|
I want to offer special thanks to Lenny Mandel
for sharing his success with us. Here is his story:
Hi, my name is Lenny
Mandel from Bayside, NY. I had my weight loss surgery in May 2003.
These last months have been a mixed bag of emotions. My emotions
have run the gamut from being angry at myself, to the joy of
regaining my life. Would I do this again? Yes, quicker than a New
York City second.
I have been very fortunate to develop many
friends through the surgical weight loss community. The kindness
that I have experienced is amazing. It has resulted in many changes
in how I think about life. The best change is, I want to make a
difference for someone else. I have read thousands of posts and
have spoken to many super obese people just like I was, and I have
really gotten an education about life.
Since my surgery, I
lost 141 pounds. My highest weight was 520 pounds. My weight at
surgery was 451 pounds and now I am a trim 310 pounds.
I began thinking
about weight loss surgery almost fours years ago. I was in
Washington DC at the time with my daughter and had an accident. I
sprained both ankles in a fall and was unable to walk. I was
dependent upon people for assistance and I was not a happy camper. I
gave myself a time limit to lose weight. Of course I failed. I did
not lose weight to the degree that I wanted and I made the decision
to have surgery.
The rewards for
having my surgery came quickly. Less than 2 months after my surgery
I attended my daughter's high school graduation. Without the
surgery, I would not have been able to walk from the parking lot to
the graduation ceremony. Prior to surgery walking 50 feet was
unimaginable. The pain was unbearable. More importantly, I would
not have shown up and embarrassed my daughter. My children suffered
enough because of my obesity.
Several other dreams
of mine soon became a reality. One of the most important was being
able to do things for my parents. I felt like a son again.
Shortly after my
daughter’s high school graduation, I regained my mobility. I have
not stopped moving since. I do several miles on a treadmill every
day as well as using other cardio vascular equipment at the gym. I
exercise a minimum of three days a week. I am not a gym rat, but I
want to be successful at the weight loss game.
I still have many dreams that have yet to be
fulfilled. I am careful what I eat, but I still have occasional
problems. However, I know I will beat this disease. I do have hopes
for a healthy future.
Is their anything else that I can say but thank
you to those who assisted me in my journey? I hope that I am
fortunate to help someone and make a difference in his or her life.
Go to
http://www.wlscenter.com/SuccessStories/LennyMandel.htm and
scroll to the bottom of the page to see my photos.
Sincerely,
Lenny Mandel
Bayside, NY
I love good news. If you have good news, a
success story to share, or
inspiration, please send it to me at
Barbara@wlscenter.com so that I can
include it in future issues. |
