Showing them off: From size 52 to 36

DOUGLAS COUNTY - Most of his adult life Tim Zimmerman has learned to deal with it. Whether he was sitting in a movie theatre, on an airplane, or if he was invited to something that required a suit and tie.

Tim says everything revolved around his comfort levels. At 340 pounds many things weren't very comfortable for Tim, including his job. Tim is a paramedic with the Frederick-Firestone Fire Department. About a year- and-a-half ago Tim realized it was harder and harder to do his job, because "I was dragging around a ton of extra weight."

During an annual check-up, Tim's doctor told him he was healthy, but he needed to lose weight. For years, Tim dieted and exercised, but nothing seemed to help. It was during that doctor's visit that Tim made a decision. He decided to look into gastric bypass surgery. Even though insurance refused to pay for Tim's surgery, he decided to go ahead with the procedure. He took out a second mortgage on his house to cover the $25,000 cost. That was 14 months ago.

Today, Tim weighs 217 pounds and he's proud to be a part of an exhibit called Pants Across Sky Ridge at Sky Ridge Medical Center. For his part, Tim contributed a pair of pants size 52, and a pair size 36. Looking at the slacks he used to wear Tim says he used to think ,"How do I cope today wearing these pants?" Now, "That person's gone from me. It's a nice reminder to look at, that's where I started, but that's behind me, I'm only looking forward now."

Today, Tim follows a restricted diet, exercises and attends monthly support group meetings with other gastric bypass patients, people he considers close friends. Tim says they have all followed a similar path in the past year or so, a path that he calls emotional and surreal.

Dr. Frank Chae is the chief bariatric surgeon at Sky Ridge. He said,"Bypass surgery in many ways is a difficult way out, but it's the only solution, when you have tried and failed with medications, weight loss programs and fitness programs."

The Bariatric Center at Sky Ridge has been named a center of excellence. For more information go to www.skyridgemedcenter.com