After my weight loss, I move a lot easier and I don’t feel hot all the time. My feet don’t hurt even after walking around the Grand Canyon for six hours. It is also nice to go to a clothing store and have a bigger selection to pick from, because most stores never have a good selection in the big and tall.

Russell

Russell before and after weight loss surgery

I am a stay at home mother of 2 and had my lap band 3/13/09. Before surgery I had severe obstructive sleep apnea and no energy to play with my kids. In 10 months I lost 121 lbs with the lap band. I have a lot of energy to play with my children and my sleep apnea completely went away! I feel like a new person. Before surgery I hated shopping for clothes. There are not a lot of choices for a person who is 5’ 4” and 298lbs. Now shopping is not a dreaded experience. I never thought I would say this, but shopping is actually fun when you can go into any store and buy from the rack instead of having to get clothes altered. My confidence is a lot better and I feel like a new person. Dr. Provost and his staff are so helpful and so willing to help with any issues that you have. It feels like I have an extended family! For anyone who thinks that the lap band is easy or a quick fix, you’re wrong. It has not been easy. The lap band can help you control how much you put into your mouth, but not what you put into your mouth. There have been ups and downs but in the long run, I wouldn’t change my decision to get the lap band. It has totally changed my life!

Amberly

Before Surgery

After Surgery

I’ve loved food for as long as I can remember.  I’m the youngest of four children, so we always had a lot of food at the table.  I was never “the fat kid” at school, but I was always at least 20-30 pounds heavier than my classmates.  My weight spiraled out of control when I was in college.  I left high school weighing 180 pounds. By my 2^nd semester of freshman year, I weighed over 200.  My weight kept getting higher.  I had tried and failed at the Atkins diet, and I was successful at Weight Watchers, where I lost 16 pounds.  I eventually got off track, and gained back all of that weight and plus some. My weight constantly yo-yoed.  I’d get down to 240, and then go through a depression where I’d get up to 260. When my father passed away in February of 2008, I lost weight from sadness and grief and weighed in at 230.  By the end of the year, I ate through my pain, and ended up at over 280 lbs.  I’d avoid getting on scales or looking in the mirror.  I hated what I saw.  I finally decided to look into getting the Lap Band in November of 2008.  Dr. Provost held a meeting that explained the procedure, what to expect before and after, and helpful tips about keeping the weight off.  He explained that obesity is a disease that is treatable.  I contacted my insurance company, and by the beginning of 2009, I was approved for the surgery.    My surgery date was scheduled for March 30^th, 2009.  A lot of people tried to talk me out of it, but I was determined to use this tool to lose the weight.  Pre-surgery, I weighed 283.  Today, I weigh 185.  I feel better physically and emotionally.  I get on the scale frequently now to track my weight loss, and I love what I see when I look at myself in the mirror.  The Lap Band saved my life, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

Before Surgery

After Surgery

First of all, I would like to say that Dr. Provost saved my life more than once.

Before surgery I had tried every diet imaginable.  The list is too long and probably quite similar to everyone reading this.  One thing I did try that I have not seen listed in anyone else’s testimonials is getting wrapped in Saran wrap from the arm pits down.  This was a 1960’s approach to sweating the fat off.  It didn’t work any better than the fad diets.

I remember going to my brother’s field day at his elementary school with a broken foot in a cast.  His teachers offered me a lawn chair since I had failed to bring one.  I knew I shouldn’t try it, but did anyway.  Sure enough, it broke. I was humiliated!

The last time I flew, I had to ask for an extension for the seat belt.  I was told, rather loudly, that “as soon as they were finished demonstrating safety precautions using the extension, they would give it to me.”  Again, humiliation! I could list more situations like this, but I am sure we all share those unfortunate stories.

I knew that I had to do something.  In the early ‘70s I had my stomach stapled.  I only lost 30 pounds. I never regained the 30, but I could not move the scale down any further without the low- calorie, starvation diets.  Well, we all know that those work for a short time and when we eat food again, back it comes tenfold.

I have other health issues and they weren’t yet endangering my life expectancy, but I knew it was just a matter of time. Luckily my insurance started covering WLS.  I was one of the first to sign up.  I went to many doctors.  Most wouldn’t touch me due to the previous surgery, but ALL recommended Dr. David Provost.  I am so glad they did.

My revision to a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in October 2008 went well.  I did encounter some complications a few weeks later.  This is the second time Dr. Provost saved my life. I had emergency surgery, but I lived and I continue to thrive.

I love visiting his office.  The staff is knowledgeable and supportive.  They are always positive and celebrate my weight loss with me. My calls never go unanswered.  I do not live close to his office, so I have difficulty attending his support groups.  I have scheduled appointments on the days of his groups and have participated in their walking.  It was fun.

I feel it is extremely important to go to support groups and I attend monthly meetings in my area.  I log my food daily to make sure I am getting all of my nutrients from food and supplements.  I know that this will be something I must do for the rest of my life and I am willing to do this knowing that my lifespan has been lengthened considerably!

P.S.  I just flew again and guess what?  I was able to put the regular seatbelt on with lots of length left over!

Karen

Before Surgery

After Surgery

My initial surgery, a gastric bypass, was performed by Dr. Provost in April, 2000.  At that time, I weighed 325 pounds.  I had both high blood pressure and diabetes.  Although I initially had some complications, I eventually lost almost 150 pounds.  The high blood pressure and diabetes disappeared.  For the first time in my life, I looked and felt normal.  Over the next 4 or 5 years, I slowly began to put weight back on; mainly because I ate things I wasn’t supposed to, and drank high calorie drinks.  Dr. Provost suggested the possibility of a lap band procedure, which at that time, I don’t believe he had ever done on a gastric bypass patient.  I trusted his judgement completely, and agreed to a second surgery.  The lap band was just what I needed to regain control of my eating habits.  I have lost the weight that I needed to lose, my health remains excellent, and I would highly recommend this surgery to anyone who has gained weight after gastric bypass.

Before Surgery

After Surgery