SADI-S Success Story: Brandon M. Lost 221 Pounds in 12 Months

Brandon M. had tried everything.

Phentermine. Hard gym sessions. Cardio. At his lowest as an adult, he got down to 203 pounds — and then life happened. A relationship. A demanding career as a correctional officer. And then, in 2021, a side-by-side accident that took mobility from his left hand and set off years of surgeries and physical therapy.

By the time he stepped back on the scale, it read 396 pounds.

“I tried working out but without full use of my arm it was extremely hard. I tried cardio but my weight put so much strain and stress on my legs to the point I would get horrible shin splints.”

Something had to change.

“Weight loss surgery is cheating” — Until it isn’t

Like a lot of patients, Brandon carried a belief that made it hard to take the first step.

“I always thought to myself, ‘I can lose weight on my own’ or ‘weight loss surgery is cheating.’ But that wasn’t the case. I needed that extra push — and so I went for it.”

He reached out to Dr. Maria Brown. From his first appointment on January 17, 2025 to his surgery date on May 22, 2025, he completed every pre-operative step. Five months later, the process was behind him — and the results were just beginning.

One Year. 221 Pounds Gone.

Brandon underwent SADI-S with Dr. Brown and is now 12 months post-op. He currently weighs 175 pounds.

The off-scale wins stack up fast when you ask him about his life today:

• He can run miles without shin splints or running out of breath.
• He went from a 5XL shirt to a Large. His pants dropped from a 52 to a 32.
• He can walk into any store and buy clothes off the rack.
• He can run around with his niece and nephews without stopping.
• He went skydiving — at 220 pounds or under, he finally qualified.

“I am the happiest I’ve ever been, and I give all credit to Dr. Brown and her team.”

What motivated him? His family.

Brandon’s deepest reason for surgery had nothing to do with clothes sizes or scale numbers.

“The thing that motivated me the most was making sure I was able to see my niece and nephews grow up. I knew the path I was going down wasn’t sustainable.”

He was also dealing with severe sleep apnea that required a BiPAP machine to manage.

The hard part nobody talks about

Brandon doesn’t sugarcoat the early weeks. There were days he regretted the surgery.

“The hardest part after surgery was hitting the daily protein goal and water intake.”

His biggest fear going in — that he’d never enjoy food again — turned out to be the very thing that had gotten him to 396 pounds in the first place. The recovery was real. The doubts were real. But so is his life at 175 pounds.

“It was the best decision I could have made — not only for myself, but for my family.”

Brandon had his SADI-S procedure performed by Dr. Maria Brown at Valley Bariatric in Mesa, Arizona. Individual results vary. If you’re curious whether SADI-S or another bariatric procedure might be right for you, we’d be glad to talk.