Via Christi Weight Management Success Stories

Dan Blanchat
Address: Danville, KS
Medical Weight Loss Treatment Plan: HMR Low Calorie Diet
HMR pounds lost: 174
Surgical Procedure: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
Surgical pounds lost: 109
Total pounds lost: 283

Body Mass Index before HMR: 76
Body Mass Index after surgery: 34
Percentage of excess body weight lost: 79.4%
Physical activity before surgery: 0
Physical activity after surgery: 4410 burned per week
Triglycerides before surgery: 78
Triglycerides after surgery: 93
Blood pressure before surgery: 132/86
Blood pressure after surgery: 110/70

"I work for the Kansas Department of Transportation and farm with my family near Danville, Kansas. My family history of obesity goes back a long way. By the time I was 47, I suffered from sleep apnea, knee pain, swollen feet and shortness of breath."

"I’ve been overweight for most of my life and I was not enjoying life. It was very hard for me to get around. My weight was 508 pounds. I was close to losing my job as my co-workers had to help me at work almost everyday. My boss told me I needed to take care of my weight problem or I would lose my job."

"I was told about Via Christi Weight Management from some friends about two years ago and I forgot about it. Then in September I got to asking about it and at the end of October, I started to talk to the folks at Via Christi Weight Management. My first class was November 14th and I thought this is not going to work! I had to drive 120 miles round trip! As time went on they taught me all about losing weight and the pounds started to come off. After 16 weeks I had lost 120 pounds."

"They talked to me about gastric bypass surgery. I told myself that I can do this but I had to get down to 350 pounds before they could help me more, so I told myself I just had to do it. I work at the family farm so I knew I should have surgery done by the middle of April as the Kansas wheat harvest was going to start the first of June."

"The surgery was April 17, 2006. I had always hated being around hospitals and doctors but this felt “right.” I lost the weight and then some! In the past two months since the surgery, I am down another 39 pounds and plan on succeeding in losing another 90 pounds. The support group I go to every week helps me a lot."

"Life for me is so much better now. I’m always out searching for more fun. I’ve taken off 213 pounds in 7 months! I’d like to thank all the people at Via Christi Weight Management and Via Christi Regional Medical Center for all the help they have done for me."