After his primary care physician’s (PCP) appointment, Taylor and his family are forced to make some hard choices regarding their lifestyle, especially their diet and exercise. The family attempts to make these changes, but after a few short weeks they are back to their old routine, which suits Taylor just fine – he hated exercising and healthy food was boring.
Fast forward 10 years and we get a glimpse of Taylor at the age of 25.
In high school, Taylor grew a few inches and now, at 25, he is 5’10”, weighs 230 pounds and has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 33, placing him in the obese category. Recently, he was placed on an insulin pump for his type 2 diabetes because he was not managing his condition effectively. He was also officially diagnosed with high cholesterol and high blood pressure; he is now on medication for both conditions. For a couple of years his legs and feet have been swollen, but in his mind that is because of the weight gain. Even though the physician constantly reminds him about the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, he doesn’t listen and thinks he is just fine. Taylor continues to live at home with his parents. Even though he has a junior college certification in Web Development, he has not found a job and instead plays video games all day.
Fast forward 20 years and Taylor is now 45.
He is 5’10” and weighs 360 pounds, with a BMI of 51.65. Over the years, Taylor’s health has worsened. In addition to his type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, he is now extremely obese and his vision is limited from diabetic retinopathy. Taylor has a part-time job working as a web developer, where he sits all day at a computer. After work he heads home to his mom’s – Taylor’s dad, Stewart, passed away from diabetic complications 15 years ago – where he sits on the sofa watching TV and playing video games. Taylor has been receiving treatments for a sore that appeared on his foot 6 months ago. Taylor is unable to treat the sore with antibiotics because of his allergy and the other treatments do not seem to be working, so the physician has mentioned amputation. His dad also had a similar fate – treating his sores with antibiotics and other measures – but eventually having to have his leg amputated.