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2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate NEWS NOW Medford gamer wins $6.6 million in e-sports competition ... Leveling the playing field for back-to-school supplies ... Making progress ... Medford gamer wins $6.6 million in e-sports competition ... Leveling the playing field for back-to-school supplies ... Making progress ... Brent St. Germain: Seeing is believing, when it comes to weight loss Comment By Brent St. Germain HoumaToday.com MailTribune.com By Brent St. Germain HoumaToday.com Posted Aug. 3, 2015 at 8:54 AM By Brent St. Germain HoumaToday.com Posted Aug. 3, 2015 at 8:54 AM » Social News Sometimes you have to see it to believe it. If I hadn’t seen the New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV, I wouldn’t have believed it. If I hadn’t seen my favorite team in all sports — the Philadelphia Phillies — win the World Series, I wouldn’t have believed it. The same could be said about weight loss because seeing is believing. To say that I lost 107.2 pounds is one thing. To see what 107.2 pounds looks like is another thing. Last weekend, I had a chance to see what that amount weight looks like while covering the 2015 International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo. Every time someone brought a fish to the scales, I was anxious to see how much it weighed. I wanted to know if it weighed the same as the amount of weight I lost. Unfortunately, none of the fish equaled that amount of weight. If one had, I was going to get someone to take a picture of me standing next to it. But when someone brought in a fish weighing around 100 pounds, I just had to look at it in amazement. As an avid fisherman, I was amazed by the quality of fish that person caught. But more importantly, I was amazed because it really put my weight loss in perspective. I can’t imagine walking around all day with two 50-pound bags of concrete mix strapped to my back. Well, that is what I was doing prior to having weight-loss surgery. Sixteen months since I started on this weight-loss journey, I can’t fathom how I was able to function carrying around more than 100 pounds extra. Now, I know why I had several health problems. There was a reason why I my cholesterol and blood pressure was high, and there was a reason why I was always tired. I was also dealing with other issues at the time, including aches and pains in my joints and the lack of quality sleep. It was because I was extremely obese, and I needed to do something to improve my overall quality of life. Weight-loss surgery was the answer, and I have no regrets. It was more than just a surgery to help me lose weight. It was a surgery that probably saved my life, and I am grateful for that. As an added bonus, I had some required blood work done recently, and all of my levels appear to be in order. Basically, that’s just another way of saying that seeing is believing. Sometimes you can find inspiration to lose weight in the strangest places. It can be an old photo or an upcoming family or high school reunion. Last weekend, I found it by watching several fishermen bring either tarpon, yellowfin tuna or grouper to the rodeo scales. Hopefully at the 2016 rodeo, I can look at the first-place tarpon and say one thing. I lost more weight than the winning tarpon. WEIGHT-LOSS UPDATE Starting weight (April 1, 2014): 401.2 pounds Surgery weight (April 15, 2014): 383 pounds Current weight (as of July 7): 294 pounds for a total weight loss of 107.2 pounds Remaining pounds to lose to reach goal: 94 pounds Brent St. Germain is the sports editor of The Houma (La.) Courier and The Thibodaux (La.) Daily Comet. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. By Brent St. Germain HoumaToday.com MailTribune.com By Brent St. Germain HoumaToday.com Posted Aug. 3, 2015 at 8:54 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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