January 22, 2015
WHERE IS FITNESS? week 2:
A lifelong journey…
740 pound man has dropped 300…still going strong
By Jennifer Ferguson
Though some people are only left to deal with weight gain and health problems after a significant event in their life such as having a baby, getting married or going to college; for others it’s a life long struggle. This was the case for Tracy Keeton a 29 year old life-long resident of Martha who has now lost 300 pounds, and his journey has only just begun.
The beginning…
The current…
The Future?
In June 2012, Keeton tipped the scaled at 741lbs, wore a 10x in shirts and neither jeans nor dress pants were even an option. It was during a trip with his wife to Pigeon Forge, TN that he realized he had to make a change.
“During that trip, I had to make so many accommodations for my weight that I felt like I ruined the trip and it was then that I told myself I was going to do something about my weight, by refusing to believe I had a problem all these years I was not only hurting myself, but I was hurting the woman who had done what so many others had failed to do throughout the years, she looked past my exterior and fell in love with the man I was inside.
Getting to that point in his life to be able to make that realization that he needed to change, didn’t happen over- night though. According to Keeton, from the time he was in first grade he was always what society would consider “overweight.”
By the time I was in middle school I had school officials pulling me aside asking me to consider a healthier lifestyle. I simply brushed them off; in my mind I was fine. When recess came along I could play basketball with all the other boys and was able to be movable and do anything I wanted to physically.
Though Keeton continued to gain weight throughout high school and during his four years at Alice Lloyd College, he never paid much attention to it. He felt it was okay to be heavy, because he was still “mobile.”
I was able to get out and go to class like everyone else, I attended sporting events, participated in intramural sports and climbed the stairs. Yes, I was heavy…but I was mobile.
Despite being mobile, his weight continuously presented a problem for him even in doing typical everyday things.
Other than always being the biggest boy in class, I wasn’t adversely affected by my weight until I was older. When in high school and college, I would strategically plan out where I was going to sit in my classes to be sure I had a seat that would accommodate my size when at all possible. I wouldn’t go to movies or concerts for fear that I wouldn’t be able to fit in the stadium style seats. When going out to a restaurant I would always ask for a table because I couldn’t fit in many standard restaurant style booths. I also had to carefully plan any outing with friends because I couldn’t just hop in anyone’s car and go places. This in turn, caused me to be hesitant to do things with friends.
After the trip with his wife, Keeton decided to make a change. Visiting with Dr. Robert B. Shin at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, WV, Keeton learned that his insurance required him to lose 10% of body weight in order to be approved for any type of surgery. According to the dietician he met with, he also learned that at a weight of 741lbs, if he consumed 7000 calories a day he wouldn’t gain or lose any weight. From that point forward, Keeton never consumed over 2500 daily calories again. By December, he had lost 80lbs and was approved for a full Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass surgery which he underwent April 15, 2013.
Initially following surgery, Keeton consumed protein shakes in order to ensure he got the mount of protein the doctor required as he wasn’t able to physically eat enough to get protein naturally. Currently, he takes two multi-vitamin pills daily and tries to get his protein requirements through diet, supplementing with protein shakes only when necessary. In addition, Keeton also follows a low calorie/high protein diet and tries to take walks daily, something he was not able to do for a very long time prior to surgery.
Making this lifestyle change has helped Keeton in his line of work, and also improved his outlook on life.
“I currently work for Scott Equipment in Nashville, TN. I work in the service department as a service writer and warranty administrator, losing the weight has allowed me to do my job. Before, I wouldn’t have been able to stand on my feet like this job requires. When I feel like giving up, I think about my wife and our daughter and how much potential time I have gained with them. Now, I can look forward to growing old with my wife and hopefully someday sitting on the porch and watching the grandkids…”
Other than a gallbladder surgery nearly a year after the weight loss surgery, Keeton has been fortunate to not endure any major hurdles or setbacks throughout his journey. While he realizes surgeries aren’t for everyone, Keeton encourages others to not be afraid to get help if needed.
If someone offers to help you, don’t be insulted, chances are they are just concerned about your health and well-being. There are tons of different routes you can pursue if you are not a proponent of surgery. At one time, I was against the idea of surgical weight loss until I done the research and attended seminars and determined that surgery was only a tool to help me achieve the results I desired, much like an exercise bike or a treadmill. With the help of my surgeon and his staff, I have been given the tools that I need to become successful. It’s up to me to utilize them to their fullest potential through proper diet and exercise.
Though loosing 300lbs may sound impossible to some, Keeton says he’s not done yet and will continue on until he meets his goal of weighing 200-250lbs, which requires an additional loss of 200-250lbs.
I wouldn’t be a supermodel by any means, but I would be happy there.”
Keeton currently resides in South Point, Ohio with his wife.
