Denise Allen had it all: a loving husband, five beautiful children, and a community she felt part of. The only problem was her weight. For as long as she could remember, Denise had a chronic weight management problem and she struggled to lose weight. She had five babies within six and a half years. From busy days parenting to not giving herself enough time between kids to work on herself, she finally felt it was time. With the help of surgery and semaglutide for weight loss, Denise was able to achieve weight loss, successfully going from a size 3X to XS and keeping it off. Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist. Even modest weight loss can have significant health benefits, and Denise’s journey highlights the importance of taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle.
Growing Up in Carrollton, Missouri, Uncomfortable in Her Skin Due to Chronic Weight Management
Denise loves being part of a town where everyone knows your name. Growing up in Carrolton, Missouri made the Allen family feel close to their neighbors. A self-proclaimed extrovert, Denise made friends with everyone who came into the local restaurant where she worked, and beyond its borders. She loved going out and being social but felt self-conscious about her body weight. This led her to explore various obesity treatment options.
“It’s not fun to go out and do anything when you’re overweight. I was a clothes junky. I was a 2 or 3 XL, and I thought the clothes were cute. I look back now and think, ‘What was I thinking?’”
A Big Loss and Hitting Bottom
When Denise’s father passed away, she hit a wall. He was her rock, and the devastation of the loss caused her to turn to emotional eating. She’d order large fast food meals like a Big Mac and large fry from McDonalds and still didn’t feel satiated. The poor diet zapped her energy leaving her too tired to be active, adding to the weight gain. Obesity and emotional eating can significantly increase the risk of heart disease, making it crucial to address these issues for better health.
It wasn’t until she took her daughter to a dance team event that a makeup artist mentioned her own success with bariatric surgery. She’d traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, and the results were amazing. Denise contemplated the procedure, looking at how happy the woman seemed. She decided she wanted to find that same happiness. Denise knew it was time to get her body weight under control.
Denise’s Body Mass Index (BMI), Family Support and Lifechanging Bariatric Surgery
At first Denise was nervous to broach the subject of surgery for losing weight with her husband. One day when he was home for the weekend from working on the pipeline, she ran it by him. He was always supportive and quickly decided, “Well, you’re not going alone.” The surgery was scheduled in August of 2020. Denise was 276 pounds at the time and her body mass index (BMI) qualified her for surgery.
Nervous but excited, Denise spent two days in the hospital, where she received “white glove” service and 5-star accommodations. She knew the weight loss surgery alone wouldn’t be a cure-all. She had to work long term and reduce the amount she ate. She shifted her diet to protein drinks aiming to consume 40 to 50 grams of protein, which she drank slowly throughout the day.
The results were encouraging, and Denise watched 76 pounds of body weight roll off soon after she got home. Losing weight can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. At 200 pounds, she set a goal to weigh 150 pounds two years from now, and she was prepared to go slow and steady.
Finding Ways to Maintain Weight Loss and Reach a Healthy Body Weight
Semi-fasting wasn’t the best option for Denise, and she wasn’t a big fan of working out. She wanted to be at a healthy body weight but was struggling to keep the momentum of those initial 76 pounds. She turned to Dr. Pavel, her primary care physician at Big Tree Medical. Dr. Pavel had gotten to really know Denise and understood what she was capable of, her medical record, and what the best options would be for her as an individual.
After a long hour-and-a-half chat about how she was feeling and what she wanted to gain from her weight loss experience, Dr. Pavel suggested a compounded semaglutide for weight loss to lower her blood sugar and manage the sugar cravings. Semaglutide also helps in glucose metabolism, which is crucial for managing blood sugar levels.
Denise discussed potential adverse events with Dr. Pavel before starting the treatment. She’d need to take weight loss injections once a week. The needle subject was jarring at first as Denise had a fear of injections, but it was tiny, and she was surprised by how easy and painless the process was. Compounded semaglutide helped Denise achieve clinically meaningful weight loss. Additionally, compounded semaglutide can help in improving cardiovascular risk factors, particularly in overweight and obese individuals.
Clothing Tells a Story
When someone isn’t at a healthy body weight, how clothing fits always plays a big role in any successful weight loss story. Denise recalls, “I started semaglutide in January weighing 174 pounds, and by September I was 115 pounds. I went from a 2 or 3 XL in August of 2020 to an XS in September of 2023.” Her clothing shrank with her, and thanks to weight loss medications, she dropped the excess weight and went from a 3XL to an XS. Being a fashion enthusiast, Denise still has 4 closets full of memories and evidence of her transformation. The struggle of each size drop is evident on each hanger.
Weight loss can significantly improve metabolic health by reducing the risk of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
She was grateful to those who encouraged her to take a yearly photo to document her weight loss progress. From the picture of her in the dress she wore to her daughter’s wedding to the outfit she chose on the 4th of July, every photo was a milestone proving you can’t see immediate change day after day, but year after year the evidence was there.
Actively Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle for Overweight and Obese Individuals
Not every aspect of the weight loss journey was positive. Denise’s journey highlights the importance of chronic weight management. Semaglutide has been shown to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events in clinical trials. Working in the restaurant went from feeling self-conscious over her size to hearing multiple rounds of, “Are you sick, Denise?” as regulars noticed her startling weight loss. Family members urged her to eat more at dinner, afraid she had an eating disorder.
She also noticed some competition from female friends who saw her being energetic and outgoing, suddenly thinking to themselves, “I want that,” but instead of asking, trying to diminish Denise’s new light. Finally, Denise took the negative and decided to spin hurtful comments into a positive. Instead of focusing on the comments, she started telling people about semaglutide for weight loss in an effort to support those around her in their health goals. She told friends and family about how Big Tree Medical helped her lose weight, and soon had people reaching out through Facebook asking her how she achieved her results. Dr. Pavel even began to joke that Denise’s referrals filled his schedule.
The Impact on Others
Denise’s weight loss inspired not only her community but her family at home. She watched her son, Rylan, aged 21, lose a best friend to a drunk driver and cope with the emotional pain with eating and drinking. He made it to 320 pounds before Denise realized what was happening and helped him find counseling services. She encouraged him to come to the Methodist church with her. Over 3 years, Rylan lost 120 pounds and went from working at the local marijuana fields to working for the post office and working toward earning his personal training certificate.
Denise’s success story underscores the importance of effective weight management strategies like semaglutide for weight loss. Semaglutide contributes to sustainable weight loss by helping to regulate appetite and improve metabolic health. Denise’s husband sees how happy and active she is now and is planning his own surgery and weight loss injections for next year. Now, Denise, her husband, her 5 children, their spouses, and her grandchildren are preparing to leave on a trip to Clearwater, Florida. The only regret Denise has is not losing the weight sooner to enjoy experiences like this more fully.
Want to learn more about BigTree Medical Weight Loss?
If you’re struggling with weight loss and interested in learning more about semaglutide for weight loss and other weight loss supports, Big Tree Medical can help. Big Tree Medical’s medical weight loss program, which includes weight loss medications, can help you lower your cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Call 573-814-1170 to start your weight loss journey today.
