Lashanda Denham’s weight loss journey began in Spring of 2020. She contemplated weight loss surgery for a while, but she was still apprehensive about the impacts of recovery on her ability to be a business woman and a mother. She ultimately decided it was better for her family to pick up a little slack while she recovered from surgery versus living without her if she lost the fight for her life.
Denham found Georgetown Bariatrics after researching several programs. After she had narrowed the options down to two programs, a friend encouraged her to go through Georgetown Bariatrics. After researching more about the care team, education and other resources provided at Georgetown Bariatrics, Denham felt she would be making the best decision for herself.
At her heaviest, Denham weighed at least 286 pounds; around this time, she found it intimidating to step on the scale very often. Denham had her bariatric surgery performed in October of 2020.
Now, Denham has lost over 110 pounds and is no longer obese. After surgery, she started slow with walking regularly, then she progressed gradually to lifting light weights. Today, she has gained a significant amount of muscle mass, and she actually increased her original goal weight to accommodate adding more muscle. She states that she feels “so much better now!” 
Denham was able to discontinue her blood pressure medications within five days after surgery, and she is no longer taking any other medications. Since having surgery at Georgetown Bariatrics, Denham has learned how to develop healthier lifestyle habits for herself. She is grateful that she can go back every three months for accountability and to utilize the technology and resources available to monitor her health with such great accuracy.
Denham encourages patients considering weight loss surgery in saying that she is able to find balance and still enjoy several of the foods she did before surgery. She now has a greater ability to run her business, take care of her family and be a more active participant in their lives. This was only possible once she made the decision to take care of herself.
Denham urges patients already pursuing weight loss surgery to trust the advice of the bariatric care team. There were times she was skeptical, but she was glad that she took their advice, as it enhanced her experience. Denham concludes, “I wish I would have done it sooner. I missed out on a lot of things because I delayed my surgery. I would do it over again 100 times, and my kids feel the same way.”