Success Stories

Alan Young
Address: Wichita, KS
Surgical Procedure: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Total pounds lost: 171

Body Mass Index before HMR: 58.3
Body Mass Index after surgery: 31.9
Percentage of excess body weight lost: 75%
Physical activity before surgery: 100 minutes / week
Physical activity after surgery: 750 minutes / week
Triglycerides before surgery: 344
Triglycerides after surgery: 84
Blood pressure before surgery: 136/86
Blood pressure after surgery: 120/78

"About three years ago I attended my first prospective bariatric surgery orientation seminar. I was very skeptical of the bariatric surgery solution to weight loss, even though I had every reason not to be. At 5’8” and 385 pounds, I was a walking time bomb. I was plagued with high blood pressure, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, coronary heart disease (I’d had a heart attack and double bypass surgery), and what I thought at the time was some significant arthritis. Still this was not enough reason for me to go ahead with surgery. It was not that I feared the surgery itself. It was more that I did not know mentally if I could give up the idea of never eating another big fat double cheeseburger! So I did nothing."

"To my good fortune, two people who I worked directly with did decide to have the surgery. Once I saw their results and the dramatic changes it made in their lives and talked to them about their experiences did I finally proceed with the surgery. It was about a year later... one year lost that could have been wonderful."

"It simply took getting better educated about the procedure that made the difference for me whether to have the surgery or not. Had it not been for braver soles before me, I honestly can’t say today if I would have gone through with the surgery. Once I decided to go ahead with the surgery – I really should call it – “the program” because that is what it is – the education I received from my coworkers and from the Solutions for Life pre-op education program was of great value. It taught me what it takes to lose weight, what types of food and how much of them I should eat, how to exercise properly, and it got me on an effective exercise program. The information provided allowed me to know exactly what to expect from the surgery – both the good and what could potentially be bad. Knowing what to expect was extremely important although I did not know that at the time."

"Now, a year and a half after surgery and two years into “the program”, I am 210 pounds... a SOLID 210 pounds. I no longer take any medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. I do not have sleep apnea. What I thought was arthritis is gone. I can never get over the heart attack, but I have certainly significantly reduced the chances of having another one. It used to be I could hardly walk any distance at all. I hadn’t run in year. I can now."

"But as important as the medical and physical benefits are the positive emotional and mental changes that have occurred. I can’t describe it. You can’t imagine it. How wonderful it is to sit comfortably in an airplane seat. To buy clothes off the rack at any store you choose. To go to a restaurant and not be afraid to ask for a booth. Normal size people have no idea how great they have it... and now I have it, too. The difference is I know how great it is to be normal... and kick myself for ever wasting a year making up my mind!"