Hello, everyone. Take a journey with me will you?

I always remember being big. When I stepped on a scale at the age of 7, I was 80 pounds and pudgy. When I was 14 years old, in 8th grade, I was 300 pounds. At my highest weight in January of 2012, before knee surgery, I was 505 pounds. What set me on that path was due to numerous factors, but it’s far too much to unpack in this post. The fact is, that was my experience for most of my life.

From the moment I learned about bariatric surgery, I wanted it. I had tried everything - dieting, exercising, medicines, supplements, support groups, accountability partners, New Year’s resolutions… you name it, I probably tried it. I never saw any of them through. For me, even though I had a lot of setbacks in pursuing it, including going through the program years ago, only for insurance to change right before surgery, I always felt like surgery was going to be my cure. I went through long bouts of depression and eating my feelings, but I always held out hope that it would happen. I had seen other people I loved have it, and they were successful. I just knew that it would work for me too.

Slowly, I did start to lose weight. Over the course of the next 12 years my weight did trickle down… then it would go back up, then down and up again. Over and over it was like that. My body never settled. Even when life was going well, the weight was always there.

Until 2024, when thanks to my wife’s insurance, I was able to get the surgery.

September 24, 2024. I weighed in at 353 pounds that morning. There was so much hope on that early morning, the day after our first wedding anniversary. It wasn’t the way we wanted to celebrate, but we hoped that I would be better off when it was over. That I’d be on my way to a brand new me.

That did happen, but man, it was Hell getting there for a while.

Months of complications set me back. I had to stay in the hospital for almost a month. My body didn’t cooperate. It fought hard to resist the changes. I even, for about a month or so after the surgery, gained so much weight due to treatments that I looked deformed. I balooned back up to 390 pounds because of those treatments. That set me back for about 3 months.

But, despite all that pain, I turned a corner. I remember at one point that I said I hadn’t smiled in a month, but there was a night at home when my wife made me laugh. Riotous laughter, as much as I could at that point. From that moment on, despite a bit of pain, things started to get better.

The weight started to drop.

My energy came back.

My mobility increased.

My heart and soul felt revived.

I was me again. But, I was a new me. Aaron 4.0, as I had become thanks to my wife when she helped me reframe the idea or turning 40, but now, something even more.

Now, one year later, I weigh 245 pounds. Almost 110 pounds down from surgery and around 260 pounds down overall. I’m not down as far as I thought I would be at this point, but I have to remember that I had a long setback. As such, for about 9 months of weight loss, that’s not bad at all. It’s still my goal to get to 200 pounds or less, but… I’m pretty happy with how far I’ve come so far.

Lots of adventures. Personal successes. Far more ups than downs. That’s what my life has been since surgery.

Love has helped me see it through. My wife’s love, more than anything, has truly sustained me. She was my rock. She didn’t ask for the burden, but she took care of me at my worst. Now, when I’m at my best, I have her to thank for it. I truly couldn’t have done it without her.

All of the support I’ve received from friends, from family, from my care team, from work, all of it… I’m thankful for it all.

Now, a year later, I often ask myself if it was worth it. Was it worth all that I went through? All the pain? Knowing how much it stressed out my wife too?

Physically, yes, it was worth it. But, if I had to do it again, I still don’t know if I would. I go back and forth on it constantly.

Here I am, though. Thriving. Living my best life. And it’s only going to get better from here.

These photographs are the journey. From my worst to my best, in order. Celebrating at a covered bridge 2 years in a row to show the progress. It’s time to retire that old sweater. Now I need a safari hat to go with that outfit.

Thanks for taking this journey with me. Love and light to you all.

My journey - 1 year after surgery