Angela Teague struggled with her weight for many years due to an autoimmune disorder. After deciding to have weight loss surgery at Bailey Bariatrics in 2016, her life drastically changed for the better. Now, she plans to become a personal trainer to help others with weight issues.
At her highest weight, Teague weighed 300 pounds. Living in what she called tremendous pain, she had psoriatic arthritis, was taking 13 medications and was put on chemotherapy.
“Throughout all of this, I continued to gain weight, not only because of the disease itself, but because of the depression that came with not knowing if I was going to wake up in pain or not,” Teague said. “I have always been a very competitive person. I treated my disease like a failure on my part because it was causing me to not be able to exercise or lose weight.”
Teague’s mindset changed after learning more about Bailey Bariatrics.
After speaking with a friend who had weight loss surgery at Bailey, she learned how the surgery impacted their life and felt ready to speak with a doctor.
“When I had my first appointment at Bailey Bariatrics, the doctor really helped me realize that it wasn’t a failure on my part,” Teague said. “My issues were coming from the lack of metabolism that my body was producing. After this, I decided it was in my best interest to have the surgery.”
Years of psoriatic arthritis complications quickly declined after Teague had the gastric sleeve. She stopped taking all of her medications before surgery, thinking she’d have to go back on them after. Six weeks after surgery, she hit a major milestone.
“After an examination, my rheumatologist found that my inflammation rate was already lower than it had been in the past 10 years, meaning I didn’t have to take those medications anymore,” said Teague.
Shortly after visiting with her rheumatologist, Teague was released to start exercising again. At her heaviest, she said she did water aerobics five times a week. While it helped her psoriatic arthritis, she wasn’t losing any weight. 
“I got back into water aerobics after my surgery and then eventually started doing regular aerobics,” Teague said. “During this transition, I discovered my passion for fitness. It made me feel so good and I knew it was helping me become the healthiest version of myself.”
Teague’s love of fitness became more than a personal journey. Mo Smith, exercise specialist at Bailey Medical Center, encouraged her to become a personal trainer. Not long after, Teague said she became an aerobics instructor and began working on her national certification for personal training.
“Hearing her say that was incredibly influential,” Teague said. “She said she thought my personality fit well and she could really tell that I had a lot of enthusiasm for exercise.”
Teague wants to inspire others that have struggled with their weight. For her, losing the weight gave her a new outlook on life.
“Instead of saying ‘I can’t,’ I say, ‘I’ll try,’” said Teague. “At 300 pounds, I would look at running down the block and I knew I couldn’t… No matter what it is, I’ll try. It’s really like having a life without limitations. If you’re in a hotel and the elevator breaks down, you don’t have to worry about how many flights of stairs you might have to take. If you have grandchildren, you can get down on your knees and play with them without being in pain. If you want to grow a garden, you can do so without experiencing back pain. It’s freeing in every sense of the word to be able to do these types of things.”
When it comes to her post-surgery diet, Teague sticks to a very high-protein diet due to her fitness regimen and incorporates meat into her meals. She also said she still tracks what she eats daily.
“Shrimp is my go-to, but I also love steak,” Teague said. “I also try to meal prep each week so I don’t have to think about what I’m going to eat. I think meal prepping is a plays a huge role in staying on track.”
Aside from teaching aerobics and working on her certification to become a personal trainer, Teague is a volunteer for Make-a-Wish Oklahoma, as well as a Special Olympics coach.
“I think it’s better to feed your soul than your wallet,” said Teague.
After losing a total of 130 pounds, Teague is more optimistic than ever and describes the past two years as the epitome of greatness.
“At 42 years old, I am living my best life,” said Teague. “Not only has the weight loss changed me physically, it’s changed my outlook on life and has really given me a second chance. It’s something you can only understand if you’ve struggled with your weight. I’m truly enjoying every second of my life.”
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