A Second Chance at Health: Jason’s 300-Pound Weight Loss Story

By just looking at him, you would never know that less than two years ago Jason Herrick was morbidly obese, carrying 510 pounds on his 6’2” frame. Because today, the 42-year-old Port St. Lucie resident is an avid runner and in excellent health at 210 pounds.

His journey was tough and is something he works at every day, but along with his own discipline and determination, he credits Cleveland Clinic in Florida for helping him get his health on track.

Jason had been overweight since high school. He reached 400 pounds in those years, which, he says, was his own doing.

“I made my own bad decisions,” he says. “I was not eating the right things or being responsible with my own health.”

As he got older the weight stayed on and Jason was diagnosed with depression.

“I was a very irresponsible stress-eater, a ‘nighttime in-the-pantry’ kind of guy with the bad foods, and then during the day I was not eating the right foods,” Jason says. “I would just eat and not think about it, and the weight keeps coming on when you are stuck in that cycle.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jason had to temporarily shut down the appliance repair company he owns. He sunk into a deeper depression and his weight peaked at 510 pounds. His A1C spiked to 7.9, his blood pressure and cholesterol reached dangerously high numbers, and he was having a difficult time seeing a way out.

“Everything was a struggle,” Jason says. “I was not comfortable in my own skin. I never liked being in public around other people. When you are that big, you just feel like all eyes are on you. You feel that in your soul when you are that heavy.”

When he was finally able to get back to work, he had difficulty with the physical aspects of his job, which involved a lot of getting on the ground and back up again, and was so tired he would fall asleep at traffic lights while traveling to appointments. He says any attempts he made to lose weight were never successful.

His primary care doctor recommended bariatric surgery, something Jason had considered in the past but was fearful of. But now, finally feeling ready, he made an appointment to see Asad Chaudhary, MD, a bariatric surgeon at Cleveland Clinic in Florida.

After a consultation with Dr. Chaudhary in January 2024, Jason underwent the appropriate assessments, tests and counseling. He also “locked in” and, through walking and watching his diet, lost the 70 pounds recommended by his bariatric surgery team.

In May of 2024, Jason underwent gastric bypass surgery performed by Dr. Chaudhary at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital.

Jason was able to go home the next day and recovered well by “following the regimen and staying focused,” he says. His diet consisted of protein shakes for the first month and then he gradually began eating fuller meals. He controls his portion sizes and the types of food he eats and no longer snacks or heads for the pantry at night.

In the nearly two years since his procedure, Jason has slimmed down to 210 pounds, a full 300 pounds lighter since his peak weight.

He is no longer taking medication for depression or using a CPAP. His A1C, which had risen to 7.9 (indicating diabetes) just before his surgery, is now down to 4.9 (healthy range).

“I have zero sugar issues at all now, which is one of the best things about this whole journey,” Jason says. His cholesterol and blood pressure numbers have improved as well.

Getting around at work is easier for him now, and he jokes that he can now fit inside a refrigerator when he is working on it.

After he recovered from surgery Jason took up running to “keep the gas pedal to the floor” on his weight loss efforts. He runs every day and is currently training for a half-marathon.

Jason is enjoying the new lease on life his bariatric surgery has provided him.

“It’s a journey I never thought was possible,” Jason says. “Dr. Chaudhary saw what I could not. He saw the new me and I didn’t believe it then. I am forever grateful to the amazing team at Cleveland Clinic and for everything they’ve done.”

He says his outlook on life and his goals have changed since the weight loss. He is happy to be here for his family, which includes his wife and two grown sons, and is excited for his future.

“I have so much to look forward to,” he says.