Read the details of our Gatric Sleeve Surgery in San Antonio Success Story – patient John Newton. John spent many years making a great sacrifice for our country and protecting our freedom while he was in the Navy. While in the Navy he had a very strict daily workout regimen that kept him in shape and kept him from putting on weight no matter what he ate. Then in 2006/2007, shortly after leaving the Navy and stopping that lifestyle, the weight began to pile on and he was quickly faced with an issue he had never had before.
John Newton
Highest Weight: 338
Goal Weight: 200
Current Weight: 197
Procedure: Gastric Sleeve
“This is not cheating, it’s not a fix or cure-all, it’s a lifestyle change.”
When John left the Navy he weighed about 230lbs and by the time he had surgery in 2015 he weighed in at 338lbs. In the 9 years between, while the weight was stacking on, he tried everything that his body could handle to try to get the weight to come back off. He tried Atkins, cutting back on his calories, smaller portion sizes, and working out but found that as more weight creeped on working out got harder due to the aches and pains that came with it. He said he got frustrated trying all the diets because “with dieting I would lose 10-20lbs and feel good and then something would come up and I’d just stop dieting and it all comes back plus some.”
John was no stranger to the other options out there to assist in his weight loss, his mom had a Gastric Bypass and his sister had a lap band, so after thinking it over he finally decided to look into it and learned that his insurance would cover bariatric surgery. He began his research and came across Dr Patel and decided since there was a seminar coming up he would check it out. He attended the seminar and says that “once the seminar was over I was ready to have surgery the next day.” John settled that the gastric sleeve surgery was the best option for him to pursue because “I didn’t want to have issues eating like I had seen with my mom and sister.” His mom was very restricted on what she could eat due to the risk of dumping syndrome and his sister had many complications with the band which ultimately lead to an emergency removal. John began his journey with Texas Bariatric Specialists in June of 2015 and on September 28, 2015 he had a gastric sleeve gastrectomy in san antonio.
In just over a year John has lost over 140lbs, he has made it into the 100s, which means he has surpassed his goal weight of 200lbs. With this great weight loss though, John has found that “finding the happy medium between not losing too much and not gaining is the hardest thing.” He has also found that the mental game of it all is hard, he struggled with the liquid stage and even an initial regret that he shouldn’t have done it at all. For John there is no ‘easy’ part to this process, there are emotional, financial, and mental struggles before and after. He says he believes that “it’s a misthought by people that there would be anything easy about it.” But even with all the struggles he has overcome he is now thrilled with his new life. Like many others that have gone on this journey he now has more energy, no more body aches, is no longer lethargic or feeling sick all the time. One of his greatest motivations is his desire to be where he wants to be, he said “I went from fat and don’t care to always being cautious about what goes in.” He has found recipes that help him satisfy his cravings without compromising health. He also has figured out his body’s cues that let him know when he is full, “my nose runs when I am full, which is helpful to know…only problem is when I am eating chili.”
John wants others to know that despite what many people believe gastric sleeve surgery “is not cheating, it’s not a fix or cure-all. If you don’t use it as the tool that it is you will gain the weight back.” He would also tell others to make sure they are willing to make the changes both mentally and physically before deciding they want to pursue surgery. “They need to know that they must be willing to eliminate alcohol, no more pigging out at parties, or snacking on junk food.” Ultimately, he wants potential patients to know that the whole process is a lifestyle change, it’s not easy, but it’s worth it and he would do it all over again and would recommend it to others.