Facing morbid obesity, two ‘big losers’ tell how they achieved extreme weight loss
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In eight years, more than half of Oklahomans are projected to be overweight. And according to the United Health Foundation, that will make Oklahoma the most obese state in the nation. Oklahoma has fallen to next-to-last on a recently released listing of healthiest states, dropping 17 spots since 1990 to No. 49.
The popularity of weight loss reality shows seems to underscore the determination some people have to shed significant amounts of weight. They may not have done it with cameras rolling, but two area residents each have lost more than 100 pounds. Reversing poor physical health requires a willingness to make, and stick with, difficult lifestyle changes.
Here’s how they did it.
The medically supervised way
Edmond attorney Scott Thompson did not have an epiphany. Sure, he knew that, at 365 pounds, he needed to lose weight. He took blood pressure medication as well as medication to treat high cholesterol. Yet at 38, he figured he had plenty of time to address the issue.
“I was plugging right along, and obviously I knew I needed to lose weight, but I really did not have one of those moments of clarity,” he said. “I was controlling my high blood pressure and cholesterol with medication. I had not reached the point where I was having significant issues or close calls, heart problems or any of those things that would provide a wake-up call. So, I had convinced myself that I would get around to losing weight one day.”
Then just over a year ago, Thompson’s father said he was planning to go to The Steelman Clinic in north Oklahoma City for medically supervised weight loss and asked him to go along as a partner. That is how Thompson started down the path that helped him shed 175 pounds.
“How much I needed to lose and wanted to lose are two different things,” he said. “When I first went in to The Steelman Clinic, I weighed 365 pounds. I was thinking if I could get 100 pounds off, that would be incredible. I would still be overweight, but not nearly as much, and I thought that would be a good goal.”
A year later, Thompson reached 190 pounds and is now on a maintenance program. He no longer needs medication, runs four miles a day and practices taekwondo. Before, he had a hard time keeping up with his two young children. Now, he said, they have a hard time keeping up with dad.
Although he had considered surgery, he felt that perhaps it was too much like a magic elixir. When he learned that his insurance would not cover the procedure and that there were considerable risks involved, Thompson decided he was not at a place in his life where he could accept those kinds of risk.
“I was not at that point that I felt that my demise was imminent,” he said. “It kept occurring to me that surgery did not seem like a long-term solution. Something that I learned when I got into this weight loss program is that you have to change your attitude toward food and change your attitude toward exercise. You have to change those parts of your life.
“You have two choices when you start with this program,” he continued. “One, follow the program and it works. Two, don’t follow the program and it does not work. It’s pretty simple.”
The medically supervised program is initially restrictive and can be difficult, Thompson said, but after awhile, the body calms down and adjusts. He has felt good and energetic throughout, and his attitude and lifestyle have been transformed.
“Life becomes less about planning your day around food,” he said. “Diet meals are not that exciting. When meals become less exciting, they become less important because if you are hungry you need vitamins and sustenance. After awhile, meals just become part of your day.”
The surgical route
At 454 pounds, Judy Davis was having a hard time getting around. Her weight affected her knees, and she was barely able to walk. She suffered from a host of health issues including sleep apnea, high blood pressure, an enlarged liver and diabetes. Then, in May 2006, Davis fell and broke her foot. As a result, she was forced to use a walker.
That, she said, was her turning point.
“It was like the slap in the face I needed. I have an 80-year-old mom who did not need a walker, but I needed one at 49.”
By chance, Davis saw a television ad for Summit Medical Center, formerly known as Foundation Surgical Hospital of Oklahoma. She was shocked to learn the hospital specializing in weight loss surgery was located in Edmond where she lives.
“I thought it was a God thing, the fact that it was in my own neighborhood,” she said. “I had been thinking about weight loss surgery for years. I had dieted, lost weight and gained it back many times. My problem was keeping it off. This was my last resort.”
Before she would be considered for weight loss surgery, Davis first had to lose 80 pounds to mitigate the potential risks due to her physical condition. She started the process Nov. 1, 2006, and never looked back. Sticking to a 1,200-calorie daily diet, she met her goal by the following spring and had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a common surgical procedure.
Since that time, the 5-foot-5-inch Davis has lost 267 pounds. Her health issues are completely gone. No more sleep machine, blood pressure medicine or aches and pains. At age 52, she said she feels like her life is now starting.
