A Major Wake-Up Call for Bentley
As an adult, Bentley turned his love for video games into a career – he became a popular gamer, established a loyal following, and began traveling internationally to play for his fans. While Bentley had many loyal fans – he also experienced name-calling and hateful comments about his weight in various online communities – a sad reality that many individuals who are struggling with weight face on a daily basis. By 2021, though, he faced a more serious threat, as his weight approached 500 pounds. Bentley experienced a very real health scare that would ultimately kick off the weight loss journey that would change his life forever.
“I was at home playing video games, and all of a sudden my vision turned off,” Bentley explains. “I yelled for my mom, and the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. They told me I had suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA) stroke – I was only 24 years old. My doctor told me that if I didn’t lose weight, I was putting my life at extreme risk. That scared me, as did the next six months when I struggled with my memory and speech as a result of the stroke.”
Before this health crisis, Bentley hadn’t been emotionally ready to let go of his weight, and he didn’t realize how overweight he’d actually become. He was shocked that, while he was in the hospital, he couldn’t even fit into a hospital gown or onto a hospital stretcher. Bentley’s stroke was the wake-up call he desperately needed. After he recovered, he was ready to take whatever steps were necessary to reclaim his health and life.
Bentley Discovers True You Weight Loss
Over the next year, Bentley tried several methods to lose weight, but he quickly discovered he needed help. Bentley felt sure that medical intervention was the right answer, so he started looking online for weight loss surgery options. He made calls to multiple weight loss clinics and soon realized the challenge he was up against. Nearly every bariatric surgery provider he connected with in the US refused to operate on him – citing that he was considered too high risk due to his weight. He was told that in order to qualify for surgery, he’d first have to lose 100 or more pounds.
Bentley then turned to international searching and found he was a candidate for weight loss surgery in Canada, but the waitlists were up to three years long, and he did not have that kind of time. While all this news was discouraging, Bentley also wasn’t sure he really wanted surgery. He was nervous about the prospect of an invasive procedure, post-surgery scars and recovery. So, he started scanning social media for other weight loss options, and that’s when he came across True You Weight Loss.
“I was drawn in by a video where a doctor was talking about ESG [endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty], a non-invasive procedure that could be performed through the esophagus,” Bentley remembers. “This was appealing to me – something I’d never heard of, so I gave them a call.”
That doctor, Bentley later discovered, was Dr. Christopher McGowan, founder of True You and world-renowned leader in endobariatrics. This discovery was just what he needed – offering the solution he needed to begin his weight loss journey.
“When I called True You, they were so nice, but they were also very real,” Bentley says. “They said that this procedure would change my life, but that it would require a lot of hard work and life-long dedication on my part. I knew this was going to be challenging, but I was ready to apply myself and do something that I knew I absolutely needed to do.”
Bentley Has His ESG & Never Looks Back
Bentley’s first consultation with True You occurred during the summer of 2022, and by December 15 of the same year, Bentley was arriving with his brother for his ESG. With the help of therapy, kicking his soda habit, and dedicating himself to a walking routine, Bentley quickly lost 70 pounds before his procedure. He was eager to get started and take this major step toward a new life.
“I was excited and nervous,” Bentley remembers. “But any nerves that I felt were put at ease by Dr. McGowan and the awesome members of the True You team. The nurses and staff were wonderful, too. They were kind, comforting, and took really good care of me during my stay.”
Two days later, Bentley was travelling home, feeling positive about the future. In the first three months after his ESG, Bentley committed to his recovery and post-procedure diet restrictions. He even enjoyed his required protein shakes (that he also made into delicious coffee drinks), and he found a way to enjoy exercise by taking long walks while listening to his favorite music.
“Following my procedure, I followed the diet guidelines provided by the True You team to a T – I didn’t want to risk messing anything up,” Bentley says. “I also walked 10,000 to 15,000 steps per day, no questions asked. For me, the process overall really wasn’t hard physically, but it was challenging mentally. I had to transform that negative relationship I had with food and turn it into a positive one. I was ready to take care of myself and prove wrong all the people in my life, and all my viewers, who had ever treated me poorly because of my weight.”
