A trauma as a child started a lifelong struggle with emotional and binge eating. In middle school I started the cycle of dieting. Over the years I tried so many different avenues to lose the weight: diets found online, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and medications such as Redux, and Phentermine. Each time I had some success but always regained the weight I lost, plus more, and never made it below the low 200s. Some of the biggest struggles were feeling hungry frequently and portion control. I was literally eating so much at one time that I would make myself feel physically ill.
I started having some serious health issues, and after years of visiting many different specialists I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Because of the pain and weight I could not be as active as I wanted to be, and I started gaining more weight. I was unhappy with how I looked and felt. I no longer wanted to take care of myself, dress nicely or do my hair and makeup. Trying on clothes was awful. I continued to go up higher in sizes, and nothing felt or looked good. I would constantly worry about whether I would fit in a seat such as on a plane, at a restaurant or concert venue and if I would bother the person next to me.
Finally, I reached a point I never thought I would: I weighed over 300 lbs. After a lot of online research and reaching out to several places, I felt like Eviva was the best fit for me. I was excited, yet very nervous, when I made my consultation appointment. When I had my consultation I felt like everyone was so friendly, helpful and patient in answering all my questions and making sure I understood everything clearly. I left feeling confident in my surgeon and Eviva as a whole in making sure that I was taken care of during the entire process.
My surgery went smoothly, and all the staff I dealt with were wonderful and communicated everything clearly with me. Dr. Harris is amazing, and obviously loves what he does. He makes sure to always answer any questions I have and has celebrated my achievements with me. The aftercare was wonderful. I felt supported and was given the tools that I needed to be successful with help from counseling, my nutritionist, the Facebook group and monthly support meetings.
I have lost over 161 lbs and have gone from a tight size 4X/28 to a size M/8. I have dropped my body fat from almost 57% to 23%. I haven’t been this small since I was just starting high school. I am still shocked at how much I have changed during this journey. I was able to get off my high blood pressure medication, I was able to stop using my CPAP and my fibromyalgia pain has significantly decreased. I am so much happier with how I feel and look. I can do so much more physically, and I feel so much stronger. I never even think anymore about whether I will fit in a seat somewhere anymore.
I am not hungry all the time and I have completely changed the way I eat and even though it’s cliché, I feel like now I eat to live instead of living to eat. One thing I am super excited to do that I would never have imagined before is to do the Bike MS over Deception Pass this year. I would say to the old me considering weight loss surgery: You will not regret this decision. You will feel and be so much healthier than you have ever been.
To anyone looking for help I would say Eviva is the place to look. Everyone has been knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and supportive. I felt like I was given the tools and support to be successful. I have seen so many stories of people that are given the surgery with little to no information and just tossed aside afterward, and it makes me so thankful that I found Eviva. Also, as a result of going through cosmetic procedures with Eviva & Dr. Harris I am feeling more confident and beautiful than I think I ever have in my life.
