Before & After Gallery

My journey began at the end of the summer in 2019 when I saw a doctor for an apparent hernia. During my office visit he told me that the hernia was not that bad, but he was concerned about my bloodwork pertaining to my liver. After some testing, I was diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and the beginning stages of Cirrhosis of the liver because of it. My doctor said to me during my visit “now is not the time for diet and exercise.” Which I replied, “so what is now the time for?” He recommended bariatric surgery.

Within a week I made the decision that this was what was needed to save my liver and live a long healthy life. After discussing it with close friends and family I chose Dr Bilof and Garden State Bariatrics. Shortly thereafter I had my first consultation which reaffirmed my decision to do this. I was given the list of pre-operative testing and had it all completed within a month or so and was scheduled for surgery in December 2019. Everything went 100% according to plan. Tests completed, nutritionist meetings, insurance approvals and pre-op diet.

After surgery I did have some discomfort, but nothing that was unexpected. The weeks of training my new stomach to accept food again was difficult at times, but I knew that I had to push through and it would get better. My first few months the weight just fell off. Luckily I never hit a hard plateau, instead the weight loss just slowed down as I got closer to my goal weight.

Now one year later, I am overall a much healthier person. I started my journey at 320lbs, was able to lose 30lbs prior to surgery. I am now 190lbs. Yes, I have some loose skin, but it’s not bothering me. Yes, I miss being able to indulge in different foods, but now I just have a taste of multiple things. The hardest thing to cope with recently is realizing that I am no longer the large person I used to be. My clothes are much smaller, I easily fit into places I never would have before and I don’t have to be concerned about weight limits on things like roller coasters and water slides.

All of the staff at Garden State Bariatrics, Toms River office are amazing people. From Nutritionist Anna teaching me how I should be eating, Julie helping me set up all of my pre-op appointments and handling my insurance approvals. I cannot forget about Jessica and Brandy at the front desk who are always so cheerful and a joy to see when I walk in. Finally, thank you to Dr Bilof and P.A. Michael for your skilled hands completing my surgery with no complications. You are all AMAZING!!!