Alanna Cosgrove

“Most of my motivation was simply to live better, not to shop in the skinny section.”

I was a little chubby as a kid, but that didn’t stop from leading a fairly healthy life through my teens. But still, the struggle of gaining and losing weight was something I was getting tired of; especially by the time I turned 21 or 22. My blood pressure and blood work counts were fine, but they didn’t stay that way. As I closed in on my thirties, I started developing pre-cursor conditions to diabetes and I knew something had to change.

My interest in surgical weight loss grew after I attended one of Dr. Alford’s seminars, and followed up on my interest by scheduling an office visit with Dr. Steines. I just didn’t want to be that person anymore. I wanted kids and to get married someday. I also knew that I had lost part of myself in having so much weight and the constant battle between the extremes.

Dr. Steines was great and so was his staff. We talked about different options and decided that gastric bypass surgery was the best option for me. From a pre-surgery high of more than 250 pounds, today I’m down to 140, but I have worked very hard. Surgery is just a tool, but your opportunity to lose weight while your changing your lifestyle is priceless.

My life has changed drastically and it’s because of that surgery. My blood pressure is perfect. My blood work is great. I even ran a half-marathon recently. It gave me the chance to reclaim my life. But you can’t cheat it. You’ve got to become active. You need to be prepared for the lifestyle you’re going to lead.