Tyler feels like he “pressed pause” on his life for about 10 years. Now, thanks to Columbus Regional Health’s Weight Loss Institute, he’s finally able to push the play button.

During that dormant period, Tyler struggled to get out in public due to his weight, which also brought on diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, etc. He says he’s “been big” all his life, but he reached a point in which the ordinary ins and outs of daily living felt like massive obstacles. Then, an addition to his family gave him an epiphany.

“Five years ago, my nephew was born, and it hit me that I needed to shape up if I wanted to see this kid grow up,” he said. “My doctor told me if I didn’t get surgery, I could die. I wanted to stick around.”

The buildup to his weight loss journey sparked a big behavioral change in Tyler.

“Before this, I was the kind of person who was always trying to find a way out of doing things,” he said. “But this surgery was a line in the sand. I thought, ‘Once you do this, there’s no going back.’”

Tyler never went back, even when COVID stood in the way and delayed his surgery.

Before the surgery, Tyler underwent medically supervised weight loss with his primary care doctor, who eventually pointed him toward Columbus Regional Health’s Weight Loss Institute for the gastric bypass procedure.

Now, six months after the surgery, Tyler is down roughly 200 pounds and “able to live life again.”

“The good folks at Columbus saved my life,” he said. “I haven’t had to take a single diabetes medication. I no longer have to use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. I can walk three miles on the treadmill, which is unheard of for me. I can play with my dog, wrestle around with my nephew — all that good stuff.”

Tyler’s journey also led him on the path to becoming a pastor. When he’s not preaching the Bible, he’s spreading the word about the Weight Loss Institute.

“I can’t speak highly enough about that team,” he said. “I love telling as many people as I can about what they’ve done. I’m truly blessed.”