Tonya’s Story – Medical Weight Loss Patient

Tonya is one of our non-surgical weight loss patients who has lost roughly 65 pounds so far. In this clip, Tonya shares her story of her weight loss journey with Mercy Healthy Weight Solutions. The program at Mercy Healthy Weight Solutions is a life long healthy journey that changed Tonya’s outlook on life.

TONYA: My name is Tonya Buchanan [phonetic], and I came to Dr. Northup’s office to participate in the medical weight loss program. I started at 255 pounds and I am down to 190 pounds, so I'm pretty excited. Before I came to Mercy Healthy Weight Solutions, I was overweight and didn't have a lot of energy to try new things, or was terrified of going to the gym, kind of going out of my comfort level. That’s one of the best things I think that came from this is, through their partnership with the gym, it was very encouraging and you felt like you had the support to make the changes that you needed to make. I felt that once you met with the staff here, they weren’t selling a quick fix. It was a lifestyle change. It was the gym. It was the whole program. They didn't promise me a quick fix, and that’s why I like the program. I tried all the fad diets. My daughter graduated from college last year, and when I was looking at the pictures, I decided I really needed to do something before I turn 40, and it was time to really focus on getting healthy and making real positive choices. The pictures did it. Pictures don’t lie. When I look at the pictures now, it's a little frustrating. It's hard to believe that I was that heavy, so a little challenging to look back at this. When I first came to the gym, I actually wanted to do a spinning class and it terrified me. So, it took me about four months, but I at least feel like I can hang now and spinning, and I enjoy exercise, and I think that’s a big piece for me, is learning that, and it took a long time to get there. I would recommend Mercy Healthy Weight Solutions because they’re honest, that there is no quick fix, that it's a lifestyle change. And their staff and Dr. Northup give you the support to make the changes that are going to stick with you, and I think that’s the best part about the program.