“I’m becoming healthier and healthier”

Angie started low carb after undergoing weight-loss surgery, and lost 280 lbs (127 kg). More importantly, her health improved dramatically and she reversed type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Her story will inspire anyone who feels like giving up:

Angie’s story

Hello,

I want to share my story with everyone who will read it!

Before I decided to get gastric sleeve surgery I was bedridden, in a wheel chair, on oxygen 24/7, wore a C-pap at night, diabetic, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, was depressed and had been on life support more than once. I was 48 years old and dying.

I have one son who is my world. I gave him life in August of 1989 and he saved my life in October of 2013. He said “Mom you’re going to be a grandma someday and I want you here for them.” I was ready to fight to live. I was 530 lbs (240 kg) and I knew a regular diet was useless. I’d been overweight my entire life and had been on every diet known to man and some I even invented myself!

I was fortunate enough to become a patient of an extraordinary doctor, Dr. Ehab Akkary. My surgery was on May 21st, 2014. My sister pushed me inside as I sat in the wheelchair. I expected the same results I always had when trying to lose weight but within a few days I knew this was different. On the third day after my surgery I was walking around the nurse’s station! My son’s words gave me life.

I had thought about the surgery for many years but was afraid of being put to sleep. I knew I could either lay in bed dying or fight trying to live. My biggest fears were the anesthesia and the fear of letting my friends, family and Dr. Akkary down. My goal was to be able to walk from my porch to my car which is about 50-60 feet (15-18 m).

Fast forward to 2017, I had lost 280 lbs (127 kg) and kept it off following a low-carb diet (less than 25 grams of carbs per day) and I was going to a gym. I rode the bike and did stationary weight training. People I had known for 30+ years walked past me without speaking. I stood in line at the store behind my uncle and he had no idea who I was!

But the best thing is that I was out of bed, out of the wheelchair, and off the oxygen. I was no longer diabetic, no high blood pressure and no high cholesterol. And my son kept up his end as well… my grandson was born in November of 2014.

However, in 2017 my dad and my husband died within 30 days of each other. I was devastated. My world crumbled and I became terribly depressed again and started gaining weight. From 2017 to November 2019, I gained 50 lbs (23 kg) back and I knew I was headed back in that wheelchair. Then I heard about the keto diet and vowed to make it work. I started it in late December 2019 and as of February 3, 2020, I’ve lost 27 lbs (12 kg).

I’m still overweight but I’m becoming healthier and healthier.

I wish I would have known (even as a teenager) the difference between living to eat and eating to live. I wish I had known how bad carbs can be! I wish I had had the knowledge to stop eating myself to death. I wish I had never put my family through the fear and pain of watching me slowly die. I would love to be able to talk to anyone who’s struggling with their weight.

Thank you for listening to my story!

Sincerely,
Angie

Comment

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Angie. I am sorry to hear about your losses, and at the same time very excited to hear how you have transformed your life to be there to enjoy your son and grandson. Our path in life is rarely a straight line, and I am glad you found the lifestyle to get you back on track for your future. Keep up the great work and give your grandson a big hug from us at Diet Doctor!

Best,
/ Dr. Bret Scher

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