Weight Loss Surgery Directory

By Location By Map
Before & After

 
—  
* move mouse over the picture to see “after” photo

See these instructions if you wish to submit your own Before & After photos.
Surgeon Testimonial

David Le, MD
I have had a few appointments with Dr. Le, and I have been pleased with our interactions. My first thought upon meeting him was that he was quite young. However, Dr. Le handles himself professionally and is willing to answer any questions that I have. I never feel that I am being rushed out of the office with him.rnrnAny future patients should note that Dr. Le is rather soft spoken but quite intelligent. He's also quite thorough and ensures that his patients understand the surgery that they are about to embark upon. If there are any questions, he will be the one to answer them quickly.
Member Interests
  • Cats - I have three cats: Melchiah, Raziel, and Kain
  • Singing - I am countertenor with a four-and-a-half-octave vocal range.
  • Black American - African American and proud!
  • French - Je parle français courrament. Je cherche les autres francophones.
  • Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender - I have been happily married seven years to a wonderful man!
  • Martial Arts - I have black belts in tae kwon do and Goju-Ryu karate.
  • X Box - I actually have an Xbox 360, but you get the gist!
  • Atheism/Agnostic - The belief in rational thought and empirical evidence is what motivates me.

Xavier Smith's Journey

Click Here To View

Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
As a child and teenager, I did not have issues with my weight. I studied the martial arts religiously and led a fairly healthy life. As a whole, I did not think much about my weight. Transitioning into adulthood proved to be difficult though. My mother passed away from an excruciating death from colon cancer, and her death took a toll on me. I coped by turning to something that I thought would bring me comfort and solace: food. I stopped working out and starting gaining weight, and the weight gain got out of control. Behaviorally and emotionally, I dealt with stress and anger with eating. Eating was the only thing that I felt I could control. So it's interesting how the tables really were turned: Food was the master, and I was actually the servant.
Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by judyanne on 5/14/07 8:28 pm
    Now that you are a couple of months out, I hope you are doing well with your protein, water and exercise. I wish for continued success for you and I hope to read more of your journey on your profile.
  • Comment by Celest J. on 3/7/07 9:10 pm
    Sending lots of love and good vibes, you are going to do great. Big hugs, Celest
  • Comment by LavenderLoco on 3/6/07 4:26 pm
    Wishing you a smooth and safe surgery, speedy and easy recovery and all the best as you begin your exciting, life-changing journey. Many Blessings!
Click here for the surgery support page
Xavier Derico-Smith's Blog
Xavier Derico-Smith's Blog


Realizations
on October 11, 2007 10:42 pm

I am a bit more than seven months out now, and I have lost approximately 125 pounds.  I have still got a bit to go on my journey to get to my goal, but, all in all, I am happy with the progress that I have made so far.  I have said it before, and I will continue to say it:  I would not trade this entire experience for anything.

Yet, at seven months out, there are few things that I am beginning to realize.  First, I realize that my pouch has stretched, and it's supposed to have stretched by now.  With the way that I eat though, I am sure that it is not as stretched as someone who is eating appropriately.

Second, I am beginning to realize that one can only do so much exercise before the body starts to rebel.  Lately, I have been a bit frustrated with a small stall that I have been enduring, so I have stepped up my exercise regimen a bit, to the chagrin of my husband.  I have decided to walk five days a week at five miles per day.  On the other two days, I planned to train in the martial arts along with training an hour in the arts on the days that I am walking.  I also planned to couple the training and walking with Pilates training to ensure that I was burning enough calories to keep the weight off.

Well, here's the newsflash!  I am still reasonably eating no more than 700 calories and have been burning nearly twice that amount!  While one is expected to burn more calories than he consumes, I am still not getting all the calories I should be getting in a day.  I should be consuming 1,200, but it's quite difficult.  Yet, it's not so difficult to burn that and more.

What is a girl to do?

I'll tell you what she will do.  She will pick up the fork (did you ever think you would be saying that after THIS type of surgery?) and stop some of the exercise!  For heaven's sake, maybe I should stop at a McDonald's or something--just so I can work the calories in!  Of course, I wouldn't resort to getting my calories through that much fat, but you get the drift.

One would think that so many issues would be alleviated with bariatric surgery, and so many of them are.  However, really I am finding that one trades one set for another.  To eat or not to eat?  That is currently my question.

Be the first to leave a comment.

Interesting Web Site
on October 3, 2007 9:24 am
If you are an avid reader or simply read occasionally, you might find the following Web site interesting: http://www.paperbackswap.com. Basically, it's a free site that allows you to join and swap books with others. The only thing you have to pay for is postage to mail the book. Any books you receive, you will receive them freely.

If you choose to join the site, please reference me when signing up (under referral information).

Of course, this post is not bariatric related, but I still think that many people would be interested in the site.

Be the first to leave a comment.



Archive

Tags