I wanted to take a minute to say hello and tell you a little about myself. My name is Shawn Lasater, I am a native of Northwest Arkansas and a certified personal trainer that brings a unique background and bariatric surgery perspective to the table.

I remember struggling with my weight as early as 8 years old, I was bullied in school for my weight and I carried the pain from those experiences throughout my life both externally and internally. My decision to have weight loss surgery and the journey it accelerated afterward is what inspired me to become a personal trainer. I want to help others accomplish their goals and feel as successful as I do!

In 2018, I worked in sales for one of the largest transportation and logistics companies in the world with the opportunity to travel, however, what should have been an exciting time in life quickly halted when I could not fasten the seatbelt on the airplane. I managed to avoid this being discovered on several trips by hiding the sides of the seatbelts under my excess stomach fat. I knew it was highly unlikely the flight attendants would ask me to lift my stomach to verify I was buckled.

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Unfortunately, that was not the end of this reality check. A beautiful woman was holding 2 Large Starbucks Iced coffees in her hand, although I was in no place to judge. Then she said the words that would forever change my life, "Can I have an extender please?". I thought to myself "what in the world is an extender?” The flight attendant provided her with an extender and then 6 more people. I was stunned.

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I am a highly competitive and a little stubborn person. I vowed never to have to request an extender and decided right then I was going to do something to change my life. I started researching weight loss surgery, read all the success and horror stories, and managed to lose 100 pounds on my own. At 300 pounds, I had tried every diet there was on the planet and even resorted to starving myself, losing the weight only to gain it back again. I finally went to see the Roller Weight Loss Team in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on January 2, 2019.

When I walked in I saw butterflies in pictures they had on the wall which represented a special bond with my grandmother and I immediately knew I was in the right place and that my life would be forever changed at the time, and it has been. 

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I did the extensive program for 4 months and had bariatric surgery on May 16th, 2019. I weighed in that morning at 300pounds. After surgery, I did the work, on my body, on myself. My lowest post-surgery weight has been 165 pounds; however, my journey showed me a lot more than a number on a scale. I discovered I had been focused on everyone around me but noton myself for many years. I made a change. I took myself out of that environment and took a second job working at Planet Fitness. I wanted like-minded people to fuel my workouts, I wanted to see people come in and choose themselves. It was such a cool feeling, to be part of their journey in some way. When I would give tours, once again I was being judged, but in a completely different way than before, it was as if I didn’t know how they felt. So, I asked, "Have you ever been to a gym like ours?" They laughed. Then I would reply before they could answer. "I get it, I used to be 400 pounds, so I realize this atmosphere can be intimidating at first.” Many times, they did not believe me so it got to be a thing where I just had the famous picture of “400-pound me” as a screensaver on my phone as proof. Their reply "That isn't you, there is no way!" my reply was "Well ironically, I have the same necklace." I earned their respect at that moment, built relationships, and established trust. 

My body has been through its toughest competition and I have learned how to use it to empower myself and others. I decided that if I could change my life, I could help others change their question marks into exclamation marks. I am up every morning at 3 AM to work out, this is the time I keep just for me. I realized this is where the journey starts and finishes. If you aren't happy with yourself, nobody can make you happy. I choose myself first and I show up!

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I earned my International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) Personal Trainer Certification and am so excited to help others achieve their goals. I share my journey, my life, struggles, and successes, no question is off the table, because there is someone out there that can and will relate and I hope it will create apositive pivotal moment in their life.