It seemed like it was always easy for me to gain weight and difficult for me to lose it. I was overweight for most of my life. I would diet and start to see success but then I would hit a plateau and start to gain the weight back. Before I knew it, I weighed more than I did before I started dieting.

When I was in college, I tried a lower calorie diet and I was successful for a while but after I graduated  a few months later, my dad unexpectedly passed away and my entire life was turned upside down. My emotions got the best of me and I started to eat more. A few years later, Adam and I got engaged. With planning a wedding, we both started going to the gym more and tried a low carb diet. I did lose weight for my wedding and was feeling really good about it. Being that I was already diagnosed with PCOS and that we really wanted to start a family, I began fertility treatments. It was a ton of medications and my weight started to go back up. I got pregnant with my daughter and I couldn’t have been happier. After giving birth, I found it extremely difficult to lose weight. 

When we wanted to grow our family more, I started fertility treatments again and this time was unsuccessful. It was an emotional whirlwind and I began to gain more weight. My fertility doctor was willing to have me try IVF but only if I lost weight. I started the lower carb diet again and lost weight and got pregnant with twins after our first round of IVF. We were so happy to now have 3 healthy children but I really struggled to lose weight after having the twins. When I was asked to be maid of honor at my cousin’s wedding, I knew I wanted to feel good about myself and started the low-carb diet again. I was very determined this time. So determined that I lost weight, my PCOS symptoms improved, and we got pregnant without fertility treatments.  My husband and I were shocked as we were not trying to conceive and never thought we could without medical treatment.  We were blessed with another healthy baby.  However, I gained more weight with this pregnancy than with my others and tried for 5 years unsuccessfully to lose the weight.

I would cry and cry about being overweight. I hated the way I felt and the way I looked. I avoided being in pictures with my family. My husband said “I love you the way you are but am so sad that you are so upset about your weight. Why don’t you just go to a weight loss doctor and see what they have to say?”  So I called my cousin Lisa, whose wedding I had lost weight for years prior.  Lisa had weight loss surgery years ago and I needed to know the name of her doctor, the doctor she always spoke so highly of.  She said “his name is Dr. Goyal and you will love him!” So I called and made an appointment and had my cousin Lisa come to the appointment with me because I was so nervous.

Dr. Goyal and his staff have been beyond amazing. They were patient and understanding watching me cry at every pre-surgery appointment because of how nervous I was.  They answered all my questions and were always so kind.  After my surgery when all my fears were gone and my tears turned to smiles and excitement, the doctors and staff cheered with me as I hit goals quicker than expected! To see how genuinely happy everyone at NJ Bariatric Center was for me at each appointment was so motivating to keep going. My family is my biggest supporter but Dr. Goyal is right behind them! Knowing that the doctors and staff will continue to guide me through my life journey of maintaining my weight loss gives me the confidence to believe I will not gain this weight back.  However, I know if I slip up they will be there to help me fix it.

Having gastric sleeve surgery has been the best decision I ever made. I have lost 90 lbs and have gained confidence in myself I never knew I had. I know that it’s just a tool and that I have to work at it. I work hard each and every day. I didn’t get on an operating table to fail. I eat healthy, drink lots of water, and exercise for an hour and half everyday, something I wasn’t able to do when I was 90 lbs heavier. . Having gastric sleeve surgery gave me the tool to finally know what it feels like to feel full. I now know when to stop eating and it’s amazing!

My life has drastically changed since surgery. My self esteem has gone way up which has greatly improved my mental health. The symptoms of my PCOS have improved and I am off of all of my medications for it.  I am also off of my high blood pressure medication because for the first time in years  my blood pressure is normal.  The best part is, I am no longer hiding behind the camera taking pictures, I am in the pictures! My husband and kids have pictures with me and of me!!

Since my weight loss I love that I can now be active with my four children. Along with my husband we go on family walks and play sports. My husband, who did not have surgery but is overweight, started to lose weight because he was motivated by me.

I would 1000% recommend New Jersey Bariatric Center to anyone wanting weight loss surgery. I could have never been successful without the support and involvement that is given at this office. They guided me every step of the way before surgery and made the process seamless and easy.