Great Support Program - Brea, CA

Overweight since I was a child, I had tried and failed with many other weight loss attempts. I knew I needed that extra tool, and gastric bypass was it. It is not a cure, it simply motivates you and forces you to truly think about everything that you eat. I made the decision to have weight loss surgery when I was 19, but it took two years to convince my family that it was what I truly needed to be successful in my weight loss goals. Less than a month after my 21st birthday, I had gastric bypass surgery on September 8, 2010 at the weight of 264 pounds. In mid-July of that year, I attended my second seminar at the Oliak Center for Weight Loss, this time bringing a parent along with me. Upon seeing the comprehensive program and support system that Dr. Oliak had established, his record of successful operations, the amount of thriving patients in his practice, as well as his compassion and genuine caring about his patients, the decision was made. However, I had less than two months before I needed to be back at school for my junior year of college. Dr. Oliak’s staff knew that I needed to be recovered in time to go back to school, and they knew that time was tight to get everything through insurance, follow through on all pre-surgery requirements, and make sure that this surgery was truly the right fit for me. It has now been 18 months and I am down 110 pounds. I am a runner; yes, I actually enjoy running. I go to bootcamp and am no longer the girl trailing at the back of the pack, but instead am at the lead. I go to spin class and hot yoga on a regular basis, and I thrive on the physical challenges. I have endurance for activities I never thought I could do. My family frequently remarks at my boundless energy. I no longer have to shop in plus size stores, but can shop pretty much anywhere (which, I’ll admit, has had an effect on the size of my wallet). I will admit that there were some struggles along the way. As I went to school along the Central Coast, I was unable to access all of the remarkable support at my disposal at first, such as the Monday night support group meetings and the six week emotional eating support group class. But every chance I got, I would check in with the office. We would have phone appointments and I’d come in on days I didn’t have class. Everyone in the office did all that they could to ensure that I was not lacking in support. I was eventually able to take advantage of everything offered to me, and I have to say that I consider myself…no, I AM a success.