surgery is going to help you, but you also have to be determined and want to better your life.” 

That means committing to limiting processed and junk foods, exercising and building healthier habits.  

“The doctors and the weight loss team can only take you but so far,” Vanessa said. “The rest you have to do on your own.” 

Vanessa Logan notes that maintaining an active lifestyle is crucial after weight loss surgery. She says “surgery is going to help you, but you also have to be determined and want to better your life.” (Kevin Morley, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

The sleeve gastrectomy, performed by gastrointestinal surgeon Jennifer Salluzzo, M.D., led Vanessa to lose 76 pounds, changing her life “for the better,” she says.  

But there were setbacks. She had gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), a side effect for about one-third of sleeve patients. Personal life challenges combined with the lack of attention to her nutrition and exercise caused her to gain some of the weight she’d lost. 

In 2024, Vanessa underwent a second minimally invasive bariatric procedure, a gastric bypass. The surgery, also performed by Salluzzo, further reduced the size of her stomach to about that of an egg. The surgery also bypasses a short segment of the intestine to limit absorption of nutrients and calories, which then requires the patient to take vitamins and minerals for life. 

Once again, Vanessa had to go back to a liquid diet for two weeks prior to surgery, then slowly re-introduce solids in the weeks following it. She also had to pause her gym routine, where she had worked up to bench-pressing 100 pounds. After recovery, she started from scratch, struggling to lift even 15 pounds. 

“It was a struggle. It’s a mental trial that you go through to get over that hump,” she said. “But you have the determination to change your life. Anybody can do it.” 

‘It had worked’ 

Today, Vanessa prioritizes the gym and her diet, ensuring she gets enough vegetables and protein, which is critical for those who undergo weight loss surgeries. She lifts weights, can run a mile without stopping, and exercise has also helped joint pain. If she slips on diet or exercise, she says, she gives herself a pep talk to get back on track. 

“I don’t want to feel like I wasted my time going through surgery for no reason,” she said.

In addition to no longer needing that airplane seatbelt extender, Vanessa also shared another non-scale victory: Soon after her first surgery, she bought a new dress for her birthday. It was an XL — two X’s smaller than her typical size. 

“I didn’t know how I’d fit. I didn’t know if I’d feel good in it,” Vanessa said. “But I put the dress on and I felt amazing. I was by myself, and I just cried in the mirror. It had worked. I finally had that confidence that I’d always been longing for.” 

Find out if you’re a candidate for weight loss surgery with our online assessment

Inspired by Vanessa’s story? Read more about our patients and providers