I used to be FAT until I had A Duodenal Switch
Warning: This post is about a weight loss procedure I went through about 2.5 years ago. It contains no information about making money online.
A lot of people have noticed in the photo gallery there is a new section called I used to be fat . Also I have posted a few places that I had weight loss surgery but I never really talked about it. Many people think I had the surgery that Al Rokr had called the Gastric Bypass. I had a newer more advanced procedure called the Duodenal Switch.
I was 28 years old. 420 some LBS. I had sleep apnea so bad that I would stop breathing in excess of 180+ seconds in different spurts while sleeping. I was in the beginning stages of type 2 diabetes and my kidneys were working so hardcore that I was dumping protein in my urine. Yea I was in BAD SHAPE.
My girlfriend at the time , Dr. Shoemoney, now my wife, did tons of research on the two procedures and also performed Anesthesia in several surgeries of both so she got a lot of great information and background about each. The Duodenal Switch is a little less barbaric but has MUCH less reduction of patient weight regain.
On the day of surgery I weighed 420 lbs. I was really scared. I thought I was going to die. I made a envelope of all my passwords to my websites and accounts and gave a copy to my wife and another my mom. When I woke up from surgery I felt like someone had stabbed me in the stomach with a telephone pole. After 5 days in the hospital I went home and tried to drink these protein shakes. The thing that sucks right after you have surgery is that they want you to get in protein but since they just carved on your stomach its really hard. 2 weeks out from surgery i was eating soft foods like beans (pintos and cheese from taco bell was the win) and other stuff. At the 3rd week I was back to work and feeling more and more normal.
I lost 200 lbs in about about 7 months then it took me another 3 months to loose the remaining 40. I have been holding at 190ish for the last year or so and feel very comfortable at that weight. My surgeon says I have about 30 lbs in loose skin they could wack off but I am not going to have cosmetic surgery. I made a deal with myself that this was strictly for health reasons and I am not going to back out on that now.
I have since counseled many males and females who were thinking about having weight loss surgery. I highly recommend this site for all questions related to the weight loss surgeries.
So whats it like now ?
Well I was 300lbs when I was 14 years old.. I was always a HUGE kid. It is a total change in quality of life. Many people said to me “why don’t you just diet and exercise”. People just do not understand the morbidly obese. One time not to long ago I was on a airplane and when I sat down there was a empty seat in between me and this woman. She turned to me and said, “I hope one of those fat ass people do not sit in between us. They should make those people buy to seats”. It is amazing how ignorant and cruel people can be. But that leads me to my next point… I think being SO OVERWEIGHT for so long really gave me some advantages now in my later years.
- Cruelty - People are always asking me why I never get mad or upset about what people might say about me online. Please.. I was called so many vicious names by so many people and worse you think some critique online is going to make me upset?
- Envy - I never feel envious of other people… You kind of get over that after always being picked last for teams in high school and never having any girls want to be more then a friend.
- Working Hard - I always had to be THAT much better then all my competition for almost anything because of my weight. Society is pretty hardcore on the overweight and I probably had it easy being a male. Overweight females really get it bad from our society. You learn to pull your weight (no pun intended) and then some.
So I think those can be the upsides of being handicapped for years and years by being massively overweight. Not that I would recommend it but looking back I really feel like it helped me see the world in different shoes.
Wow. Pretty poignant post Shoe. I have a tremendous amount of respect for you in so many ways - I can’t imagine a more difficult challenge to face. Kudos for having the courage to see the need for a change, the action to actually make the lifestyle change, and then the wisdom to understand your journey and to help spread the word about your experience to help other’s make similar positive changes in their life habits. Shoemoney - YOU ROCK!
you should have done it the old fashioned way.
Either you have never been overweight or you are an idiot. Dieting has very low success rate. Probably less than 1% of the people that diet will keep it off.
Anyone can lose weight, I’ve done it many times. It is like smoking. Easier said than done. I would love to get my weight down and I can do it but diabetes makes it even more difficult. Until you have been overweight and tried to lose weight you should not comment like, “do it the old way”. How stupid!
what doesn’t kill us, only makes us stronger.
thanks for the post - interesting to get a peek of what makes the Shoe tick…
Brought a tear to my eye, i can vaguely relate, as a young person overweight.
