Lee A. Schmitt (COE) Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Due to a lot of health reasons I was unable to exercise. I ate to comfort myself and I no longer knew the woman in the mirror. I love Dr. Schmitt!!!! He tells you what you
need to hear not always what you want to hear. He has a deep love for his patients and committed to their care. I highly recommend him and his staff. i love the entire weight loss staff and team. they are devoted to giving you the best care and support possible.

I was never overweight until after having children. My weight keeping increasing in spite of all of the weight loss programs I tried. My weight loss surgery was a breeze, although mentally, it was a challenge for a few months. I lost 120 pounds, I no longer have high blood pressure and just felt like my younger self again. After six and a half years I'm still thrilled that I had weight loss surgery. My surgeon, Dr. Lee Schmitt, is wonderful. His skill and expertise saved my life both mentally and emotionally. I had a complication after four and a half years, a internal hernia and scar tissue, Dr. Schmitt knew exactly what it was and fixed it immediately. I have total confidence in him.I attended many support group meetings both before and aftermy surgery. I felt I gained a wealth of information from the groups and obesity help.com prior to my decision to have weight loss surgery.

I am really happy about myself. I would go through surgery again if I had to do it all over again. My life has completely changed. I lost a whole person. Dr. Schmitt is very caring and the best in the country as far as I know about him and my surgery. It is very helpful to have and attend the support group meetings.

I was 25 and weighed just over 300 pounds. I knew when I found out that I had sleep apnea at such a young age I had to do something. Then a friend told me about Dr. Schmitt and the rest is history!!! Dr. Schmitt was very helpful in preparing me for surgery and what to do afterwards. I liked going to support group meetings because everyone there had either gone through or was going through the same thing as me.

I have battled with my weight ever since I was 11. I would not have conquered my task without this heaven sent surgical procedure. I think I have a genious as a surgeon. There is no other better doctor than God himself. Thank God for Dr. Schmitt. God bless you doc!!! I love the support group meetings even though they are hard for me to make becuase I live in Pell City. Please start classes in St. Clair County Alabama. Thanks for all you and your office do.

I came to Dr. Schmitt for weight loss surgery beacuse I was overweight, diabetic, gallbladder disease and back pain. I was unable to lose the weight on my own. I also had severe swelling all over. Since surgery July 28, 2009 I have lost 80 pounds. My life is so much better. Dr. Schmitt is kind and has very good bedside manners. He is very concerned about you. He is also very thorough with giving you the information about the surgery. I like him very much. He saved my life.The support meetings are very helpful and also encouraging because you are able to see the people who have gone through with the weight loss surgery. You can ask them questions about aftercare programs that help you stay on the right path.

I've always been obese and I was always told that I could be a model, but it always felt like a job at my appearance because I knew they meant \"could\" if I were skinny. I once lost a job mainly due to my weight. My twin sister is a juvenile diabetic and doctors always warned me that my weight is a dangerous additive to my family's health history. So here I was, overweight, unhealthy and miserable in my own skin. I had nothing to lose- but a TON of weight. And so began my weight loss journey with Alabama Weight Loss and Dr. Lee Schmitt. It's been a journey that has changed and saved my life! Dr. Schmitt has been open, honest and kind through my entire process. The Alabama Weight Loss practice as a whole has been phenominal from the nurses, nutritionist, receptionist and doctors. They gave me every bit of information needed to make my life changing decision and an easy and wise one. Everyone at Alabama Weight Loss aided in making me the happiest and the healthiest I have felt in years and for that I am eternally grateful. I have been throughly pleased with my process from the introduction meeting, nutrition course, hospital stay and suport group meetings. Everyone I have encountered has been incredibly kind and informative for each stage of the process. I feel so blessed to have gone through Alabama Weight Loss for my procedure and consider each person to be a true friend.

I have been overweight most of my life and gained mega-weight during pregnancy with my first baby. I never got that weight off and had a second baby 3 years later. I have gained on average 8-10 pounds every year since then. I have spent thousands of dollars on every diet and diet product available. Usually, if I was sucessful I would lose about ten pounds and then lose motivation, gaining it all back plus a few pounds. It has always been the same cycle over and over for me. When I attended the weight loss seminar (which I came to learn more about the band) for the very first time it made sense to me that diets dont work alone. With much thought and lots of prayer, I made the decision to have the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life. At 3 months post op I am 32 pounds less than I was on the day of surgery! I am on the journey and it is wonderful. My energy level has improved, I have more confidence which arms me with willpower and I am so much happier!!Dr. Schmitt is incredibly knowledgeable about weight loss surgeries and his confidence is comforting. In addition, he is personable and kind. He truly wants his patients to be sucessful not just because that is a positive tool for his practice, but because first and foremost he is making strong attempts to put an end or a big decrease in the obesity epidemic and all if its long term complications; such as diabetes, heart disease and joint pain. He certainly has made a huge difference in my quality of life. This program from the very start and throughout is top quality. As I have gone through this process, I appreciate all the details more and more. Clearly the reason for all of the sucess of the patients and the low/no compication rate is because of all the details that this practice has established. For example, the requirement of going to the dietician 8 weeks post op is so beneficial, since those first 8 weeks are such a time of \"testing\" and seeing for yourself what you can eat, how much and how you feel. For me I was able to go to the dietician and hear the same things I did before and after surgery to continue building my knowledge.

This operation was wonderful and I feel like it saved my life. I'm eleven months out from the sleeve and I have lost 70 pounds. My blood sugar drpooed to 100-120 from 240-250 with three medications. I take none now. My primary and Dr. Schmitt were over joyed with my overall, blood pressure, brething and total weight loss and improvements. Dr. Schmitt could have not been any better. I had absoultely no problems and all went as he advised and planned. I feel great.

I was always bigger than the rest of the girls growing up, but i never realized it until high school. I have PCOS which makes it hard to maintain my weight. I was 307 and 5'4 when i came to the Saturday meet and greet session to meet Dr. Schmitt and see if surgery was an option for me. That was June of 2005, I am currently 175 pounds. I love to tell my story!! Having PCOS and being married is difficult but wanting to have a baby and going through fertility with 150 pounds of extra weight was impossible. I was told that I was infertile due to my excess weight but I couldnt lose the weight because my PCOS told my body that I was building mass si I was in turn storing fat. I felt hopeless and then someone told me about Alabama Weight Loss. I did some research and thought it was an excuse for me not to have to work at losing the weight. After meeting with Dr. Schmitt and his staff assured me that if I did everything he asked me to do then it would be a great tool for me and that it would definetly help with our baby problem. Surgery is surgery, it sucks but what can you do? Would I do it again? A thousand times yes !!! Beacuse of this surgery my son was born October 27, 2008. He was due to be born on my four year anniversary but I didnt want to wait. Dr. Schmitt and his staff have been not only a useful tool in my success but a wonderful encouragement along the way.