My name is Virgilio and my story is no different than anyone else’s. I’m 47 years old and married to my beautiful wife Blanca Gonzalez who is the mother of our three kids Kassandra, Alejandra, and Virgilio Gonzalez Jr. My story begins at a family doctor’s appointment in July of 2017. I wasn’t feeling the same anymore and deep down knew something was wrong. After my visit the doctor had me do blood work. At my follow up visit in August the lab results weren’t good. I was 280 pounds, my cholesterol was at 257, HDL cholesterol 215, my LDL cholesterol 170, glucose was 127 and my blood pressure was 142/78. While at this appointment my doctor prescribed a medication that would help my glucose levels. They also mentioned I had type 2 diabetes. A couple weeks prior to my visit I found out a co-worker had gone through a weight loss program and lost about 70 pounds. I was proud of his hard work but still didn’t believe it was something for me. Fast forward to September, I saw yet another co-worker lose about 40 pounds. To my surprise when I asked what he was doing it was the same thing as my previous co-worker. I was really intrigued. If it was working for not only one, but two of my co-workers maybe it could work for me. They gave me the name of the program, Medi-Weightloss® and even mentioned that most of it was covered by our insurance. After receiving this information, I decided to do some research and give it a shot; I made an appointment. October 4, 2017, was the day my life would change forever.
I walked in and was warmly greeted by the receptionist, shortly after I had my vitals and weight taken. I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life, weighing in at 281 pounds; my blood pressure was at 138/70. After my lab work and additional exams, my counselor walked in. I can remember her first question was in regards to my weight loss goal, I told her I wanted to lose at least 100 pounds. She looked at my charts and told me that all I had to lose was 95 pounds. During the appointment I finally decided to give it a try and see if this program would actually work. The last thing Sarah said was that I had to want this in order for it to work. Right off the bat I started my week one as soon as I left the appointment. A week later October 11, 2017, I went back for my first follow-up visit. After weighing in the nurse gave me a small piece of paper and told me I lost a total of 14 pounds in week one. I was stunned by the results.
I had never lost that much weight so quickly and it felt great! That’s when I became fully convinced this was something I could do and something that could help me become the healthier person I wanted to be. As hard work would have it, every time I go in I see the numbers on the scale drop. As of February 14, 2018, I have lost a total of 70 pounds in just over 4 months and I feel great. If you would’ve told me in October that by February these would be my results I would’ve laughed and said “you’re kidding right?” Within a month of receiving my first appointment my wife and daughter also decided to join my journey. Our teamwork helped me meet my goals and maintain my new healthy lifestyle. My wife and daughter have also had amazing results. My wife has lost about 20 pounds and my daughter has lost over 25 pounds in the last three months. I went back for a checkup with my family doctor and she explained that whatever lifestyle changes I made saved my life. This past month I had my blood work done and my results have improved. My cholesterol is now at 93, my glucose is back to normal, and I am off medication for high blood pressure and diabetes. Through this journey I have learned to be conscious of what I eat and understand the consequences bad foods have on my body. I am extremely proud of myself. I still continue to do my workouts at least twice a day or ride my bike for about 10 to 12 miles. It’s a new lifestyle for me and my family as we move into the future. I want to thank my wife for all the support that she has given me as we continue through our journey. Also thank you to the McAllen, Texas Medi-Weightloss® location staff and Sarah Rogers FNP-BC.team.