Kickin ass and making money….thanks for giving us a look into your personal life, nice to see the guy behind the logo
Cool post, Shoe.
Watching you suffer during those years makes me so proud of what you have become inside and out. Empathy isn’t inborn- it has to be cultivated.
Wow, dude. Before I read this post, I had much respect for you becuase of you business skills and your willingness to share your experiences. Now, I have respect for you as a human, becuase of your discipline, philospohy and again, your willingness to share. Great post.
Big up respect Mr Shoe. Nuff said.
so did you have a thiroid condition or something that was causing the obesity other than a very very slow metabolisim? I am asking because if you had the surgery without a medical condition causing the weight gain I think you had causmetic surgery and should go ahead and get the 30lbs of skin cut off. I have helped many many people who were 350 lbs plus get below 200 lbs with no surgery. They had to change there lifestyle. getting your stomach stapled but then going to taco hell is crap! The surgery should only be after you have spent 18 months with a nutritionist and specially trained exercise specialist. Then, if the weight is not coming off…. I see to many people usineg the surgery as a cop out on actually getting healthy.
why does it always take a condition?
Some people just eat too much of the wrong thing.
Its called being part of a nation fed sh-t and brought up to live off sh-t.
Even if you sometimes somewhat arrogant (arrogant is this the same meaning as in german? duh, i dont know ;o)
But i think you are a honest person and you are one of those that have the right to BE somewhat arrogant from time to time because you are one of those that have worked for this right a lot in their life!! Just like me
That is truly amazing Jeremy. Many congratulations on your health and success.
Good for you!
Inspiring post man. Congrats.
Yeah, definitely. I think I should forward this post to a few obese people for some inspiration
Actually telling them can be hard sometimes and might look cruel.
To be honest I’m a bit overweight too. I’m 19, it’s not as bad as you were, but about 45lbs too much. I think I need to do a bit more sport but I’m busy the whole day keeping my internet business running
By the way, have you ever thought about writing a book about losing weight, the road to success and making money on the internet?
All these topics are pretty popular, who knows how well such a book would sell
Congrats on being healthier. I’d never guess from seeing pictures of you that you have 30 pounds of skin that could be removed. Is it mostly concentrated in one area (stomach?) or fairly spread out?
At least now when someone points in your direction and mentions fat, they’re probably just talking about your wallet.
Wow, just when I thought you’d conquered so much already. Way to go man.
Good to hear your story, it kind of makes this whole internet money making thing seem not very important.
Do you think that if you had the opportunity to have the procedure done in your teens you would have taken it? I’ve read a lot about different types of weight loss surgery (not that I need it, in fact I’m skinny and I can’t gain weight when I try!); it appears to me that the only legitimate controversy is people having it done before 18.
It’s pretty amazing to see that some people still just don’t get it.
You definetly got my respect man! I also used to weigh about 30-35 pounds to much, which was about 5 years ago - now I´m fit and healthy and it feels great. Although it´s hard work to stay like that, I think it´s extremly important for people like us working 12-14 hours a day in front of a computer!
I’ve been following your posts for a long time on DP, shoemoney, but wow mate!
It’s fantastic that you pulled through that…
Yeah, they do say exercise just to maintain your weight. To actually lose weight naturally you’ve gotta limit your intake.
But it sure does look like you’ve maintained youself…
Thanks Brian! much <3 for the whole botw crew.
I have been approached a few times about different topics but I think its obvious I am no author =)
The extra skin is pretty spread out. A lot of it just lays flat.
Its very strange because since having the surgery I have altered my eating habits totally… I NEVER eat french fries or crap like that .. just the thought of them makes me sick. Is it the surgery or the fact I want to eat better now ? Not sure but its defiantly changed my eating habits
That was really brave, my hubby has been looking into this procedure, thanks for posting. I will pass it on to him.
Very impressive Shoe, you’re an inspiration. I also think that you should get the 30 lbs. of excess skin removed because it’s not 100% cosmetic, the extra weight is still creating an unnecessary strain on your body. I can understand the sentiment that you don’t want cosmetic surgery but removing the skin isn’t something done entirely out of vanity, there are health reasons for removing it. Good luck.
nice job shoester. mad props for your success and transformation
This is an amazing story shoe..also i dont see the harm in removing the excess skin?
David - It’s unbelieveable how ignorant so - called “professionals” can be while self-promoting their views and I wish they would take the time to get their facts straight before they consider “helping others” with their weight loss advice.
