Chad Walock has always been bigger than average. Like so many kids who struggle with their weight, Chad faced teasing and insults from his classmates. “I came from a family where almost everyone is overweight,” Chad said. “I even re...
Chad Walock has always been bigger than average. Like so many kids who struggle with their weight, Chad faced teasing and insults from his classmates.
“I came from a family where almost everyone is overweight,” Chad said. “I even remember in 6th grade having to cut weight to play football.”
High school sports helped Chad better manage his weight. A two sport athlete, Chad dropped under 200 pounds while competing in both football and wrestling. However, a torn meniscus during his junior year forced Chad onto the sidelines and kicked-off his adult weight-loss struggles.
“As I quit being active in multiple sports, I kept eating like I was in those sports and the weight started climbing up and up.”
Chad tried many strategies to lose weight and get in shape including weight-lifting, intense exercise, and even lost nearly 100 pounds on the Atkins Diet. While Chad lost the weight, keeping it off proved difficult.
“Eventually I gained all the weight back and more,” Chad said. “I also attempted getting back into shape by lifting weight with some good friends of mine. This worked for a short time, but eventually they left and I gained more weight.”
Like so many of us, Chad lost weight, only to gain it back, over and over again. This pattern of losing and gaining weight continued until 2015, when a family member suffered a health scare that put Chad on the road to permanent weight loss.
“My brother started having very severe issues with eating, vomiting, and heartburn." Chad said. "His doctor told him this was a hiatal hernia, and it couldn’t be fixed at his current weight without it just immediately returning.”
The doctor recommended simultaneously fixing the hiatal hernia while conducting gastric bypass surgery. The operation was successful. Within months, Chad’s brother started losing weight. Chad started to think gastric bypass might be an option for him.
“I didn’t want to have the surgery initially and was afraid of it, and in denial and how big I was becoming,” Chad said.
Chad was fortunate. Despite weighing over 360 pounds, Chad did not struggle with many of the other health conditions that plagued his family. Still, Chad knew his weight put him at significant risk for serious health conditions, such as diabetes, and knew it was only a matter of time.
Chad attended a group meeting to learn more about gastric bypass, where he learned insurance would not cover the procedure until he showed consistent weight loss and attended nutrition counseling for six months.
“I have a young son whom I love dearly. I didn’t want to die before watching him grow up. I needed to make a change.”
Chad flourished with nutrition counseling, losing over 50 pounds. While this was difficult at the time, Chad credits this experience with helping him develop healthy, long term habits.
On December 22, 2015, Chad underwent successful gastric bypass surgery, and his weight loss accelerated. For the first two months, Chad lost an average of over 1 pound per day. While the weight loss was rapid, it wasn’t easy.
Gastric bypass is a surgery that aids weight loss by changing how the stomach and small intestine process food. Gastric bypass restricts the size of the stomach, which makes it challenging for patients to get all the calories they need. Because of this, gastric bypass patients require a strict diet for the rest of their lives.
“I had many issues eating without throwing up or becoming nauseated,” Chad said. “I’ve also struggled with other issues such as becoming light headed when I stand up, and blurry vision when I move too fast.”
Gastric bypass is not a quick, simple fix. Since the surgery, Chad practices a strict diet to ensure he gets the proper amount of calories and protein without getting too much fat and sugar. Even more challenging, are some of the attitudes and misconceptions associated with gastric bypass.
Throughout his journey, Chad has faced criticism from people who think gastric bypass is easy. This began in his first meeting. Despite weighing 368 pounds, Chad was one of the smallest men in the room. This upset some of the other patients.
“I was one of the two smallest people in this room and another person at this meeting insulted both me and the other smaller man in the room saying we were ‘too small’ and to ‘get the hell out of here.’”
Chad’s journey has been difficult, but his work has paid off. Chad is now able to chase his son around the park and lives a healthier life since having gastric bypass surgery.
“I look at myself now and see the 170lbs I have lost and see the scale back under 200lbs for the first time in many years. I know I still have a way to go and will continue to lose more weight,” Chad said.
Gastric bypass is not an easy fix, and doctors are reluctant to perform the operation until all other options have been exhausted. Chad offers the following advice for anyone trying to lose weight and facing gastric bypass surgery:
“Gastric bypass is not cheating or taking the easy way out. This is just a tool to help you in your weight loss. Yes, it will be hard. There will be times when the scale doesn’t move for weeks but just keep at it. Yes, you will be challenged and your life will change but, it will be worth it, if you follow your doctor’s plan.”
Dustin Gustafson is an Independent Team Beachbody Coach.
