Page 112 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2018

HEALTHY LIVING gastric bypass GETTING HIS
Health
BACK
D’Iberville mechanic winning lifelong battle with weight thanks to South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of Jim Loftis
I t’s not uncommon for people to struggle
with their appearance, whether it be a facial
feature they aren’t fond of or even something as small
as a birth mark. For Jim Loftis,
a 42-year-old mechanic from D’Iberville, his life-long conflict had been with his weight.
Unlike a cosmetic feature that someone might personally be unhappy with, Loftis’ weight affected him on a physical level.
“I had been overweight all of my life, but it began causing my health to go downhill,” said Loftis. “The heavier I got the worse my health became, which ultimately caused me to rely on multiple medications to deal with my worsening health.”
Of course, Loftis knew that his weight was the source of his health concerns and did all he could to shed the pounds. After trying a variety of diets and exercises, he began to lose hope. “Most of what I tried didn’t work, and even if something helped me to lose a few pounds the weight seemed to come
back quickly, plus some additional weight each time,” Loftis said. “I knew it was time to seek help on my weight loss journey.”
After researching his options, Loftis decided that surgical weight loss would be a good fit for him and began looking into local surgeons. He ultimately selected South Mississippi Surgical Weight Loss and made an appointment to begin the process. With help from his doctors, he opted to receive a
112 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • March 2018
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JIM LOFTIS after losing 115 pounds.