Patient Stories

It took me a while to sit down and write what I wanted to say about the amazing, caring professionals at Medical Weight Loss of New York. Not because I don’t have enough good things to say, but because I wasn’t even sure where to begin. I wasn’t sure how to explain why you should consider coming to the office and the life change that will follow after you do. But, here goes nothing!
I can’t recall a time in my childhood or early adult life when I wasn’t overweight, sometimes severely obese. At one of my lowest points, I weighed about 350 lbs. about halfway through nursing school. I had made half-hearted attempts to fix my weight problem without much success. The first time I truly found an effective weight loss strategy was when I began working out at a CrossFit box. The community was supportive and the intense workouts were effective and I lost about 100 pounds by myself.

This success was short-lived, however. As a Registered Nurse, especially a young and new one, I was seeking out high-intensity jobs and exciting practice areas to work in. With this comes odd hours, poor sleeping habits, and a very unhealthy relationship with food. I would find myself eating out 6-7 days a week, sometimes every single meal for a week. I can’t even begin to imagine the number of calories I was consuming in a week. Within about a year from starting the high adrenaline bedside nursing job, I had ballooned from my previous adult all time low body weight of about 245 pounds to about 330 to 335 pounds before I stopped getting on a scale. I felt terrible, my self-esteem was pretty low, I hated social gatherings, clothes shopping was not only uncomfortable but frequently impossible. After about four years I was looking for an out. I loved the place I worked and the people I worked with, but I was yearning for change. A position for my lifetime dream job had popped up on a local company’s website, and I applied.

Being a flight nurse has been a goal of mine since I was a child. My dad would talk about the awe and wonder that these professionals would inspire when they arrived to scenes of car accidents or medical emergencies, and I wanted to be one. I knew that regardless of whether or not I got the job, my body weight would be an issue. Helicopters can only carry so much and many companies have weight requirements for employment. I managed to lose about 40 pounds again with minor changes in my diet and the gym. Imagine my absolute surprise an joy to find out that I had been selected for the job and that I would be starting a career I’d dreamed about since I was a kid. Then, the infamous villain of 2020 reared her head and COVID-19 prevented me from using the gym as a way to lose weight. I managed to maintain my new lower weight, but would soon find out that if I wanted to keep my job, I would have to comply with a newly written weight policy for my company.

Faced with the possibility of losing my dream job, I sought help from Medical Weight Loss of NY. My first visit was lots of data collecting, blood tests, resting metabolic rate test, and body composition among others. The following week, I met with Heidi, a physician assistant, and Martha, a registered dietician. Being a nurse, I can be critical of other healthcare providers. I hold these two in the highest regard. They are motivating, encouraging, and smile and cheer you on in your successes as much as your own family member would. Martha will tell you she loves the numbers, and after learning about all the numbers I learned to love them too. Seeing my weight, BMI, and body fat percentage drop week by week was so exciting. They managed one of my longest-standing problems, hunger. I can say now I know the difference between being hungry and any number of other emotions or feelings which in the past would have autopiloted me to an unhealthy snack or meal. I’ve lost over 60 pounds with MWLNY and I’m not looking back. Since being seen at the practice, I’ve met all the providers and each of them are amazing and supportive. Dr. Scinta is one of the most personable, kind, compassionate, interested, and sincere physicians I have had the pleasure of meeting. Dr. Scinta and the whole team truly embody patient-focused care and you will feel it in every interaction. Don’t let your preconceived notions of medical weight loss, obesity, or your own health prevent you from taking the first step, you won’t regret it and you’ll never look back!