Testimonials

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Before	After

lost 85 lbs. “I had my gastric banding surgery performed in January of 2006. I reached my goal weight in December of 2006. I have lost 85 pounds. I had never successfully dieted and lost any significant amount of weight and quite honestly did not think the gastric band would work for me. One year after reaching my goal, I am still surprised when I catch my reflection in a mirror or window. I turned 50 recently, and I look and feel better than I did at 30. I no longer have joint pain and have much greater endurance for physical activities, but the best part about losing weight is that I no longer spend an inordinate amount of time and energy focused on myself and my weight, and that was my primary goal.”

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Before	After

Lost 125 lbs. “I was severely overweight, (275 lbs.) unhappy, angry, frustrated, and just plain BURNT OUT! My closet was filled with clothes that I would never wear or fit into. I hated who I had become, I hated the way I felt inside and out…it wasn’t me. I had lost myself to the weight. And now because of Northwest Weight Loss Surgery and the gastric band I am able to be the WOMAN I always knew I was. I have lost 125 pounds. The gym is part of my day and I am so grateful that I no longer look for the biggest size on the rack and only if they have it in black! I finally love ME, accept ME, and feel like I am ME. My life is happy, joyful, exciting and all because I said YES to myself!”

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Before	After

Jay lost 163 lbs. “Like most overweight people, I had tried every diet known to man, some two or three times. Even though I lost weight I always gained it back…plus more. You know…the usual story. Because this yo-yo effect was so disheartening, I decided never to go on a diet again. Before my gastric band, I weighed 325 pounds and had a BMI of 56 I was taking seven medications. In addition to my health conditions, I struggled to tie my shoes and perform other common tasks. I was also avoiding social activities more and more. Even though I was sure I would die prematurely because of my weight, I worried more about becoming handicapped and being a burden to loved ones by having to rely on them for survival. I had the choice to either continue on my path of self-destruction or have LAGB surgery and get better. I had a choice. I made the choice to live.”

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Before	After

Bruce, lost 135 lbs. “At age 60 I finally faced the reality that I had been overweight for almost 50 years of my life. I could no longer overlook the pervasive nagging guilt I had been trying to ignore. My prospects for a healthy, long future were beginning to fade. I had to do something. I selected the LAGB option after a year of research. Since then I have lost 135 pounds and my creeping health symptoms have abated. The greatest change, however, has been the complete removal of that nagging cloud of guilt that I had been feeling but trying to ignore for the last 50 years. With the help of the gastric band, I can now control my weight. At 64 years old I now look forward with confidence to a long, healthy, active future at whatever I choose to do. I feel free at last!”

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Comments About Northwest Weight Loss Surgery:
He seemed very caring right from the start. I still think that to be the case. The office staff is very friendly and helpful. I really liked the way he introduced himself as "Brad Watkins". Doesn't talk in a condescending manor at all. He's very willing to answer any question I might have. The aftercare emphasizing is big. Their office has two support group meetings a month and I signed a paper stating that I would attend at least one each month because it's so important. The risks were explained to be several times. I really like him as my doctor, he's done a great job with the actual surgery and he's easy to talk to.

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Comments About Northwest Weight Loss Surgery:
My first impression of Dr. Watkins was, "Wow, he looks so young!" I was expecting that because he was a surgeon, I would get about 15 minutes of his time and that would be it. Boy was I wrong. In my first appointment with him, he spent over 2 hours with me. He provided great detail on how the procedure was going to happen and explained the risks involved in having the surgery versus the risks of not having the surgery. I brought my mom along to the appointment for moral support and Dr. Watkins graciously answered all of her questions, and she had a lot of them. Over time my impression of him only got better. Every time he would see me in the hall at the office he would stop me and tell me how great I was already looking and would reassure me that I was in good hands. He made me feel very secure with what I was about to undergo. Because of my high BMI, Dr. Watkins told me that he required me to lose 30 pounds before he would do the surgery. He was very serious about this because he said that loss of 30 pounds would make the surgery a lot smoother and a lot less risky. To help with this weight loss, he prescribed a liquid diet called Optifast800 which I could get right from his office. I lost 37 pounds in 5 weeks. Looking back, I am very happy that he had me lose that weight. The staff at Northwest Weight Loss Surgery is the best! Most all of them have had the Lap-Band surgery and were more than willing to answer any and all questions I had for them. I think I must have spent a half hour on the phone with Heather (one of the receptionists) one day asking her tons of questions about her experiences. Not once did she act like I was inconveniencing her or taking up her time. Her conversation with me was one of the key factors in my choice to have the surgery. Thank you, Heather. The others I have met and interacted with there including: Christy, Jessie, Deb, Trish, Pat, and Heidi have been absolutely wonderful! I feel like I have become part of the family. Aftercare is very important at NWWLS. Dr. Watkins and his staff believe that aftercare is an important part of successful weight loss. They hold support meetings twice a month and require attendance in one of those meetings. I was a bit worried about that requirement because I've never been much on support group meetings when I've done other diets in my life. Quite honestly, I've always felt that support group meetings were a waist of my time. Not the case at these support group meetings. These meetings are very informational and positive. They have provided me with many great ideas on eating the right foods, exercise, relationships, and many other things that we all deal with post surgery. I have found the meetings to be something that I look forward to. They also provide free "fills" and office visits during the first year post surgery. They stress that regular fills will lead to greater success with the band. I know that nobody is perfect but I have not been able to find anything that I don't like about Dr. Watkins. He is gracious, kind, comforting, and truly cares about his patients. To me, he is a hero and has saved my life. I rate him and his staff an A+++++++++ :-)

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Comments About Northwest Weight Loss Surgery:
knowledgeable and builds confidence. I also work with him, as a nurse caring for his post-op patients His office has an excellent staff and follow-up program. It's odd they all seem to be lap band patients themselves.

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Comments About Northwest Weight Loss Surgery:
Friendly-Sincere-Bright-Reassuring His office staff is awesome. All the staff I met were banded. Willing to share their experience, strength and hope. He strongly encourages aftercare. NNWLS has support groups twice a month Straight forward 10/10 so far Manner great.

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Comments About Northwest Weight Loss Surgery:
My first impression of Dr. Watkins was he was very nice and knew what he was talking about. He took over an hour and a half to explain everything about the procedure to me. I never felt rushed or pressured. The entire office of the NWWLS center was very good. They treat you like a person, not a number. Which is the reason I came to them in the first place. I was checking out other clinics and didn't like the way I was treated. I stumbled upon the NWWLS and I am so glad I did, they are great. Overall I give them an A+. Mary Lynn R.

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Comments About Northwest Weight Loss Surgery:
Dr. Watkins is great. I had some complications as a result of my pre-op testing, and he was very concerned and very available to me whenever I had a question. I e-mailed directly, and he answered me back quickly. At the hospital, he was visited me twice, talked to both my Mom and me, and made us feel very comfortable, and assured. I definitely recommend him to anyone considering the lap band. The entire staff at Northwest Weight Loss Surgery is great.

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