Patient Stories

My story starts around age 24. An athlete in high school, 5’8” 160 lbs. and in good shape, I never worried about what I ate because I was continually active. I was always on the move going to practice grabbing a quick snack, then off to play basketball or hockey in the driveway. Eat a big dinner go to sleep and do it all over again the next day. It wasn’t until I was married that life’s activities slowed down. I was still on the go but it was usually to a restaurant or the movies with my wife. Eat a big dinner etc…you get the picture.

Before I knew it, things were out of control. I was out of breath going up the stairs, my knees hurt, I couldn’t enjoy my outdoor hobbies. I literally couldn’t do the things I loved anymore.

By 2007, I developed a list of health problems that have a common denominator: OBESITY. What an ugly word. Looking at myself, I never would say I was obese, but I was. I guess I just didn’t want to admit it. I had an auto-immune blood disorder, acute atrial fibrillation, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. To be honest, I am surprised there wasn’t more. After seven years more of dealing with doctors I was up to nearly 300 pounds. I was on all kinds of medication and had to undergo three Cardiac ablations to try to correct the atrial fib. I felt hopeless. The doctors kept telling me I needed to lose weight, if I wanted to feel better but no one offered any help. The last straw was my Electro Physiologist pushing me toward Bariatric surgery. He told me there was no way I could lose the weight without it. Secretly, I was considering it. It seemed like an ‘easy fix’ at the time.

Things changed for me when a co-worker was bold enough to tell me about her success with Dr. Scinta at Medical Weight Loss. I looked into it and consulted with my Cardiologist who agreed I should give it a try. I thought, “Do I really want to live with a gastric bypass?” The answer was emphatically, NO! I wanted my life back. So I made the choice to go to the consultation. I have never felt more at ease in a Doctor’s office. During the consult, I was shown all the options that I could choose to reach my goals, but the most comforting thing were the words “we’ll be with you every step of the way.” Somehow, that gave me the confidence that I could do this and finally see real results. So on December 3rd 2014, my journey to health began.

I weighed in at 295lbs with a Fat Mass of 150 lbs. – 5 ½ months later, I am at 225 lbs. with a Fat Mass of 73lbs. My blood pressure medication has been reduced by 75% and I anticipate I’ll be off of it soon. I am 40 lbs. from my goal and have all the confidence in the world I will reach it. The support from the staff at Medical Weight Loss is what keeps me going. I feel younger and stronger and for the first time in a long time, healthy.