Yesterday I explained how I gained weight to 305 lbs. Now it’s time for the rest of the story…how I lost it.

I finally got smart and worked the Weight Watchers program-a little bit. It took me awhile, but I started losing a pound here and there and got down to 285 lbs. Despite all tests showing that I was in perfect health, including my blood pressure and cholesterol level, my doctor wasn’t very happy. He referred me to a Gastric Bypass Surgeon. Now I was getting scared.

The first visit to the surgeons office felt wrong to Maurice right away. The surgeons staff immediately took several “before” pictures of me. They scheduled an appointment with a nutritionist. They scheduled me an appointment with a therapist and they scheduled me to attend two support group meetings for those who are planning to have the surgery. Lastly, they scheduled an appointment to meet with the surgeon. All of this was so fast that it had my head spinning. Maurice was pissed. Something just didn’t feel right to him. Then came the clincher. We were taken into a room to speak with a nurse who explained to us that the type of surgery they performed was the “Gold Standard” of weight loss surgery. I just kind of went along with it all, but Maurice started to become unhinged. Red flags were waving like crazy. We left the office with him feeling like we had just gotten a hard core sales pitch. I defended everything that went on.

When we met the surgeon is when I started feeling uncomfortable as well. He walked into his office and the first thing he said was some kind of flippant remark that he wasn’t expecting two of us being there. It was obvious he only wanted to meet with me. He was like a used car salesman. He continued with the sales pitch we heard from the nurse during our previous visit. I did mention Weight Watchers and in the blink of an eye he talked about how expensive Weight Watchers is. I did not like hearing that. It was very well rehearsed.

There was one thing the surgeon did say that really stuck. He said that he requires everyone who chooses to have the surgery must lose 10% – 15% of their weight before considered the surgery. In the car I told Maurice that if I can lose 10% why would I stop. Why wouldn’t I just keep going. He agreed with me. The next day I called the surgeons office and cancelled all the appointments they had scheduled. And then Maurice said a very loving thing. He had decided to join Weight Watchers to help support my weight loss. The very next Saturday, November 5, 2011, we went to our first Weight Watchers meeting together. It worked and still is working.

So far with Weight Watchers I have lost 90 lbs and am down to 215 lbs. Maurice has lost 50 lbs. What makes Weight Watchers so successful? Accountability and support. You know each week you’re going to be on that scale. How much you’ve lost is not shared with anyone unless you give the okay. Most do because there’s nothing more exciting than having the entire meeting give you applause when it’s announced how much you’ve lost. That is part of the support system. You can easily meet new friends there and support each other through the program. In addition you learn a lot from others who explain what has worked for them as well. Am I a sales person for Weight Watchers? Absolutely not. I’m only a guy who has had his life changed by becoming a member.

Remember when I said that a couldn’t walk across the street without having to stop and catch my breath several times? Those days are long gone. Currently I walk everywhere. My rule of thumb is that if I have to go somewhere that is 5 miles or less away I walk. Most weeks I walk 30 miles or more. My entire life is changed. I still have around 40 lbs more to lose, but I can say with confidence that I am going to lose it.