Outdoorsman Overjoyed
Chris remembers going on his first diet in 8th grade. “By the summer of 2013, I had ballooned up to 345 pounds and I was just always the biggest guy,” said Chris.
While shopping for clothes to wear on his summer vacation, Chris broke down in tears in the dressing room. “We had our annual summer trip to the Florida Keys all planned,” he explained. “We take our boat down every year to snorkel, fish and scuba dive. So here we were, about to go on our family vacation, and I’m worried because I can’t find a T-shirt large enough to fit me.” That was his breaking point – Chris realized he needed to take action.
He made an appointment with Dr. Hodgett and was encouraged to hear that he was a perfect candidate for the sleeve gastrectomy. “I hesitantly said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’”
The changes came quickly. “Within 30 days after surgery I was off of my C-PAP machine, I was no longer considered to have pre-hypertension or pre-diabetes. At my 12-month follow-up visit with Dr. Hodgett, he looked at my numbers – my triglycerides, my cholesterol -- and he said ‘You’re in better shape than I am, get out of my office!’
Chris says that everything is simpler now that he’s 100 pounds lighter. He went skiing this past winter, and also was able to go scuba diving recently. “I don’t feel like everything in my body hurts,” Chris said. “Things are much easier now, and I am very happy.”