So many weight loss stories start with, “I’ve been heavy my whole life”. Denton resident Danielle Brewer’s story certainly starts that way, but it does not end that way.
Today, Danielle is 182 pounds down from her heaviest weight, and she’s so close to her goal weight, she can almost reach out and touch it. The 32-year-old wife/career woman/stepmom (to three teens!) has a lot on her plate but her commitment to her weight loss journey is never far from her mind.
“I was tired of being overlooked,” said Danielle. “I was tired of being that fat one in my friend group. And I was really tired of hearing ‘you’re pretty…for a big girl’.”
Danielle stopped going to Six Flags with friends and family because of the shame she felt knowing she wouldn’t fit in the seats of the rides. She didn’t want to be in photos and wasn’t able to do the things she wanted to do with her friends and family.
So she decided to do something about it.
Tapping into the Power to Change Her Life
Full of resolve and with the support of her mom and her husband, Danielle called Weight Loss Specialists of North Texas. And the rest is history.
Dr. Ayoola spent considerable time getting to know Danielle, hearing her story, understanding her goals, fielding questions from her and her husband and thoroughly evaluating her health before recommending the duodenal switch procedure.
The duodenal switch is a surgical procedure that combines qualities of both the sleeve gastrectomy and the gastric bypass. “I went in thinking I wanted one procedure but Dr. Ayoola felt the duodenal switch would be best for me,” Danielle explained. “After a lot of researching, I agreed with him.”
Danielle had her surgery in November of 2016, and more than two years later, she continues to lose weight. She adheres to her vitamin regime and does everything Dr. Ayoola recommends regarding diet.
Never Going Back
Today, Danielle can be found riding the rollercoasters at Six Flags with her stepchildren, participating in 5ks with her girlfriends and socializing again. She’s gone back to school to get her bachelor’s degree in human resources.
“I have my life back,” she said. “Today, I can do anything I want.”
Worth the Work
For anyone who has tried and failed to lose weight on their own and is now considering weight loss surgery as a last resort, Danielle would like to share that – yes – bariatric surgery is an amazing solution that works…but it is not the easy way out many people believe it will be. “It’s actually the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she admitted. “But it’s so worth it.”
“My life is completely different now and it is so much better,” added Danielle, voice heavy with emotion. “It’s hard to find someone you would trust with your life but I literally placed my life in Dr. Ayoola’s hands because I trusted him. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