Although insurance does not pay for bariatric surgery, Davis said she decided she would not allow the cost to deter her.
“If I need a new vehicle, I buy one and make payments,” she said. “So, I took out a loan to pay for it, just like you would for anything else that big, like a house or a car.”
After two weeks on a liquid diet, Davis was able to eat soft foods. She said the key is to take vitamins and eat protein first to keep energy levels up. In addition, Davis is committed to daily workouts and would still like to lose another 25 pounds. Further down the road, she will consider plastic surgery to remove excess skin.
“I thought the surgery would be horrid, but it wasn’t,” she said. “You gotta live your best life, and I was miserable. You will lose weight, but old habits are hard to break. My diet is restricted, but this was my last chance, and I can’t go back. I feel that I have taken control of my life.”
Is one method better than the other?
Two formerly morbid obese people and two different methods for losing large amounts of weight. How does one choose between one and the other? It takes a lot of personal insight to make such a decision, according to Dr. Michael Steelman, board certified bariatric physician at The Steelman Clinic and twice selected as the national bariatrician of the year by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.
“People really have to do some soul searching and ask themselves if they have used a physician-designed program by someone who has expertise and training in that field,” Steelman said. “And after that, they must truthfully ask themselves if they have really given it 100 percent.”
If a person is in a life threatening-type situation, such as living with diabetes or uncontrolled hypertension, surgery is a good choice. However, these same issues could create a greater risk of complications from the surgery itself. While weight loss occurs as a result of surgery, patients still must follow a very strict protocol of diet and exercise for the remainder of their lives.
“That means, you must go back to question No. 1,” Steelman said. “Patients must ask themselves if they are looking at the surgery as a way of removing responsibility from themselves for following a diet and exercise program. There is a misconception that surgery takes the responsibility off the patient. It makes the stomach smaller and they may assume that they can eat everything but not gain weight from it. That is just not the case. It is not risk-free.”
Dr. Greg Walton, a bariatric surgeon, agrees that patients must have tried to lose weight non-surgically first.
“If the weight is affecting your health and you have given every effort to lose it non-surgically, then surgery is a good option,” said Walton, who is affiliated with Summit Medical Center.
His practice, called WeightWise, offers free, nonobligatory seminars for potential patients. Information is presented by a surgeon, a psychologist, nutritionist and exercise physiologist. The risks and benefits of having the surgery are explained and attendance at a seminar is required before being accepted as a candidate for surgery.
With surgery, Walton said, there is risk.
“Any time you have anesthesia, there is an element of danger,” he said. “For obese folks, some of the risks, like pulmonary embolism, can be more common. And, there is also a risk for leakage.”
However, he said, since he and his partner, Dr. Toby Broussard, started their practice in 2006, they have treated 1,200 patients and have had zero deaths. Walton is a diplomat of the American Board of Surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
“There are a huge number of myths surrounding obesity,” he said. “Losing weight and keeping it off is very difficult. We used to feel that it is a self-control issue, but we are finding through a number of research studies this is not the case. Obesity is a disease, and we don’t have a cure. Medically supervised weight loss or surgery are the only options available to treat morbidly obese people right now. Operations are for the morbidly obese population, and multiple papers document they are the only successful option over time.”
Steelman maintains that surgery is a last resort for weight loss.
“It is my basic belief that most people can lose weight with a focused, individualized medical treatment plan if they will commit to following the program, practice patience and be persistent,” he said.
“However, I have patients that I do refer for surgery who have done everything I have asked them to do and their health has been jeopardized in such a way that surgery makes sense. And then, it should be performed by a bariatric specialist in a specialty hospital.”
The team approach
Morbid obesity means being overweight to the extent that personal health is in jeopardy. Levels of obesity are based on body mass index or BMI. When a BMI reaches 40 and above, a person is considered morbidly obese, meaning medical conditions created by excess weight are shortening lifespan.
The reality television series “The Biggest Loser” demonstrates that a change in lifestyle to include exercise and calorie restriction under medical supervision works. Although contestants spend their days dieting and exercising, those same results can be achieved without appearing on national television by working with a bariatric physician who is trained in weight loss protocol.
Surgical procedures to aid in weight loss have been available for approximately 20 years and have become progressively safer. Two common surgical procedures are the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the Lap-Band, which restricts what the stomach can hold. A new procedure, the gastric sleeve, removes 75 percent of the stomach and is permanent.—Susan Grossman
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