Patient Stories

For as long as I can remember, my weight has always been a struggle for me.   When I was younger, I didn’t have much of a choice because I ate what was put in front of me.  I didn’t grow up in the healthiest of households, I had no idea what healthy eating was.  I came from a family of 5 and both my parents worked long hours, so quick meals were the way to go with 3 kids.  We regularly ate fast food, junk food, pasta, foods loaded with butter and salt.  I cannot ever remember eating a salad or any vegetables other than potatoes and corn.  But you can only use that excuse for so long.

I went on diet after diet and would lose the weight and gain it all back.  I would become discouraged and just give up.  But one thing that I always promised myself is that I would never go over a certain weight, I set a threshold for myself.  Once I would reach that point, I had to look at what I was doing and go on yet another diet.  I didn’t want to do that anymore.  Starting in my 40’s I would lose weight but could never get past a certain point, I would stall.  No matter what I did, the scale wouldn’t move. I was working out every day and eating what I thought was healthy and it wouldn’t matter, making me discouraged yet again.  I also was dealing with hypothyroidism and couldn’t get my numbers under control, so that wasn’t helping either.

In March of 2021, I was looking at myself in the mirror while talking to my fiancé and I said to him, “I am starting to look old and haggard; I don’t look like me.”  I really felt disgusted with myself, and I needed to do something.  By the way, I was exactly at my weight threshold, so I needed to do something.

I searched online for weight loss help and programs, that’s when I came across Medical Weight Loss.  So, I submitted the inquiry form and spoke to Bryan a few days later.  After speaking with him, I felt that this program could really work for me, and it was so different from anything that I have ever tried before.  So why not!  What do I have to lose?  Well, I lost a lot… 50 pounds in about 5 months!

Why did this work for me better than any other diet that I have tried? I think it was several things.  I think working with different members of the staff with the expertise to guide you every step of the way was very important.  During the initial visit they do various testing to determine how much weight you need to lose safely.  They also do blood work and an EKG and then you meet with a doctor to go over your results and formulate a plan. You also set a goal weight and I explained that I haven’t been able to get below a certain weight for a very long time. So, I set my goal at about 5 pounds below that weight thinking that I will never get there. You also meet with a nutritionist (Martha) to determine a food plan that will work for you. I like that this program was very structured, which worked well for me.  I liked the fact that I had regular visits with either a doctor or Martha and that kept me accountable. I didn’t want to fail. I truly believe that all these factors and my determination helped me to not only reach my goal weight but lose 15 pounds below that.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was so happy and proud of myself every time I had an appointment and got on that scale.  This motivated me even more that I was seeing the results, this was working.

Submitting that form was the best decision I have ever made.  It changed my life in such an impactful way and taught me so much.  Eating the right foods in the right amounts has always been difficult for me.  But working with Martha was a game changer. She set me up with the My Fitness Pal app and I tracked everything I ate and continue to do that now while I am in maintenance.  Again, this helps me with the accountability as it makes me think twice before I eat something.  I opted to do the full food plan and I finally know how to eat healthy without depriving or starving myself. What I learned from her will help me to maintain my weight for the rest of my life.  I am so grateful to Martha and the encouragement and praise that she showed me every time I met with her, she was my biggest fan every step of the way giving me the motivation that I needed.  All the staff at Medical Weight Loss have been so encouraging and they really want you to reach your goal and succeed.

-Jennifer W.