After dropping 250 pounds after bariatric surgery, one man finds romance and a renewed lease on life

Love and (Weight) Loss

David Muir would tell you that in losing more than 250 pounds he found his happy ending. The energetic 33-year-old Frederick resident is the father of three with another on the way. Yet, the future wasn't always so bright.

In February 2010, Muir reached rock bottom. At 474 pounds, routine tasks like getting in the car, seeing a movie and shopping for clothes were nearly impossible. He had lost a job because of his weight and was recently divorced.

Believing he and his son deserved better, Muir took action. He attended a free weight-loss surgery seminar at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, where he heard about gastric sleeve surgery for the first time. On April 21, 2010, he underwent the procedure that changed his life.

Muir’s surgeon, Barry Greene, MD, bariatric medical director at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, explains: “The sleeve gastrectomy was the best option for David, because it markedly decreases his hunger and allows him to feel full faster and stay full longer.”

As Muir’s weight dropped, his confidence grew, so much so that four months (and 150 pounds!) after surgery, he gave a woman his phone number—a first for him. They were married the following year, with Muir at a trim 181 pounds. In addition to two children from previous marriages, Muir and his wife, Jacki, had a child in December 2012. Their second child is due in January 2014.

Over the past three-and-a-half years, Muir has maintained his 250-pound loss. He and Jacki, who also had a sleeve gastrectomy at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, say being active and practicing healthy eating habits is a family a air.

“Before my surgery, I had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and life-threatening sleep apnea, and I didn't even know it,” Muir recalls. “I've gained a new lease on life.”

This new approach was apparent on a recent family vacation when Muir spent hours on a ropes course accomplishing feats he never dreamed possible three short years ago. He says it was a defining moment in his new life.

Ready to Explore Weight-Loss Surgery?

Visit https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/services/bariatric-surgery/