‘I’m a brand-new person, chasing dreams, planning ahead’
August 24, 2025

“When you weigh more than 400 pounds, you can’t do things. You can’t fit into an airplane seat, car seat, bass fishing boat or restaurant booth. You’re trapped, you hurt all over, and you’re miserable.”
That’s exactly how Andrew Lamont felt.
The 37-year-old, 5’ 11” Northern Cambria resident was heavy his entire life, weighing in at about 250 pounds on his 21st birthday. But the result of that birthday was nothing to celebrate. Working as a bartender, drinking large amounts of alcohol and eating fried food nearly every day quickly took its toll.
“I felt a little overweight before I was 21, but all of a sudden I went into a drunken stupor and woke up weighing 350 pounds,” he said. “I couldn’t even get into my pickup truck any longer.”
But, ironically, being diagnosed with diabetes was a turning point that might have saved his life.
“I knew I had to do something, otherwise I was going to die,” said the Verizon salesperson, whose highest weight was 410 pounds. “As weird as it sounds, I never expected to live beyond 50 because of my lifestyle. I never planned far ahead, and I don’t say that lightly.”
But now, “I’m a brand-new person, chasing dreams with my wife, and planning ahead for the first time,” thanks to gastric bypass surgery performed last June by Dr. D’Arcy Duke, director of bariatric surgery at the Conemaugh Health System.
“It was more than life changing. It was life saving,” he said regarding the operation. “Choosing Doctor Duke was a no-brainer. I did a lot of research and know her reputation. It’s all out there online. She’s brilliant.”
Before the operation, he wore a size 6XL shirt and had a 48-inch waist. Andrew was so much looking forward to losing weight after the operation that he went ahead and purchased a new supply of size 2XL shirts.
But now he’s swimming in those shirts. After losing 200 pounds, he’s down to 210 pounds, wears XL shirts and has a 34-inch waist.
“This has been an incredible, simply indescribable experience – times 100,” he said with a beaming grin. “Even my hat and shoe sizes are smaller. I don’t even recognize my shadow these days. Everything has changed. It’s been far beyond my wildest expectations.”
Andrew’s relationship with food has definitely changed. “Before, I used to worry that there might not be enough food,” he said. “Now, I’m only concerned about the quality of the food that I eat. It’s a real lifestyle change and a mindset.”
Cooking has always been one of his favorite hobbies. “But now, instead of making some ridiculous thing that has 10,000 calories,” he said, “I’ll make a good steak, potatoes and vegetable meal. It’s wonderful.”
His dramatic transformation has also changed his relationship with his wife, Jessica, son, Brayden, and even his two bird dogs.
“I have tons of energy now and I can’t sit still. Jessica and I are so active,” he said. “In the past, I’d have to call off for two days after we’d go to the zoo because I was simply spent. Now we’re going to the zoo and to Kennywood for the first time in forever.”
Family get-togethers and picnics are no longer embarrassing. “When I was over 400 pounds, I was too big for a plastic chair and had to stand the whole time,” he said. “That’s a distant memory now.”
His 16-year-old son only knew the 400-pound version of Andrew. “Now I can be active with him; help him to prepare for football season and a lot of other things,” he said.
And he’s back to planning a regular diet of fishing and hunting trips – two of Andrew’s passions which suffered over the years, along with his health.
Andrew warns those considering gastric bypass surgery that “you don’t automatically come home skinny.
“It’s an ongoing transformation that you have to commit to. And that’s where Doctor Duke and her staff are always there to help,” he said.
In preparing for the surgery, the doctor and her team “didn’t sugarcoat anything,” he said.
“It was like sitting with a coach and devising a game plan. But this wasn’t a game. It was my life,” he said. “I was a smoker and beer drinker. They told me I had to quit both. Saying it’s been worth it is a gross understatement.
“My advice for people thinking about a gastric bypass is don’t be scared. Just commit to it and show up. That’s all I had to do. Doctor Duke and her staff got me through it. They’ve always had my back.”