Brooke Willey

Surgery Date: November 2017
Starting Weight: 276 lbs.
Current Weight: 184 lbs.

Brooke Willey thought surgery was the easy way out for weight loss. She realized that she was wrong about this idea, and though it’s hard work, she says it is so worth it!

Most times I begin telling people that I strongly disagreed with having weight loss surgery altogether. It simply was not for me, I felt as if I was young enough that my body could lose the weight on its own, like it had so many times before. Well let me tell you, I was certainly wrong about that summation! I felt like having weight loss surgery was cheating and that people would judge me for that specific reason. After talking to several doctors, and going to one of Dr. Eibes’ informational sessions, I began to have different feelings about this whole weight loss surgery business. I decided to have the surgery after many weeks of thinking about the pros and cons and speaking with close family members. No one person helped me with my decision to have surgery. I just got to the point where I was scared that I would remain sick, and well I’m just going to say it, fat!

I suffer from Gastroparesis, IBS, and before surgery a metabolism that was shutting down and not functioning at its highest potential. I was ready to feel better, look better, and get back to a healthy mindset. The one side effect I wish I would have asked more in depth questions about was the hair loss process.

I have so much energy that I have to go to the gym to release it. Surgery gave me the courage and self-confidence to join a gym, and I now go and workout five times a week. Besides the external changes I have experienced, surgery has given me such a positive look on my life! I wake up every day and think, “what does the day hold for me?” rather than waking up and thinking, “okay, let’s just make it through the day.” I decided to have my surgery with Dr. Eibes because two friends of mine had him as their surgeon, and they highly recommended him and his team at Iowa Weight Loss Specialists.

I can’t express or write down all the things I would like to say to Dr. Eibes and his team. They have been such a blessing in my weight loss journey, and knowing that they will always be around, makes keeping the weight off and staying on this journey less scary!

I would tell someone that is considering weight loss surgery a few things. First of all, it is not cheating to have a surgery that serves as a tool that helps you lose weight and keep it off. Another thing I would tell them would be that it’s hard work after surgery, and you are never truly done working. One of the most important things I figured out was to follow and listen to advice and plans given to you. If you stray from your given plan, this surgery is not going to be as beneficial as it could be. After surgery, I had to continue to eat clean, workout, and take supplements. You really must want to see a change, not just in your physical health, but in your mental health as well. Weight loss surgery is not, and I repeat not, the easiest way to lose weight. You will work your tail off every single day, and it is a journey, and not like other diets you have tried in the past that work for maybe a year or so and then you gain the weight back and then some. Surgery is just the first step in your healthy lifestyle journey. I wish anyone that is considering having this life changing surgery the very best, and embrace all the amazing changes you will experience! It’s not going to be easy, but it sure is going to be worth it!