Kaiser Permanente Medical Weight Management Program
Phone: (866) 454-3480

Steve

Location:	Santa Clara
Starting Weight:	300lbs
Current Weight:	207lbs

I’ve always been a larger guy. In fact, I used to take a lot of pride in my size. When I was younger, being big to me meant that I was strong and excelled in sports. In my early 30s, though, I became an educator, that required regular annual health screenings. During those screenings each year, I had no choice but to face the negative progress I was making; my blood pressure and sugar levels kept rising, and my weight was steadily creeping up. What’s more, I lost a couple of family members and friends to obesity-related diseases. Their deaths were miserable and tragic—I didn’t want my friends and family to remember me that way. So, when my wife mentioned to me that she was considering the Kaiser Medical Weight Management program, I figured I shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to join her. It was an easy decision to support my spouse and address my own health concerns at the same time.

I can’t even articulate the extent to which this program has changed my life. After losing almost 100 pounds, my blood sugar and blood pressures have dropped dramatically. I don’t suffer from aches or fatigues from carrying around excess weight anymore. I have more energy. People are asking me for weight-loss and fitness tips. I can fit into clothes from stores I haven’t been able to shop at since the seventh grade. The other day, I went to Pacific Sunwear to try on clothes just because I could—I had no intention of buying anything, but it felt amazing to feel like I belonged there.

My biggest struggle since joining the program has been adjusting my social life to not revolve around food. As many people do, I would often celebrate or bond with my loved ones over food. Now, I try to avoid that kind of behavior to ensure I’m not using food in an unhealthy way. For a while, it was difficult to get back out there and do things with my friends and my wife without defaulting to eating as an activity. But by now, we’ve learned to adapt our social lives for the better. Instead of going out to eat, we take hikes, bike rides, or visit attractions that don’t involve eating. We’ve been able to see and experience so much more since we stopped centering our social lives around food.

What’s unique about Kaiser MWM is that it’s not a diet—it’s a behavioral modification program. I didn’t just lose weight because I was restricting my calories, I lost weight because I learned how to completely change my relationship with food and exercise, and by extension, my entire life. The structure of this program worked wonders for me. I applied the SMART skills we learned in class to building a daily routine filled with healthier behaviors, including intentional meal prepping and exercising regularly. Do I always do a perfect job? Definitely no. But after completing this program, I’m so much more aware of my tendencies to make bad decisions, and making healthier decisions keeps getting easier. I also know that with the lessons I’ve learned and the support from my MWM staff and cohort (including my wife), I’m never far from getting back on track.

*Keep in mind that each patient is unique; your results may vary.