Weight Loss Testimonial

Greg's Story

My story is pretty simple I think. I just haven’t eaten and exercised like I’ve needed to my entire life. Starting from elementary school I was always one of the bigger kids growing up. I always knew I had a weight problem but I just ignored it. After I school, I started working a desk job and became less active than I already was. Not long after I started working, my doctor put me on blood pressure and diabetes medicine.

I kept gaining weight until the spring of 2015 I had gone to my family doctor. He wanted me to go on a diet and even wanted me to come to UT’s Bariatric Center then. I decided I’d go on a diet instead. I lost around 30 lbs. between April and October. That winter I had gone of my diet entirely and had gained that weight back and more. I was absolutely miserable. I couldn’t walk through a grocery store without being out of breath and wanting to sit down. I knew I had to make a change or I would end up dying.

I started thinking about weight loss surgery. I thought that was my only option really. I knew a little bit about it, because my Mother had weight loss surgery in 2008. She had always told me that she didn’t want me to have it done because it was so tough to go through.  Then she brought it up to me, asked me if I had thought about having it. She knew I was miserable. We talked about and decided that I should at least go to one of the seminars and see if it’s something I could do.

August 20th 2016 we went to the seminar and on August 22nd I had my first appointment. When we went in, I knew I weighed a lot, but I didn’t realize how much until then. They told me I needed to lose 90 lbs. before I could even have the surgery. Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. Just the year before I had lost 30 lbs and I quit. That day was the last day of the old me.

By Thanksgiving I had lost 81 lbs. and they wanted to schedule my surgery. Instead I decided to keep going with my diet and see how far that will take me. So, as of my last appointment on April 11th 2017, I’ve lost 143 lbs. I’ve been taken off of my blood pressure and diabetes medicine and feel better than I have in a long time. I still have a long way to go of course, but I know I can do it because I’ve already proven myself wrong.