Weight Loss Surgery: Changing Eric Smith’s Life

Weight loss surgery was the plunge uphill for Eric Smith, always the big kid, who has lost more than 200 pounds. Here is his story, complete with inspiring before and after photos.

From the earliest that I can remember, I was always the biggest kid. I didn’t climb trees or fences, though I was always active. I played soccer and football as a kid growing up. I was always bigger then the rest of the kids, though, and my grandmother would always tell me, “Don’t hurt them.”

In junior high, I played football and I had to get my pants from the Dallas Cowboys because the manufacturer that supplied the uniforms for my school didn’t have them in my size.

And at my very highest weight, during adulthood, I weighed 440 pounds. I had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, knee problems and pain in my lower back. I considered weight loss surgery a good while before having it – going to weight loss surgery meeting eight years before my operation. It was out of my price range at the time, and not covered by my insurance. But later I got a job that covered it, and the day my insurance went active I made an appointment.

During the beginning of the process, I had to go on a diet for 90 days for the insurance company. I did begin exercising and watching what I ate, but the weight I lost went right back on during the holidays. My doctor and his staff walked me through every step I would go through and answered all my questions.

After my surgery, I lost 60 pounds in the first two months. When I got to the four-month point, I’d lost 110 pounds. As of February 13, 2010, I’ll be two years out from my weight loss operation – and to date, I’m down 210 pounds and have maintained the same weight for nearly a year.

That doesn’t do much to stop the cravings. There are days when I want to eat everything I see, and the one thing I have to remind myself of is that I have to take my time from the very first bite. I can sometimes forget, but my stomach always reminds me that every bite has to be chewed until the food becomes mush. The second thing is: water and bread don’t mix. Plus, food has to be moist, because dry food is not a friend of my pouch.

Still, I have this to say to anyone else considering weight loss surgery: If you’ve thought about it, don’t let anybody else talk you out of making the change in your life. This is a decision for you, not anybody else – and it will upset those people. Because they don’t like change.

Eric Smith