Yes. I know what you are going through; I too was overweight. I am now 145 lbs. However in college I was 185 lbs, the absolute peak of my weight. Prior to college my weight fluctuated quite a bit. I was pretty heavy in high school, but was able to lose a significant amount of weight before starting college. But after four years of college, I ballooned up. The stress eating, late night study sessions and sedentary lifestyle really caught up with me. At 185 lbs I was uncomfortable. My clothes didn’t fit me so I had to buy bigger and bigger clothes. It was hard for me to play sports. (I loved playing basketball in high school). I became increasingly embarrassed about my weight. So one day I made a conscious decision to lose weight. I buckled down and adjusted my eating habits. I exercised when I could. Over a year and a half, I lost 45 pounds. I have been able to maintain my weight loss for over fifteen years.

I am grateful for what the weight loss has done for me. I feel great! I have more energy and better endurance. I can play sports without getting short of breath. This has been very important for me as my five year old son is now playing soccer, T-ball and basketball. I fit into my clothes much better and I look decent in a bathing suit. (Yes, I like all people suffer from a touch of vanity). I also feel a great sense of achievement and have had an enormous boost to my confidence. It was not easy losing the weight. I lost the weight during a very stressful time of my life; during medical school. I had struggled with weight loss years before and had only been marginally successful. But I was determined. Now, I use the weight loss as inspiration and motivation for everything that I do.

Since finishing medical school and residency I have come to realize additional benefits to weight loss. Over the past ten years I have taken care of patients with many health conditions that are caused or worsened by excess weight. These include high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Arthritis of the knees, hips and back are also quite common in overweight individuals. Once active, many of these people have great difficulty even performing simple, every day tasks because of pain. Sadly, this creates a vicious cycle of greater weight gain and reduced physical activity. However, when my patients lose weight, many of these conditions improve and even resolve. There is nothing more satisfying than helping someone come off their medications or walk with comfort.

It’s out of these experiences that I have chosen to work with overweight individuals. As a physician it is my hope that our weight loss centers can help improve your health. However, it’s as a once overweight person that I wish upon you the improved strength, endurance and confidence that I’ve come to enjoy as a result of weight loss.