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Paul's Story

I’ve just completed my third 5K race and I’ve already signed up for my next one. I have more energy than I ever thought possible, and I wonder why I waited so long.

July 02, 2018

Couch to 5K I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I would be overweight for the rest of my life. In 2003, I really worked hard, went to the gym, working out 4 times per week, watched my calories, and I lost over 80 lbs. When I moved to Florida, at first I got lazy. I stopped going to the gym, stopped watching what I was eating. Then I started having thyroid issues. I gained 50 lbs in less than a year, and I felt like I didn’t have the energy to do anything. By the summer of 2011, I was over 300 lbs. I had severe sleep apnea and no energy. I had considered weight loss surgery, but I thought that it was a drastic measure, and wasn’t sure if it was right for me. I received a phone call that HCA Florida General and Weight Loss Surgery would be holding a weight loss seminar in my area, so my wife and I attended. One thing that I heard during that seminar was very sobering. They said that the average life expectancy of a morbidly obese man was 54 years. I was 52. I realized that I had to do something drastic, if I wanted to watch my grandchildren grow up. In March of 2012, I had my adjustable gastric band installed. Now, just 11 months later, I’ve lost just over 100 lbs. I’ve just completed my third 5K race and I’ve already signed up for my next one. I have more energy than I ever thought possible, and I wonder why I waited so long. I want to give a plug to the staff of HCA Florida General and Weight Loss Surgery. They are more than encouraging. One of the things that, at first, made me a little skeptical about them was just how encouraging they were. I’m not a person that naturally trusts people right away. I tend to wonder what kind of angle they might be playing. I thought to myself that they were way too concerned about my losing weight, way more concerned than I was (at the time). Then I realized, their success is tied directly to my success. The problem wasn’t that they were too concerned; it was that I wasn’t concerned enough. Now I feel like I have a whole group of people cheering me along my journey. What a great feeling.

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Before
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After
Published:
July 02, 2018