When author Jason U. Terry works out at the gym, he feels like a rock star on tour, but that hasn't always been the case. In 2006, he weighed 416 pounds and felt like a prisoner trapped inside of a body he didn't recognize in the mirror. Because of his weight, Terry suffered from dire health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. His doctor wasn't confident he'd live to celebrate his fortieth birthday. Terry was obese, and it affected every aspect of his being. In Smiling All the Way to the Scale, Terry shares his personal story of how he suffered from depression, lived through some dark days, and then embarked on a journey that literally saved his life. He tells of surviving bariatric (gastric bypass) surgery, being healed by the hand of God, and continuing to follow healthy lifestyle habits. He provides tips and advice for others who feel the pain of being overweight. A story of inspiration, Smiling All the Way to the Scale shows that you, too, can shed unwanted pounds. The battle to lose weight can be won.

Smiling All the Way to the Scale

How Gastric Bypass Surgery Saved My LifeBy Jason U. Terry

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2011 Jason U. Terry
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4269-7477-9

Contents

Chapter 1 Unstable Weight Journey.............................1Chapter 2 Darkest Days........................................4Chapter 3 Mental Change.......................................7Chapter 4 Life Changing Decision..............................10Chapter 5 A New Beginning.....................................12Chapter 6 Then and Now........................................15Chapter 7 Fifteen Minutes of Fame.............................17Chapter 8 Inspiring Others....................................19Chapter 9 Commitment to Lifestyle Change......................23Chapter 10 My Vision..........................................30Chapter 11 Relating To Being Overweight.......................42Chapter 12 One Year Post-Surgery..............................46Chapter 13 "The Wall".........................................51Chapter 14 "Declaring War"....................................54Chapter 15 Enhanced Job Performance...........................60Chapter 16 Winning the War on Weight Gain.....................62

Chapter One

Unstable Weight Journey

* * *

Today, every time I go to the gym I feel like a rock star on tour. This is my story.

I use to weigh 416 lbs. standing at 5 foot 10 inches tall and the year was 2006. I was fat and out of shape and grossly overweight. My waist was a size 58, my chest look like I had size "D" breast, my legs look like giant tree trunks, and my arms looked like logs. I could not see my shoes because of my gigantic protruding stomach which was so big that I could not see below it. I could not walk 10 feet without feeling out of breath. I was very depressed and I hated myself for looking the way I did.

I felt like a prisoner trapped inside of this person whom I no longer recognized in the mirror. I tried to avoid going to gatherings and events as well as participating in activities, if it meant being around a crowd of people. I can remember how uncomfortable the family reunions were for me. There would always be someone that would make rude and hurtful remarks about me because of my weight. I would hear things like, how did you get so big.... boy you done swallowed an elephant and now you look like one..... I never would have thought you would let yourself get so huge. These remarks made me feel like hiding under a rock; however I probably could not have found a rock large enough.

Every morning and night I was consumed with thoughts of being severely overweight. Looking in the mirror at my naked body made me disgusted and angry because I had allowed myself to get so fat and become obese. I would wear dark colored clothing to try to look smaller in size but there was no fooling myself I was still obese.

I had tried almost every weight loss method known to man. I tried dexatrim, slim fast, phentermine, phenflorimine, water pills, and the grape fruit diet along with joining the Quick Weight Loss program. However, none of these dietary methods worked long-term I still remained grossly overweight.

I did not know what size I would be from one year to the next. For over fourteen years my weight was very unstable. It began in the year of 1994, one year after being honorably discharged from the United States Army. I took notice of the fact that I had slowly started to gain weight and by 1994 I was weighing 252lbs. I joined the Quick Weight Loss program and lost 61lbs within a few months, however ten months later I gained all of the weight back plus some. I just thought once I lost the weight it would be gone forever. Big mistake! By the year 2000, I was weighing well over 300 lbs. and by the year 2006 I weighed 416 lbs. As a result of being overweight I developed diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and degenerative arthritis in both knees. My body was not just obese now it was afflicted with all of the above diagnosis and I hated the way I looked even more.

I was not going to allow death to come and take me. When I thought it was no way out and that I was permanently trapped in this very large obese body of mine, a postcard arrived. It advertised the benefits of Bariatric Surgery. At that time I knew very little about this procedure, but from reading the postcard it was proving to be the way to go. I thought this was my way out and I had nothing to lose, but much to gain. I wanted to live; I had so much to live for. I had grown tired and frustrated with the roller coaster ride I was on for many years concerning my weight. I was more than ready to try something that would be more permanent.

Chapter Two

Darkest Days

* * *

On April 24, 2000 my mother, also my best friend died from medical complications at the age of 59. We were very close and it was very hard for me to except her death. My mother was an unselfish woman with a giant heart. She was the gentlest, caring and loving person who ever lived. I also lost my father when I was 18 years old and now I had lost my mother at the age of 33. They both are gone and no longer here with me and I miss them both so very much. At the time of my mother's death I was weighing around 310 lbs., my heart was torn and I fell into a deep depression. Although I tried hard to keep it hidden from my family and friends, I turned to food more often for comfort than ever before. I consumed all the wrong foods and snacks such as ice cream, cookies, potato chips, all kinds of chocolate, pies, brownies..... etc. And my portions of foods were enormous and high in calories and sugars. I just did not care anymore, my mother ... my best friend was dead and over the next six years after her death, I gained over 100 lbs. Losing weight just was not a priority to me during this dark time of my life.

In December 2000, I was diagnosed with type II diabetes, a diagnosis that I knew all too well because my father was a diabetic for more than 17 years before his death. I can remember this day just like it was yesterday. It was December 26th when I drove myself to the emergency room because I was experiencing blurry vision, constant urination, feeling very lethargic and being constantly thirsty. My blood glucose level was over 750 which was very high for a diabetic. I remember the doctor saying that I could have slipped into a diabetic coma if I had gone to sleep that night without medical treatment and that really scared me. He also wanted to admit me to staying overnight as an in-patient. The next day was my wife's birthday so I pleaded with him to please let me go home once my glucose level got lower so that I could be there to celebrate her special day with her and he did. I love my wife so much.

Shortly after being diagnosed with diabetes, I developed high blood pressure, high cholesterol and learned that protein was leaking from my kidney into my urine. I was prescribed lots of medication for these conditions. In addition to taking the oral medications, I also had to take 65 units of insulin by injecting myself twice a day. It was challenging and I had to discipline myself to this new way of living. Some days were harder than others but I got through it. All of these diagnoses sounded like a death sentence and taking so much medication made me afraid, very afraid of dying.

I was told by my Physician that my weight was playing a big role in my deteriorating health. He said if I did not lose the weight, I might...