To say that all a person needs to do is make a lifestyle change clearly indicates to me that you have no idea what this surgery entails.
Having this surgery is making a huge lifestyle change! In order for it to be successful, you must be dedicated to exercising, eating healthy and taking vitamin supplements - FOR LIFE!!!
Cop-out I don’t think so - it’s COMMITMENT!
Congrats man!
That is an amazing accomplishment. I just topped 240 myself, and I am simply too lazy to get my big butt on a treadmill (I do have one). I couldn’t imagine the frustration and helplessness you must have felt.
Seriously Shoe, think about removing the loose skin. I am sure there is some health-related reason reason you could come up with
Just think about all of that extra work your heart does pumping blood. There’s gotta be at least an extra pint there!
Well shit, blow me down with a feather !
It’s quite an accomplisment - I’m a tad overweight myself, and in fact would never discuss it in a public forum. I grew up the veritable rake, and it’s (albeit unwanted) new to me.
You continue to surprise me Shoe, and it’s all good.
Cheers,
JL
Shoemoney,
That is an outstanding post. Very human and very honest.
ShoeMoney,
That’s an amazing story. Besides being thinner, you are also standing mighty tall in the eyes of your readers:-)
In life you meet few people who inspire, while remaining selfless and open the way that you are. Your actions are a sign of genuine kindess and immense leadership potential. Your story could be told to inspire millions. I’m honored to have met you personally and I look forward to hearing you speak at SES San Jose. Get this guy a Captain and Coke!
Hey pepperjam friends =) Thanks for your comments.
Shoe, when you told me this story in person, I could hardly believe it, but seeing the photos makes it all the more real. Huge kudos to you for overcoming something this huge (literally). Keep on kicking ass, best wishes. - Alex
I am amazed and inspired. I have put on a lot of weight since I started spending more and more time on computers and after the hurricanes put a stop to my regular aerobics classes. Age isn’t helping either, I’m in the mid-life spread dept.
But I want to thank you for your photos and story. You are giving me a kick-start to getting my extra weight off.
“Many people said to me “why don’t you just diet and exerciseâ€?. People just do not understand the morbidly obese.”
Honestly, I don’t understand the morbidly obese, because I would have said the same thing. You didn’t expand on why you couldn’t diet/excercise, so I’m still sitting here scratching my head wondering why someone would choose to undergo surgery instead.
Because it isn’t always about “over eating” as most people think. when you are a few lbs overweight, 20/30/50 it’s still hard to be on a strict regiment but when you are 100/200/300lbs over weight, even the smallest things can be an effort. My son fell 20 feet from the top of a shopping mall to the bottom when he was 9 yrs old. It damaged his pituitary gland. We had the option of him being the same height as he was at 9 or “rolling the dice” and letting him get through puberty. We rolled the dice. As a result he is now 17, 6′ 9″ tall, wears a size 17 shoe and weighs 411 lbs. BUT he had scar tissue removed from his pituitary gland and his hormone levels have remained normal. Now he is prepping for the same surgery. Sure he could work for 2/3/4 years and get it off OR he can opt for this procedure and go into college a very tall but healthy man.
….and all this time I thought you were a skinny punk Shoemoney!
You have to quit fooling me man!
Hey Shoe…I am so enjoying all of this. We all knew you were a great kid. It just took you time to discover it. As far as a book deal goes…I bet I know some English teachers who would help you write it!
Maggie
[...] Is that shoemoney in the pic? If it is, dude not only lost weight but now he’s shredded! [...]
[...] Is that shoemoney in the pic? If it is, dude not only lost weight but now he’s shredded! [...]
[...] But somehow I ran into a post about his Biliopancreatic Diversion Duodenal Switch Surgery… (phewww, hope I got that right!) and was blown away by how much weight he lost through this surgery. [...]
I just read this b/c on your Andy Beal post today. I had no idea. I have to say I had a huge amount of respect for your accomplishments as an Internet marketer but that now pales in comparison to my respect for you as a person.
It’s odd when you listen to someone on radio, love Net Income, and you sort of get a feel for a person in your mind like you almost know them personally. I pictured you as kind of a happy go lucky guy who kind of stumbled into a situation where once you arrived your innate intelligence lead you to success. I’ve vastly underestimated the trials you endured to get where you are now.
