Joseph Johnson
Howdy from
I guess being a guy, a big guy, had always been my excuse for not "caring" about my weight. After school I did a six year stint in the military. I joined when I was 240 pounds, which is about 30 pounds under my football playing weight, but I got out of the military weighing over 270. That was in '96 and my weight just slowly (or not so slowly) started to climb.
A few years ago, while getting my annual company physical, I weighed in about 350. I felt fine, just a sore back every now and then, my blood pressure was under control, but the doc took my aside and showed my something. The previous year I weight 336, and the year before that I weighed 325. He asked me "what was the pattern?" I "saw the light" if you will. I had been gaining about a pound a month. He said, in no uncertain terms, that I would be over 400 pounds in a few years. With in ten years I would be pushing 500.
It was at that point that I decided I could no longer avoid my weight issue. I started hitting the gym, watching my food intake, and doing research. Over the course of the next year I pretty much held my weight, never really losing, but did not gain either. I was still losing the battle. I was learning, though, how hard it is. I also learned, from my research, that only one weight loss technique seemed to work, WLS. Sure, there are other successful ways, but with very low odds of working. At my weight WLS seemed the best option. I found a surgeon, followed the steps, and..... my insurance dropped WLS as a covered procedure.
I found weight watchers last year. I did well, lost over 25 pounds (still have the 25# key ring thingy) over the course of 4 months. But then a hit a few bad weeks, one week I failed to lose weight. The next week I gained weight. I struggled the next week, knew I had probably gained, so I avoided going to that weeks meeting. Soon I was paying for meetings I wasn’t going to. Soon I questioned why pay? So weight watchers failed, or rather, I failed at weight watchers.
This year, 2009, I was tipping the scale at 280. My problem was picking up speed. But, I knew my insurance had changed this year as well. I made a few calls, and WLS was covered.
There was never any doubt once I talked to the surgeon that I was ready. From the time I first met my surgeon, Dr. Basa, in June, till my surgery, in August, less than 50 days had elapsed. I have lost nearly 90 pounds so far and I couldn’t be happier. This surgery has liberated me from food.
