Happily for men, they lose weight a lot faster than we ladies do. However, even with that advantage, this is quite the story.
Robert Morgan was the 31 year old, 502 pound sports editor for the WC Messenger of Wise County, Texas. He knew he needed to lose weight and remembers feeling proud of himself when…
…there was a time when we ate out more than we did at home. And I remember thinking at one point that I was getting healthier because I switched to Taco Bell. At that point I was getting burritos with lettuce and cheese rather than quarter-pounders. And boy, I thought that was a huge improvement.
Life was tough at that size, even for a former football player. He’s married to a sweet woman, they have great kids and it’s the good life even if they don’t have lots of money.
But deep inside I knew better. I could not stand the pain shooting up the heel of my foot or that I was out of breath walking back to the car after a football game. Better yet, I knew I was in trouble last April when I was at Odessa’s Ratliff Stadium for the regional track meet. This massive, college-size stadium has no elevator and hauling a wide load up 50 flights of stairs several times a day about gave me heart failure.
I felt doomed to die of a heart attack by the age of 32, but I didn’t know what to do. I don’t overeat so I figured eventually it would all go away. I was certain that putting on a few extra pounds was something that happens to everyone when they hit their 30s.
Then one day, a rude kid mouthed off and Robert was sent on a new journey:
It hit me like a ton of bricks this year, and I have one immature, rude, disrespectful Decatur High School student to thank for it. I was at my first volleyball game of the season in late August when I walked by the student body section. I noticed in my peripheral vision as I approached the group that one boy in particular kept staring at me. Just as my family and I passed, he quickly turned to two of his buddies and said, “Did you see how fat that dude was? What a freak!”
He talks about the self-revulsion we all feel:
I thought about it all night, the next day, and for the next week. I wanted to change overnight before the next person made fun of me. I see it almost every day now that my eyes were opened by this one person. People look at me differently every day, it’s just I can’t read thought bubbles as they stare when I slowly pass by.
I realize now I have been hiding from my problem that just won’t go away. My negative feelings about my appearance prevented me from enjoying everyday life, like going to movies, going for walks at the park, visiting with family and friends and playing with my two small boys. I hide from cameras and I run from mirrors. I hated the way I looked, and worst of all, I hated myself.
Robert talked to his wife, his boss, even his photographer who had wrestled with weight:
After laying everything on the line, I decided it was time for drastic measures. I just could not take another minute of being this way. I wanted to change my life, not only for me but for my children. They need their father back.
I decided to have weight-loss surgery before the weight killed me.
He talks about the humiliation obese people endure:
Flying? That could have been the worst experience ever. I had to board the plane early so no one would see me squeeze into my seat-and-a-half while connecting a seatbelt extension. Thankfully, my wife traveled to California with me and I didn’t have to pay for two seats.
He talks about the fact that he didn’t eat that badly. If you’ve read through my blog, you know there are lots of reasons you put on weight other than sheer gluttony. This is what he says:
I didn’t ask to be this heavy, nor did I get this way because I wanted to be seen. I never went home at the end of the day and ate a large pizza with a side of ranch dressing while drinking a two-liter bottle of Pepsi, only later to chase it with a tub of ice cream. It’s disheartening that people actually believe those walking in my shoes live their life with food in their mouths 24 hours a day.
So, Robert decided to fight back and he lists his raison d’etre for doing so:
My weight problem came along because I ate wrong. I was eating the wrong foods at the wrong times. Too much eating on the run and not enough eating a home-cooked meal at the dinner table.
Now I’m fighting back. I’m going to succeed for five main reasons:
1. To be an example for those who think it’s not possible to lose 200 pounds that it can be done;
2. To show the heartless, disrespectful folks who have looked down at me these past few years that I am human;
3. To be the man my wife used to know;
4. To give my children the father they need;
5. Because I want my life back.
Robert did his research:
I spent many long nights and early mornings researching doctors in North Texas that specialize in Lap-Band surgery. I did my homework online and offline. I talked to people who had the surgery and discussed their doctors and I looked into past problems and how many of these operations they have performed.
I finally, found the man who would help me change my life – Dr. Curtis Mosier. After talking with former patients, his Lap-Band coordinator and Mosier himself, I was ready to take the leap.
If you’re in North Texas, here’s Dr. Mosier’s page.
For Robert, as for many of us, insurance didn’t cover his surgery. He came up with the $15,000 on his own, and he is glad he did. The series starts at the beginning of his journey and goes on for two years. I’d encourage to read the whole series. It’s quite a story.