I have to say thanks again for spreading your hard earned Internet knowledge but even more so thank you for showing such personal conviction and courage when you could easily hide behind a facade. I wish you and your family all the best.
[...] never took my health that serious until I was in my late 20’s and it was to late. As I posted I had Duodenal Switch surgery about 3 years ago when I lost 280 LBS. I was so fat as a youth and teen until my late 20’s [...]
Congratulation on your amazing weight loss, and thank you very much for sharing your story with the world. I myself came down from 396 to 192 (and dropping), and it always does me good to hear about others recovering from the condition of morbid obesity.
I agree with you that the unique world view of being an obese person has tremendous positive effects that are often forgotten or overlooked. Thanks for refreshing my mind on that point.
You rock!
No wonder why you don’t care about what people think of you. It is easier to tell someone to lose weight until you try it. I just want to lose 15 lbs and it seems like the hardest thing in the world. It isn’t as easy as people think. I used to work in the gastric bypass clinic and met so many patients and realized the pain and suffering they went through. Although I have never heard of your procedure prior to today I can only imagine what you went through. I am glad that you are a survivor. People need to stop being so mean to others.
Hey There…
A friend of mine turned me on to your post about your WLS. I had gastric bypass in August of 2004. It was the best thing that I ever could have done in my life. As you can imagine, I have lots of hanging skin also after losing 200 lbs. Although I’m a different person, it’s still difficult after maintaining a steady weight at 190 for over a year to see the “new” me.
Congratulations on the decision that you’ve made to save your life! You look fabulous!
[...] ShoeMoney: I really did not have much of a choice. I was in really bad shape health wise. I had surgery you can read the full story here. [...]
[...] telling techniques online. I’ll name two that pop to my mind immediately. Shoemoney was a humongous, in debt, gamer who couldn’t hold a job who turned his life around. He worked hard, married a [...]
Now that is an amazing transformation. Great to see that you are living life by your terms.
V
Now you look very smart , your weight loss program really worked more then your affiliate programs.Over weight is always big problem and as age increases it will trouble us more.
Great honest post. Well done.
OMG! When I first saw your picture at the front page I never thought you were this huge. I just looked like a cute looking guy even without the money. I’m not trying to make a hit on you, I’m happily married.
My husband lost 40lbs trying to lower his cholesterol, he did it naturally though. I have been struggling with 20lbs and I have been teased when I was younger about being FAT, so I partly know how you felt.
I’m happy that you were able to find someone who really loves you not for what you have now but what you were before you success.
Congrats man! Maybe you can teach us how to loss weight someday!
This is an amazing story, truly inspirational on a human level. I never really commented on your site but been a long time fan. You deserve all your success, I can’t imagine going through a surgery like that. Much respect Shoemoney. May you have continued success.
You should write a book! I mean serious! I have similiar problems…
Not much can be said but congrats on your courage and persistance!
People are cruel, so you simply ignore those people and move forward with the positive people around you.
Geeks Rule!
I hope your not gonna take too much advantage of your sexy side. Congrats!
Bah - like he hasn’t already?! Look at those pics with mc hammer lol!
When I first looked at the pic I thought it was PhotoShoped.
That is what I thought too. It’s hard to tell.
I am sure, you would be looking 100% cuter than you are in photo
[...] I decided to check out Shoemoney’s post again. I also went back to another Shoemoney post - “I used to be fat.” But was he really ever [...]
Thank you for sharing! I am a woman, 304 lbs, 45 yrs old, have been overweight/obese since I was 6!… I totally connect about what you said; having to be smarter than others… ignoring criticism… not being envious… I’m thinking about surgery but I’m afraid of pain and also of the fact that the effective techniques are not reversible. Your story encourages me a lot!
Thanks for sharing your story. I hope all those poor fools who called you names see your pic with your adsense check! I think I suggested in a post some time ago that you tell this story. Now there is still one question that remains… the hair, or the lack of it I should say. Why does my hero have no hair?
