It was March 2022, and Adria, 44, a single mom from Charlotte, North Carolina, was ready to make some major life changes. She had a loving two-year-old daughter, Aurora, and a successful career as a human resources manager; yet, her struggle with being overweight left her not feeling her best—physically and emotionally. When Adria’s weight hit 202 pounds, she decided she was ready to find the best version of herself—for both her daughter’s benefit and for her own quality of life.
“When I started thinking about my daughter getting older, I knew I needed to make some changes that would help me improve my health and life,” Adria explains. “At the same time, I’d spent enough time in therapy to understand that I had a pattern of toxic relationships with both people and food—and I was ready to change that. I realized if I wanted to have healthy relationships, I needed to start by loving myself first. So, I decided that 2022 would be the year of a BETTER me.”
When Weight Loss Felt Unattainable
Being overweight led Adria to struggle both emotionally and physically—she experienced anxiety and depression and was also diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Like many, Adria tried nearly every diet and weight loss strategy imaginable. From the keto diet and intermittent fasting to intense and unsustainable exercise routines, Adria saw her weight fluctuate up and down over the years—but never saw the results she wanted. She endured unpleasant side effects from weight loss medications, yet none of these drastic measures were sustainable for the long term. She was ready to find something different that would help her lose the weight and keep it off for the long term.
“Once I made the decision to focus on myself, I started looking online for weight loss procedures in the Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham areas,” Adria explains. “Initially, I considered liposuction, but the surgeon told me I needed to lose 25 to 30 pounds in order to qualify. That’s when I knew I needed some type of medical intervention because I could not get to that point on my own.”
