Holly’s Journey

Holly, gastric bypass patient

My Story…

When my father passed away he was 6-foot, 4-inches tall and weighed so much they didn’t know how they were going to get him out of the house. That’s when I made the decision that my kids were not going to have to do this. I wanted to be here for my children.

I made an appointment with Dr. Scott Watson and he said he was happy to help me and thought I could benefit from the surgery. I started my journey that day. In March 2015 I took my last sip of soda and went cold turkey into a lifestyle change of eating better, eating less and exercising more. In order for things to change you have to take that first step, and that’s what I did because I wanted my life to change.

Over the next six months I lost 46 pounds and had regular weigh-ins, a requirement to be pre-approved by insurance for the surgery, which I had on November 18, 2015. I was 446 pounds at my heaviest; now I weigh 236 pounds and I’m still losing.

This is not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change and it’s important to be mentally ready for it because you have to change everything about what you eat and what you do on a daily basis.  My kids and my husband have been very supportive. They exercise with me; it’s a family thing. We love to ride bikes and go walking. And now that I’m making better food choices, my kids are eating healthier, too.

I just can’t believe all the changes that are happening with me. It’s very exciting. I wore a bathing suit for the first time in my life. I used to wear size 30/32 pants and now I fit in a size 15/16. People don’t recognize me anymore. It’s hard to recognize myself sometimes. I look in the mirror and say, “is that really me?”

I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished, but what motivates me most is my children. It’s knowing that I’m going to be there for them and, hopefully, I’m going to see my grandchildren, because of the choices I made to be healthier.

Is weight management for you?

If you think bariatric surgery might help you – like it did for Holly – learn more about bariatric surgery here.