- Ese Milan is a 25-year-old in Las Vegas who grew up not worrying about her weight.
- When she was 22, she was diagnosed with some health problems because of her weight.
- She started going to the gym every day after work, but ended up having weight-loss surgery.
This as told essay is based on a conversation with Ese Milan. It has been edited for length and clarity.
All my life I have been a bigger person. I come from a Polynesian-Samoan household and my whole family is bigger, so I always thought it was normal. It was what I was used to.
But in 2021 I got sick and had to see a doctor for the first time in years. The doctor asked me to get on the scale and then told me I weighed 412 pounds. I was shocked when I heard the song.
After that first appointment, I found a GP who, after tests, diagnosed me with several conditions, including high blood pressure, high sugar levels and type 2 diabetes. She also told me I was morbidly obese.
I felt so comfortable living at that weight with these unknown health issues. But I knew I had to do something about my health.
I started working on losing weight
The doctor immediately prescribed me medication and then made an appointment for me at the hospital for a sleep apnea test.
Signing myself up for this test at the age of 22 was depressing. I was so young and yet I was checked to see if I was no longer breathing at night because of my weight. They tied me to a bed for the night. I couldn’t sleep because there was a huge machine against my face. It was torture.
I started feeling terrible from the meds. I decided to stop. Instead, I decided I would work hard to lose weight.
I started going to the gym every day after work. The only way I could do this was because at least one friend came with me every afternoon. We had clubbed for years – now we went to the gym together.
At first I stuck with the cardio machines. The people doing weights looked experienced and fit, and I felt uncomfortable working around them. I would have no idea what to do. But I started watching them, discovered how they used free weights and machines and started doing the same.
I became addicted to sweating. I loved seeing myself leaving the gym sweaty. The results weren’t fast at all, but by the time I was 23, I had lost 30 pounds.
I decided to have weight loss surgery
The nutritional element of weight loss was very difficult to manage. I was surrounded by friends who socialized over dinner, and my family, with whom I lived, continued to eat the same way. I knew I was fighting the clock and had to lose weight to improve my health. To maintain this long term, I started considering weight loss surgery.
Unbeknownst to anyone, I began researching doctors who performed weight loss surgeries and the types of surgeries available. I decided on a vertical sleeve gastrectomy and had surgery in November 2023.
The operation did not take long; after 10 minutes I was walking around.
It wasn’t until I left the hospital that I started telling people what I had done. I didn’t care what anyone thought about the fact that I had weight loss surgery at 23. I did it to save myself.
Since the surgery I have lost 150 pounds. It feels great to look back and see what I have accomplished. I feel unstoppable. All the health problems I had before no longer exist.
Aside from the health benefits, my favorite part of losing weight is the greater selection of clothes I can choose from when shopping.
However, I am disappointed with the way I have been treated since I lost the weight. People treat me better now that I’m smaller. It shows how superficial people can be.
Weight loss surgery isn’t for everyone, but I don’t regret having the surgery. It literally saved my life.