The weight loss center is striving for more doctor referrals for their patients with weight struggles. I had planned to share about my doctors role in my experience but did not know he would be there. Along with the honor of being asked to speak, it was an extra blessing for me to be able to publicly thank him! This is what I said with some slight editing...
~ I’ve been asked to share a little bit of my story with you.
I have struggled with being overweight all my life.
In 1982 I went to Weight Watchers and lost 45 pounds and achieved goal weight of 195 pounds. In 1990 I lost 117 pounds at Weight Watchers and was below goal weight at 183 pounds.
Three years later I came under Dr. Steve Gordon’s care. I had gained back close to 70 pounds and weighed in around 250 pounds. At that time I had no need for a doctor other than for when I would get an infection and need antibiotics or such.
In the 18 years he’s been my doctor, he has treated me for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, G.E.R.D, depression, sleep apnea ~ and ~ I ballooned up to 382 pounds. If you’ve been doing the math in your head, yes I doubled my weight in 20 years!
When I became insulin dependant he sent me to an endocrinologist.
To help treat me for my depression, he sent me to a psychologist.
He praised me lavishly each time I would go to Weight Watchers and lose 20 or 30 pounds and always encouraged me to continue. He tried a few “off label” medicines that showed some signs of helping curb appetite in others, but for me…not so much.
When it became apparent that nothing was working, he suggested I consider hypnosis, which I declined.
Dr. Steve is the consummate professional and never gave up on me. At one office visit in 2008 he paused looked at me and said what can I do for you that will help you lose weight?
I said pray for me and he nodded in agreement that he would.
Honestly it was the only thing we hadn’t tried besides gastric bypass, and he strongly recommended that I only use that option as a last resort.
He was discouraged, I was discouraged.
In May 2009 we went through the routine exam, the routine renewal of prescriptions and the routine notation of another weight gain since the last appointment.
Then the routine changed sharply!
At the end of the appointment he paused. I thought oh boy here comes a lecture and boy do I deserve it!
He looked into my eyes and said, “Charlie, I love you and I want you to get better.”
WOW! I didn’t see that one coming! “I love you and want you to get better!!!”
I was rendered almost speechless! Doctor Steve had always been very friendly and we joked around a lot, but this caring comment threw me totally off guard!
He had crossed over into being an actual friend, and not just a doctor I paid to tell me the stuff I'm supposed to do.
I was stunned!
I don't remember what I said in response, somehow after the appointment I stumbled to the parking lot and drove away...but no matter what I did, I could not get away from those words! “I love you and I want you to get better.”
My next doctor appointment was in September of 2009. This time Doctor Steve gave me a resource packet with information about Mercy Weight Loss Center. I agreed to look it over and even took it to work so if I had time during the day, I’d browse through it. It was put in my lower desk drawer and for several months every time I’d open that drawer I’d remember I was supposed to look at the information, and every time I’d say to myself, “I’ll look at that pretty soon!” (As of today, I checked, it’s still in my lower desk drawer!!)
So in mid-January 2010 I went to Dr. Steve to get prescriptions refilled and check up on my diabetes.
Again, towards the end of this visit Dr. Steve asked me about Mercy Weight Loss Center. To disarm him I said, “Yes I was planning on going to one of their orientation meetings.”
He asked,”When?”
I hedged and said I didn’t know when they scheduled them for sure.
He immediately called his nurse in and asked her to call Mercy Weight Loss Center to find out when the next orientation meeting was going to be. She came back reporting it was Tuesday February 2nd. He looked at me and asked,” Can we schedule you now for that meeting?”
So I thought to myself… Well OK it’s just an informational meeting, “Sure doc, go ahead and give them my name, and I’ll be there.” I figured it would get him off my back, and it wasn’t like I had to commit to actually joining their program!
Then I remembered, “He loves me and wants me to get better.”…………Sigh!
So I went.
I learned that they had a far different approach to weight loss than what I had encountered in the past. It was medically supervised and it looked like the results could be astonishing! I started Feb. 16, 2010….. I weighed in at 379.4 pounds.
I used the decision free plan and I lost 52 pounds in the first 10 weeks, and 188 days after starting I crossed the 100 pound weight loss barrier on Aug. 23rd. weighing in at 276.4. Tonight, 5 ½ months later I have maintained that loss.
I just came from my weigh in at the center before coming here, tonight I weigh 272.4 pounds.
So as of tonight, a net loss of 107 pounds!
I’m pretty sure I have never maintained a weight loss for 5 ½ days in my life, let alone 5 ½ months! And I know I have more to go, but I am truly using the skills and tools Mercy Weight Loss has given me to maintain what I have lost and it is amazing to me that it works!
But it does indeed work!
Mercy Weight Loss has brought me up out of the gutter that was my life, set me on the sidewalk and I’m actually thinking I may be able to rent an apartment along here somewhere now! BECAUSE OF THE TOOLS THEY HAVE GIVEN ME I BELIEVE I CAN LIVE THIS LIFE OF WEIGHT MANAGEMENT!!
At the age of 50 I was an old man. I waited in the car in the parking lot and let my wife shop as I couldn’t keep up with her and it hurt too much. I was totally gray, I walked with a cane at times, and 3 years ago I had already had a total knee replacement on my right knee.
Now at the age of 51, I am a YOUNGER man. We belong to a gym, I color my hair, and my daughter assures me that leaving my dress shirt out un-tucked is what all the young men do nowadays!
I am a young man again!
I was taking 2 different oral diabetes medications, I now take 1.
I was taking 2 different high blood pressure medications I now take 1.
I was taking 204 units of insulin a day, I now take 65, And my last A1C was 6.0!
Now let’s talk about costs:
Before I joined MERCY WEIGHT LOSS I ate 90% of my breakfasts and lunches out. Conservatively, I spent $300.00 a month for those meals. My wife and I ate out or had takeout conservatively 4 nights a week which for the both of us amounted to around $400.00 per month.
Those expenses stopped.
$700.00 dollars a month.
We still ate, but she was more than willing to go without takeout in order for me to achieve success on this program. And I of course wasn’t going out to eat for the foreseeable future.
It does cost to use the services of the weight loss center but when you consider the reduction in my prescription costs and the vast increase in the quality of my life the expenses I did incur were absolutely worth it!
I’ve found that people usually have time and money for those things that are important to them.
I was ready for this, and more importantly those great folks at Mercy Weight Loss were ready for me. After all, I am a "professional" compulsive over eater you know!
So what would you pay to get your life back and add 20 years to your life expectancy??
For me it started with a persistent doctor who loved me and wanted me to get better! Based on my experience, it cannot be emphasized enough that you folks in the medical community can play a huge role in helping your patients get the weight loss help they need!
I would be happy to talk with any of you further if you have questions for me, and I can only say thank you, thank you Dr. Steve for your persistence in getting me to Mercy Weight Loss! ~ And thank you, thank you Mercy Weight Loss for giving me my life back!
Thank you and now I'm going to go hug my doctor!
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