LEWISTON – Irene Dostie keeps a picture in her purse – not that she’s forgotten what she used to look like.

She had a gastric bypass in 1989. She lost 152 pounds and has kept off all but 25.

“Things have shifted,” she laughed. “Fifteen years ago I was 35.”

Dostie says she would have the surgery all over again. She led a support group years ago and still gets asked for advice.

“After you have this done you’ve really got to follow the direction of the physician,” Dostie said.

Doing that kept her from getting sick. She’s stuck to a regiment of vitamins, B-12, calcium and iron.

She does know people who’ve gained back the weight.

The surgery impacted several parts of her life, such as relationships, and it still effects how she eats.

“If I eat like a normal hamburger, it’s going to take me still two hours to finish the thing,” Dostie said.

She doesn’t take out her old picture often. “I think it’s a piece of my old life. I just keep it there as a reminder. ‘This is me, this is what I was.'”