Andy’s Story

               I have struggled with my weight the majority of my adult life. My appearance has always been a bit of a sore subject, and I was subjected to lots of criticism- especially about what the scale said. I began having mental health issues…depression in particular. Food became my medicine, and when I was 23 I weighed almost 300 pounds. I managed to get my weight down for a short time, but I quickly put it back on during a failed relationship. Every day I would tell myself “I am going to get this weight off, once and for all”. The experience of being overweight was absolutely traumatizing for me, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I felt completely unattractive, and all of my efforts to slim down inevitably failed.

                In 2020, I came to Advanced Medical Weight Loss hoping for a miracle. I just needed to do something different…I knew it was going to take a sizable change in my routine and mindset. I was concerned about more than my appearance at this point- I was concerned about my health, especially long term. I started taking the medications I was prescribed and logging my calories. I committed to a form of exercise that worked for me that I found enjoyable. And then, the weight came off…quickly. Since starting the program, I’ve lost more than 65 pounds, and I am more than pleased with the results. I feel amazing and I’m far more confident.

                The truth is, I had to realize that my issue never really was my weight. It was how I felt about it, and it was how I saw myself. I shamed myself…mercilessly. I wasn’t ever attractive enough… or good enough. And those feelings started a very long time ago. My weight loss journey has been about more than looking better- it has been about self-compassion, something that has been largely absent from my life. And that kind of compassion meant developing good habits and accepting that I wasn’t going to be perfect. I learned that I absolutely had to allow myself to make mistakes. Because of my experience in 2020, I’ve found that weight management is more than just what I eat. It’s about how I live my life, and it can be said that life is a series of choices. The medical assistance I got at Highland Family Practice helped me make better choices. Without the excellent care and supervision I received, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Before

After