I think it’s really great you’ve put this up in your header. This is the kind of thing people should hear, the truth of the whole situation, not just Lose weight and Feel Great! It’s so true that people don’t understand how the body works, metabolism and heredity. It’s not always simple. You are the picture of success in so many ways. I agree that you become tougher by having to deal with adversity. Great post.
congrats and respect I know it is very hard to try to lose weight and try to keep it off def when you are in business and schmooze with clients. Congrats and respect
Hey - I know this is an old post, but it’s at the top of your page, so whatever. Thanks for sharing your story. I know that’s not always easy to do. My dad had the gastric bypyass procedure a year ago this past May. I know you had a different procedure, but I know it’s a huge adjustment, too. Hope you’re still doing well with it!
That was a great post man. You look like you are doind 100% better today. That procedure sounded like it had a bit of risk. But I guess to benefits outweight the risks involved.
awesome post. i have been looking for more on your weight for a while. good to see more into you than all this money crap.
anyone know how fat shoe before?
and butheway, I can see that he’s not fat anymore. controlled diet? scientific or medical procedure?
Thank you for the insight. And I hope you’re as happy now as you were then!
Thank you for sharing your story with all of us.
Sounds really painful, nice to know that everything went well after it..
This is long way before me. I am now less than 100 kg, but I feel that quality of my life is worse. I want too also change my habits and loss some weight.
Thanks for sharing this story with all of us, Jeremy.
As others already said, I have a lot of respect for you.
Regards,
Floren Munteanu
I came across this post in the firefox Stumble attachment and I must say after reading it…. I am more and more determined to loose the weight *I* have. Recently (about 8months ago) I started playing with the fact that I might be wheat intolerant… I was right. I’ve been struggling to loose weight and making a VERY hard choice to stick to a weight lose plan. It’s been about a year and I’m glad to say I’ve dropped 18kilo (almost 40pounds). I had toyed with the idea of surgery but I’m so scared of hospitals all together that I will not do it. I rather loose it slow and learn to keep it off. I will how ever in the end do surgery for the skin if I need to. If I take the “long road” so to speak, I want to look as good as I feel. I also believe there are benifits to having the skin removed though because the extra skin can cause some problems such as rashes and very bad infections if not taken care of right. Kudos and good luck in the rest of your life! And BTW I’m female
But EVERY bit encourages people like me!
Big up respect Mr Shoe. Nuff said.
Now that you have a new physical presence, make sure your self image changes, too. I would highly recommend to you Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s timeless technique called Psycho Cybernetics. See http://www.nightingale.com/ Or go to amazon.com and pick up one of the many used books by Dr. Maltz on his technique. I suggest his first, which was published in 1960, called, simply, Psycho Cybernetics. See a helpful summary of the technique at Making Money Online Blog: http://streetlessons.com/470-an-overview-of-psycho-cybernetics.html
By the way, I have no financial or even friendly interest in any of this. I started using the technique in 1965 and have taught it to my two children. Nothing can stop you with this technique. As Dr. Maltz, a plastic surgeon, observed, once the outer scars were eliminated by plastic surgery, many patients still had “inner scars” to their self image. This will heal your self image.
Good luck, my friend.
Nice job shoester.
Thanks for sharing this story with all of us, Jeremy.
Again…
Very nice history… Good job!
[...] intend to trample through as much material on his site as time allows. You see Jeremy Schoemaker of shoemoney.com used to be fat. Even fatter than me, [...]
I can feel your depression then. Anyway, you have pushed through, and you are great in your business. I’m long for your methods to push through. I’m not fat but I am suffering serious depression, so serious that it really hampers my work. Sometimes I guess I just need to work at home like you, but I don’t know how to start and get success. I’m really so depressed that I want suicide pretty much.
Thanks for sharing this with us, its some deep stuff..
Hey Shoemoney, Congrats on your weight loss. I know this is kind of an old post, but a friend pointed me to it and it touched me. I’ve recently lost nearly 150 pounds this past 15 months through diet and exercise, so I know how much of a struggle it is. I’m still working on the last few pounds here, but I’m determined to get it off. It’s no longer a diet, its a lifestyle change. However, unlike you I gotta have my fries! I only have a few, but they’re one of my only weaknesses left. I really think its the ketchup…
Again congrats. You’re strong for sharing this with your whole audience like this.
only reading through your recent blog posts and some photos of you… never know that you used to be so big. i am really impressed… because you have slim down further after the surgery. you are proud of it and you deserve it
Wow, that’s an incredible transformation. Congrats.
Thanks for sharing your story.
(I found your site last week and I’m just starting to get throught the older posts)