Personal commitment, together with Dr. Aviv Ben Meir’s staff, surgery and support, brought weight loss success, restored health and a better future.
Robert Polk, just 51, is an RTA bus driver with more than 21 years of dedicated service to Cleveland. He has struggled with weight issues since he was a junior in high school. But thanks to weight loss surgery, personal commitment and outstanding support, today he’s a new man! Now he’s driven to see others find similar weight loss success.
Prior to September 2020, Robert had a BMI of 46. He suffered with arthritic hip, knee and lower back pain; was prediabetic; had acid reflux; and had to sleep with a CPAP machine to deal with his obstructive sleep apnea – all due to excess weight. Concerned about Robert’s worsening health and future risks, his doctor recommended he contact UH Lake West Medical Center weight loss (bariatric) surgeon Aviv Ben-Meir, MD, to help him gain better health and a better life.
Support and success
To begin the process, in January 2020, Robert completed Dr. Ben-Meir’s online weight loss surgery webinar. When Dr. Ben-Meir’s office received Robert’s webinar information, they checked his benefits for bariatric surgery and scheduled his initial consultation for February. Right away Robert found that Dr. Ben-Meir and his team are committed to offering patients the resources they need to lose weight and keep it off. Dr. Ben-Meir and his dietitian, nurse and nurse practitioner provided education and counseling, preparing him for surgery and supporting him after surgery.
Dr. Ben-Meir’s practice teaches patients that bariatric surgery is a tool that helps them feel full with a small amount of food. They teach patients how to achieve and maintain their weight loss goals using that tool, taking full advantage of their bariatric surgery.
In September 2020, Dr. Ben-Meir and his surgical team performed Robert’s laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy, greatly reducing the size of his stomach to that of a thin banana.
“Dr. Ben-Meir is a great surgeon and a great motivator,” says Robert. “The surgery is a tool. After the surgery, you have to keep doing what you’re supposed to do, like working out and eating right. With Dr. Ben-Meir and his team to support me, I’ve been doing that and am feeling great since I lost the weight. I feel as good as when I was playing high school football!”
Before the surgery, Robert weighed 314 pounds, had a 46 inch waist and wore a 3X shirt size. Just 15 months after surgery, he weighs 197 pounds and his 32 inch pant waist and large shirt size are feeling loose! His obstructive sleep apnea has resolved. He has no reflux. His blood sugar is normal.
“Robert is a success with his weight loss as a result of his commitment to taking advantage of the tool,” says Dr. Ben-Meir. “He has incorporated all of his education into his lifestyle. He exercises vigorously, consistently riding his exercise bike. He eats according to the dietitian’s education, consuming balanced meals that sustain him. He takes required supplements as recommended.
“Robert is an impressive individual,” he continues. “The first thing he showed me when I met him was a picture of his son and daughter. He’s proud of them and everything he does is with their future happiness and success in mind. I believe that drives him to do well. He works hard and is committed to being healthy so he can enjoy watching his children grow up.”
Thanks to his personal success and better health, along with his high view of Dr. Ben-Meir’s surgical capabilities and weight loss support program, Robert has convinced more than two dozen coworkers to take the webinar and contact Dr. Ben-Meir to see if they’re candidates for weight loss surgery!
You should know
Vertical sleeve gastrectomy is the most commonly performed weight loss procedure in the US.
Dr. Aviv Ben-Meir has performed more than 5,500 weight loss surgeries with an extremely low complication rate.
Is weight loss surgery right for you? Do you want to learn more? Take our free, on-demand webinar.
Meet the provider
Aviv Ben-Meir, MD
Specialty: bariatric surgery
Office: Willoughby, 440-602-6737
