Tom's Story
Lap-Band Surgery: the choice that saved his life
Toronto’s CIBO Clinic founder, Tom Saridis, is a smart, successful, highly driven entrepreneur who has a unique understanding of the struggles of people who are overweight; a few short years ago, he weighed over 500 pounds.
Being overweight affected everything in his life: his health, his relationships, his everyday interactions with people, even his career. “When you’re obese,” Tom says, “your confidence level is pretty much zero.”
Tom found himself spending a lot of time and effort compensating for his obesity. Forgetting the car keys meant a trip back up the stairs (an exhausting exercise), so he became careful never to leave them behind. He was always punctual, too, since he never wanted to be the last one to walk into a meeting, or be the one left with the folding chair at a social function.
Tom chose restaurants based on whether the chairs had arms or not, and whether it was easy to get up and go to the bathroom. “Friends just thought I knew the best places to eat,” says Tom. “When you’re obese, you learn to change the things around you so you can function. You become regimented and you really rationalize your behaviour.”
Tom has had a successful career, but it was severely limited by his weight. At his heaviest, he avoided face-to-face contact with clients and partners, running his business by phone rather than going out in public.
His weight affected his health as well; Tom suffered from obstructive sleep apnea.
His everyday enjoyment of life suffered too – Tom loved cars, but was becoming too big for them. He was afraid driving might soon become a thing of the past.
The tipping point
Tom knew he had to lose weight. But he had become so obese that he wasn’t physically able to exercise. He got to his “tipping point” at a family function. “I overheard a comment that really opened my eyes. Someone said that the last time they saw someone my size was on a stretcher – that’s the moment I decided that I needed to do something to save my life.”
Tom did a lot of research, and decided to have the band surgery. He worked hard to get ready for the procedure, working closely with a psychotherapist before undergoing surgery.
After the band surgery, Tom felt pretty much on his own to figure out how to succeed with the adjustable gastric band. He quickly realized that he needed support, knowledge and information about “how” to make the band work best for him. And the clinic did not provide that kind of support.
Tom got very creative. He invited staff from the clinic where he had his surgery out for lunch. He asked them to watch him and evaluate his eating. “I asked questions like: Am I eating too fast? Am I chewing enough? When should I stop eating?”
“My post-operative experience motivated me to open CIBO Clinic. I wanted to succeed. I knew this was my last chance at beating my obesity problem and get my health and life back. If I needed support with nutrition, exercise and the ‘emotional-mental’ aspect of my weight loss, then so did everyone else. That’s when I knew I had to open a clinic with a built-in support team.
After his band procedure, Tom changed his eating habits, his lifestyle, and his entire approach to living. “Anyone who has ever struggled with their weight like I have knows losing it and keeping it off is a lot more complicated than just cutting back on food and getting some exercise. It’s about changing the way you eat, the way you think – and the way you live your life. I couldn’t have made those changes without help.”
CIBO Clinic: an innovative idea takes shape
The CIBO Clinic in Toronto is the realization of Tom’s “total-care” vision. Staffed with top specialists in the field of laparoscopic Lap-Band surgery, the unique state-of-the-art clinic offers comprehensive support for patients throughout Canada. Before undergoing the procedure, patients go through a qualification process that includes psychological counseling and nutritional assessments. After the surgery, experts work with each patient on meal planning, emotional adjustment, physical therapy and more.
Psychological counseling is a big part of the program. “The band may help control the quantity of food I eat,” says Tom, “But it’s the psychological adjustment that empowers me to control the gluttony.”
Tom understands the challenges of losing a large amount of weight – he’s still going through it. He knows about the sagging skin that happens with significant weight loss. That’s why he has a plastic surgeon as part of the CIBO Clinic team.
Tom knows about the chronic conditions (and, often, the accompanying depression) many seriously overweight people suffer from. And he’s very aware of the way the people can react to weight loss; it can change the dynamics of the relationship. That’s why the clinic offers a psychological support program for both the patient and his/her family.
A healthier, easier, better life
Tom couldn’t be happier with the results of his adjustable gastric lap-band surgery. To date, Tom has lost 300 pounds and continues to get slimmer and healthier with the band. The out-patient surgery was simple. He recovered quickly, and was out riding his motorcycle a couple of days later. Today, he has adjusted the way he thinks, eats and lives. “Life has become about quality, not quantity,” he says.
Today, Tom is in the driver’s seat in more ways than one. He cruises the countryside in his cars, sitting comfortably and getting in and out with ease. “When you’re obese, there’s so much you do to prepare for each situation that no one ever sees. Now, I don’t have to give any of those things a second thought.”
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