Sam Cowles carries around a reminder of his old life everywhere he goes. “I keep a picture of my ‘old self’ in my wallet and show it to people all the time,” he shares. At more than 400 pounds, Sam had stopped living life. His weight took away big things and small things. “I didn’t even care about what my hair looked like, because I dreaded looking in the mirror.” Today, he has lost more than 200 pounds through The Center for Bariatrics at Bailey Medical Center and says he feels and looks, at 46, younger than he did when he was overweight. “I feel great. I feel amazing. It is incredible how much things have changed for me. It really makes you look at things with a different perspective. You want to run and tell people there’s something that can change your life. And I do. I tell them that life doesn’t end where you are.”
For 10 years, Sam’s lifestyle of riding around in a patrol car, stopping only to eat at fast food restaurants and working 12-hour shifts took away the body that had enjoyed working out and being active. With each pound he also lost self-confidence and self-esteem. “When you’re overweight, you just don’t feel good about yourself.” As the weight started to drop off, Sam admits the physical change was ahead of the emotional and mental change. “I still caught myself trying to buy big clothes.”
Throughout the program, Sam was provided tools and information to work alongside the progress he was making after surgery. “I learned a lot about nutrition through the Bailey Bariatrics program,” he adds. “What I used to eat, I don’t even like anymore.” He also enjoys exercising and has started lifting weights this year, following surgery to remove excess skin resulting from his weight loss. “I’m really starting to see a transformation.”
The first moment Sam says he started to look at his new body differently was at a photo shoot celebrating his journey. “I thought, ‘Wow!’ he says. “That experience really makes you feel good about yourself. Anyone who has lost a lot of weight might look in the mirror and still see themselves as being big, because you are so used to it. Now I see a different person.”
Sam’s new life began when he attended a seminar to learn more about the Bailey Bariatrics program. That decision led to a new career as a casino security officer, marrying his wife a year after his 2013 surgery and scheduling trips to experience new places. Sam says even shopping has changed for him. “If I can do it, anyone can,” he says.
To learn more about our program, attend one of our free seminars. Click here for dates and to register.