Xavier Smothers-Whitehas nothing to hide.
“I'm that guy like the TV show, I was fit, than I got fat and I wanted to get fit again,” Smothers-White said.
This former U.S. Air Force member reached 330 pounds, before finally deciding to something had to change.
“I was diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol," he said.
Smothers-White went through GBMC’s Comprehensive Obesity Management Program, also known as COMP – and eventually had bariatric surgery.
Since then, his body, and life has transformed. And it’s not just him. His mother, LeDornai “Le” Smothers, got on board too.
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She said, “It’s just realizing that I want to be healthy. I want to be around for my grandchildren.”
Both are now training with GBMC’s ‘COMP to 5K’ program.
“Comp to 5K is our program, comprehensive obesity management program, training for patients from sort of a couch to athlete type of a program,” Dr. Elizabeth Dovec said.
Dr. Elizabeth Dovec is a surgeon and director of GBMC’s Comprehensive Obesity Management Program. She says ‘Comp to 5K’ allows patients to train at their own pace.
"We start by doing small increments, half a mile, mile, now were doing upwards of 5 miles in a Saturday training," she said.
Dr. Dovec says it’s amazing to watch these patients train and improve each week, eventually working their way up to a 5K that they will run in GBMC’s Father’s Day 5K on June 19.
“Last year when I ran it I was 230lbs and it was so exciting. I didn’t think I was going to make it last year, I thought I was going to pass out on the run. I’m excited to see my time this year,” Smothers-White said.
Training has certainly paid off for these two. Both are ready to lace up those shoes.
150 GBMC COMP patients are registered to compete in this year’s Father’s Day 5K. To learn more about the race, click here.
To learn more about the Comprehensive Obesity Management Program at GBMC, click here.
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