190 Pounds Down After Bariatric Surgery

190 Pounds Down after Bariatric Surgery

Jasmine's Personalized Journey to Weight Loss at

Lakeland Regional Health's Institute for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Medicine

I still look back and think about how far I’ve come. Even when things got hard, I always gave myself grace. And now, three years later, I’m 190 pounds down and feeling like every day is a blessing!”

- Jasmine Colbert

A hardworking, creative entrepreneur and Florida native, Jasmine Colbert has always put herself ahead of others. As a Lakeland Regional Health orthopedics medical assistant, she spends each day ensuring her patients are comfortable and cared for no matter their needs. In each facet of her life, she focuses on the needs of others.

Prior to working at LRH, she spent time making her clients feel beautiful in her chair as a hairstylist and then found her passion in the medical field in different departments before landing in orthopedics.

Raised in Kissimmee and then relocating to Lakeland, Jasmine’s weight-related concerns never kept her from doing the things in life she loved. In fact, she first learned of weight-management options when her good friend was looking into bariatric surgery herself and asked for her support.

Her friend’s journey was successful, and Jasmine watched her friend reach goals in her life and gain confidence. When she reached her thirties, she began to think more about her health, and the potential impact her weight may have on her future family planning.

“I tried a lot of weight loss options and knew that if I wanted to have kids, my weight could not be an issue. I am very active, but I knew I would start physically hurting due to my weight, or at least I was heading down that path. So, my friend who had weight loss success told me to get started. I called Lacey at LRH to get started! I took the first step.”

Jasmine met with her primary care provider who discussed her family history and quickly began the referral process to our LRH Institute of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery and Medicine with Dr. Sanjiv Gray. She began the process to have the gastric sleeve surgery in August (2022).

“The whole experience with LRH and Dr. Gray has been excellent. The first week after my surgery of course was a mental challenge. I laid low and started a journal. I began writing about my journey. I made a whole lifestyle change and looking back on my journal now, it’s amazing how far I have come.”

Jasmine started her bariatrics journey at 390 pounds. Today, she reached her goal of 200 pounds! Her journey had ups and downs, as they all do, but Jasmine’s support system, family, friends, and LRH care team had her back through it all.

During her journey, Jasmine kept up with her favorite activities once she gained more energy after recovery. She would go walking and do yoga alongside building her business, Sweet Peach: The Craft Shop, bringing joy to her customers with her customized shirts, mugs, and more! Of course, she spends her days comforting patients at LRH, encouraging them to prioritize their health every day.

“The best thing about the surgery was of course the weight loss, but also healthy habit building. I am being consistent, still walking, and eating healthy. It's okay to have your cheat days, but just always get back on track!”

Jasmine’s life is just as full and beautiful now after her weight loss, but her path to health is much brighter. She prioritizes herself, her creative outlook, and her future in ways that put her first, while still maintaining her love of others.

“My outlook is crafting, and hope is that I can continue helping people- I want to be a blessing to others, as I have had 32 years of amazing blessings.”

Your After Starts Now

Interested in learning more about how you can achieve your weight-loss and health goals like Jasmine did?