Yes—I know what you are going through; I, too, was overweight. In college I was 185 lbs, the absolute peak of my weight. I now weigh 135 lbs.
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, I ballooned up. Stress eating, late night study sessions and a sedentary lifestyle really caught up with me. At 185 lbs, I was uncomfortable and grew increasingly embarrassed about my weight. My clothes didn’t fit me so I had to buy bigger and bigger clothes. It was hard for me to play sports, even basketball, which I loved playing in high school. 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 and have maintained my weight loss for over 15 years.
I am grateful for what my 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 young children (son - seven, daughter - five) are active and play sports. I fit into my clothes much better and I look decent in a bathing suit. (Yes, like all people, I 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—while I was in medical school. I struggled with weight loss years before and was only marginally successful. But I was determined. Now, I use my own 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 10 years, I have taken care of patients with many health conditions caused or worsened by excess weight, including high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Arthritis of the knees, hips and back are also quite common conditions among overweight individuals. Once active, many of these people have great difficulty even performing simple, everyday 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 centerscan help improve your health. However, as a once overweight person, I wish upon you the improved strength, endurance and confidence that I’ve come to enjoy as a result of weight loss.
