I started changing my bad food habits before my bariatric surgery,” says William Rodaligo, who has lost nearly 150 pounds in less than a year.
For many, a specific life experience flips a switch that it’s time to make a change. For Ocean County operations and logistics professional William Rodaligo, it was a trip to an NFL football game. “In January 2022, I attended the Cowboys/Commanders game with my friends,” Will recalls. “Weighing over 400 pounds at the time, I needed help getting from place to place and felt exhausted and in pain most of the time.” Living with degenerative chronic back pain and sciatica, the weight also exacerbated his discomfort.
Socially, he was also reluctant to be with groups of people, feeling uncomfortable about his appearance. He hadn’t visited a grocery store in years for the same reason. Most importantly, he was worried his health and weight issues would prevent him from fully participating in his pre-teen daughter’s life.
Gastric sleeve surgery – Beginning weight loss transformation on day one
A competitive athlete until he suffered an Achilles injury 10 years ago, the football game experience was his call-to-action event. “I started the bariatric surgery process with Dr. Sowemimo, but it takes time to go through the insurance-required medical clearances,” he notes. “So I started working with the bariatric dietitian Lori Skurbe to start some dietary changes while I waited for my surgery date.
Will made three key changes on his own—he stopped drinking soda, began using an air fryer to prepare his food and cancelled Door Dash. “Door Dash was a real problem for me and I’m saving a ton of money and calories as a result.” Due to his back condition, he was not able to exercise.
Dr. Sowemimo – Predicting surgical weight loss success
“Will judiciously devoted his pre-op waiting period to begin weight loss,” recalls Lori Skurbe. “He already knew some of the bad habits he wanted to break and I helped him replace them with positive lifestyle changes that would help him before and after surgery.” She noted Will’s 70-pound weight loss before surgery also reduced his overall surgery risk and helped speed post-op recovery.
His bariatric surgeon, Dr. Seun Sowemimo, was impressed by Will’s commitment and shared a trend he has seen in more than 2,000 bariatric surgeries he has performed since 2010—
“Having weight loss surgery is more than just an operation—the people who are successful for the long-term—and maintain their weight loss—stay committed to using food as fuel and medicine to maintain health,” explains Dr. Sowemimo, who also founded the online health and weight loss course, Dr. Seun’s Weight Loss Plan.
“When Will lost an impressive 70 pounds even before gastric sleeve surgery, I knew he would reach whatever goal he set for himself.”
Fine months ago today, on September 14, 2022, weighing 360 pounds, Will had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG or sleeve surgery) and began the next phase of his health transformation. He followed the Prime Surgicare-prescribed post-op nutrition and vitamin regimen and was rewarded with weekly weight loss. Since the start of his 2022 weight loss journey, he has lost nearly 150 pounds.
“I’ve experienced so many unexpected improvements in my health,” Will explains. “I feel rested after the best night’s sleep in years and my girlfriend appreciates that I no longer snore at night.” Will’s chronic back pain has been reduced by 85 percent, improving his mood, energy level and ability to be more active.
The Future: Sharing his weight loss transformation with other men
“My next goal is to hit 220 pounds, reaching a 200-pound weight loss,” says Will, who can now walk for metabolism-boosting exercise. Most importantly, his overall mental and physical health improvements have been astounding. “Without having back surgery, I never thought it would be possible to decrease my pain to this level,” He notes. “Just breathing and moving without so much pain has made me more positive, patient and a better person to be around.”
Will has some words of experience for others who think they have too much weight to lose—
“Think about the people in your life you care about,” Will says. “They want to fully share their lives with you and don’t want to see you stuck on the sidelines of life because of your weight.”
Will plans to launch a YouTube channel focused on helping other men who are facing significant weight challenges. “I want to share lessons learned from my weight loss and health journey to help other guys. When your life has been improved so dramatically, you want to share the tools you used to get there.”
It will be our honor to share Will’s new YouTube channel once it is live.