I have been overweight and trying to lose weight for as long as I can remember. I tried so many different diets and weight loss methods in the hopes of losing weight, including Weight Watchers and MediFast, however, no matter what I had done, nothing had worked for me. Finally, I was able to lose 100lbs with gastric sleeve surgery and Wegovy®.

Growing up and all through my adult years, I had never developed good eating habits. As a result, the way that I ate, and my lifestyle in general, made me unhealthy and overweight. 

I was always drinking a lot of soda every single day. I drank it with breakfast, lunch, dinner and anytime in between. The amount of sugar in my system was affecting my body in negative ways. As a result, I was on many different medications for my thyroid, diabetes and hypertension. The way I was living made it very difficult to do ordinary things that we take for granted during our daily lives like getting up from a chair. My weight affected my strength and balance, so I would have to hold on or lean onto something that was sturdy in order to get from sitting to standing. I did not like living this way. I remember thinking that I needed to make a really big change in my life. 

I knew at that moment that I wanted to consider weight loss surgery. It was then that I decided to see Dr. Goyal at New Jersey Bariatric Center to see what my options were. I met with Dr. Goyal and we decided on Gastric sleeve surgery. 

Before I had the chance to have my weight loss surgery, I wound up in the hospital in excruciating pain. The doctors wanted to operate on me right away. My gallbladder and my liver were in bad shape, and my A1C was 10.1. I begged the doctors to wait because I had my weight loss surgery scheduled with Dr. Goyal, which they reluctantly did. 

The day I ended up in the hospital in pain was October 27. That was the last day that I ever took a sip of soda. I’ll never forget that day because it’s my sober day. 

Weight loss surgery gave me the tools to change my lifestyle and it helped me lower my food intake and cravings. I lost 106 lbs with the gastric sleeve. I did really well for a while but then ended up having issues during Covid and regained 34 lbs. The bad habits from my former way of living started to come back and I began to feel sluggish, irritable and disappointed in myself.

I went back to see Dr. Goyal and Samah, my physician assistant. We decided on Wegovy® to help me lose the weight. The medication curbed my appetite and my cravings which has helped me achieve my goals. I’ve now lost 30 of the 34 lbs I regained during Covid and I truly feel amazing and my results are evident! 

In addition, Dr. Goyal and Samah have been  major influences throughout my experience at New Jersey Bariatric Center. They are both very understanding and knowledgeable. 

Since my weight loss with gastric sleeve surgery and now weight loss medication, my life has completely changed. Looking back at my Law enforcement career, when I was overweight, I got a lot of disrespect. When I lost weight, I felt like everyone respected me more. When I gave an order, people listened to me instead of laughing at me. 

I can't believe I allowed myself to get that big. I no longer take the little things for granted. I can get up out of a chair without having to brace myself against something. When I wake up in the morning, I feel good. I’m no longer sluggish and I’m able to be more active. I even exercise and overall I’m in a much better mood. My clothes fit better and I walk with so much more confidence. 

Whether you are considering gastric sleeve surgery or weight loss medication, I can’t recommend it enough. I wasn’t able to do it on my own which is okay and both of these tools have helped me to reach my goals.