How I Found My Way Into Obesity Medicine
If you had told my high school self that I’d one day be board certified in obesity medicine, I probably would’ve laughed…while holding a slice of pizza in one hand and a soda in the other.
I’ve struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. It started in high school, worsened during the stress of college, and by medical school, it was really piling on—along with the student loans. Residency took it to another level: erratic schedules, stress, and an abundance of “free” hospital food. My all-time high came right before my wedding, when I topped out around 260 pounds.
Here’s a fun* wedding memory: the tuxedo pants kept trying to fall down. Nothing says “special day” like discreetly yanking your waistband up in front of all your friends and family.
Things started to change when I discovered Gary Taubes’ Why We Get Fat. That book sent me down a rabbit hole of Taubes, Robert Lustig, and others who were questioning conventional wisdom about diet and weight. I dove in. For a while, I became a full-fledged keto evangelist.
And to be fair—keto worked. At first. My weight dropped quickly, my blood sugar looked great, and I was convinced I’d cracked the code. But then… it stopped working. Slowly, the pounds started creeping back. On top of that, my LDL cholesterol shot up to 200, which is a number you don’t exactly want to brag about.
This was my wake-up call: weight management is not as simple as “eat less, move more.”
Through my own journey, I learned that people with obesity aren’t lazy, weak-willed, or gluttonous—they’re fighting against a whole network of factors: genetics, hormones, environment, stress, sleep patterns, and more. The playing field is not level.
That realization reshaped my career. I became board certified in obesity medicine so I could help others navigate this complex, often frustrating landscape. My goal isn’t just to hand out advice—it’s to help people find strategies that actually work for their lives, their bodies, and their goals.
Because if there’s one thing my own journey has taught me, it’s this: weight is complicated, but you don’t have to figure it out alone.
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