By A. Pawlowski - TODAY
When she reached 300 pounds, Whitley Yates began to lose sensation in her legs from the knee down, a frightening complication of diabetes.
The results of an A1C test, a blood test that measures sugar levels over a three-month period, indicated he had type 2 diabetes.
"I was very scared because all the men in my family have diabetes. My grandfather had amputations because of diabetes," said Yates, 34, who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.
"I didn't know if I was going to be able to walk... I'm a single mother and I had to make a change, not only for myself but also for [my daughter], to stay alive and be able to raise him," she said.
Whitley Yates poses in two photos with her daughter before and after her weight loss. Courtesy Whitley Yates
So Yates, who is a political commentator, decided to lose weight, a journey that would take her through lifestyle changes, surgery and a new way of looking at food.
Yates now weighs 120 pounds, less than half of his heaviest. At five feet two inches, she has a normal BMI (Body Mass Index) level and is no longer diabetic. He has felt his legs again, he said.
Here's how he managed to get his health on track:
Food as an escape from an abusive relationship
According to Yates, she started gaining weight after having her daughter in 2015.
He also fell into depression when he moved from Los Angeles back to Indianapolis, his hometown, to get away from an abusive relationship.
"I started eating emotionally to deal with the circumstances of my situation," she said. "It really had to do with portions. I was eating two big meals a day."
Standing five feet two inches tall, Whitley Yates reached 300 pounds in 2018.Courtesy Whitley Yates
For example, he could eat 16 chicken wings and then lamb chops. He also ate a lot at McDonald's and Wendy's. Yates never cooked and preferred to eat out every day.
As his weight increased, he developed sleep apnea and had to use a sleep machine. She was short of breath and lethargic. He didn't have full-length mirrors in the house and didn't like the way it looked.
But it was neuropathy in his legs from diabetes, nerve damage caused by high sugar levels, that worried him most about his situation.
Physical training and surgery
Yates hired a personal trainer with whom he began training three times a week. But it was difficult to remedy the effects of a poor diet with exercise, so he didn't get any results, he said.
When she couldn't lose weight on her own, her primary doctor recommended she join a weight loss program at a local hospital. That, moreover, was one of the prerequisites for bariatric surgery, which Yates wanted to undergo.
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As part of the program, she attended classes that taught her about healthy nutrition, people's complicated relationship with food, and mechanisms for coping with stress. He kept a diary, exercised, and went to see a diet specialist and a psychologist.
In eight months, Yates lost 60 pounds. But when her health insurance declined to pay for bariatric surgery, she reverted to her poor eating habits and gained all the weight she had lost. "That was pretty bad," he said.
Still determined to make a change, Yates began going back to classes at the local hospital. When the health insurance enrollment period began, he went to another and reapplied for surgery. This time it was approved.
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Yastes underwent a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in June 2020. During the procedure, doctors remove most of the stomach and create a new bag the size of a banana, according to the National Library of Medicine. Patients feel full after a small portion of food.
Yates lost more than half of his body weight. Courtesy Whitley Yates
Three years later, Yates weighs about 120 pounds, 180 less than when he had more body weight. She is no longer diabetic and does not need a machine to sleep.
Studies have concluded that up to a quarter of patients who undergo bariatric surgery regain a "considerable" weight, so he also had to make changes in his life so that did not happen.
Regular workouts to grow your muscles and tone your body have been essential and therapeutic. Yates now looks at food as something that keeps her alive, but it doesn't bring her happiness or help her fight anxiety.
Radical change in eating habits
He noticed that whenever his friends wanted to meet, the date included a restaurant, so he decided to look for other activities for the group "where there were no dishes in front of them," such as walking along the Canal in Indianapolis or going axe throwing.
"I didn't want to eat in front of other people because they always asked me the same question: 'Is that all you eat?'" "I had to change the way I have fun and what I find fun."
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Now she cooks at home often. When eating out, fast foods are not an option. Instead, it focuses on nice restaurants and orders healthy dishes like seafood. Breakfast can be an egg and sautéed spinach.
You also prioritize protein in your food because they are needed by muscles and other body tissues, plus your stomach's capacity is limited.
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"I've completely changed the way I deal with situations and how I make plans," he said. "I'm not afraid to do what I need to do to stay on this path."
