On YouTube, the Boogie2988 channel is one that is quite popular. It has been around for more than ten years, and it also made the owner “Boogie2988” popular as well.
Boogie2988, on the other hand, is known mainly for his comedy rants and game/movie reviews via the Francis character. He is informally referred to by many as the ‘fat American video-gaming man.’
Boogie2988 was fat, for most of his life, he weighed about 600 pounds. This had to do with his upbringing and his addiction to food. He became obese at a very early age, which made his life a bit miserable for him.
Aside from his food addiction and obese state, he had other health issues to worry about. He suffered from depression, diabetes, and lymphedema amongst others – which almost led to him committing suicide.
Boogie did not worry much about his obese nature, according to him; there was no reason to lose weight. His reason was to have control over himself and be able to do things he wanted to do.
Out of the several methods of losing weight, Boogie opted to go under the knife; hence, he underwent gastric bypass surgery.
Why did he choose such? How much weight did he lose? This post will be providing you with those answers and more as we cover all you need to know about Boogie2998’s weight loss surgery.
Who Is Boogie2988?
Boogie2988’s real name is Steven Jason Williams. He is an American citizen born on July 24, 1974, in Virginia. Currently, he lives in the southern part of the US, in Arkansas.
He married in the year 2013, but things got rough, and he got divorced five years later.
Boogie2988 is popularly known as a YouTuber. His YouTube channel “Boogie2988” has a massive 4.4 million subscribers. This YouTube channel was created on April 5, 2006, and since then, it has gotten over 800 million views.
The channel airs mainly gaming and comedy content, and sometimes, Boogie rants as the character “Francis.”
The first video ever uploaded on the Boogie2988 channel is one showing the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop RPG game which was a concise clip, just 49 seconds long.
Boogie’s online career received a significant boost when a popular actor, comedian, and YouTube star, Ray William Johnson, gave him a shout out.
Subsequently, various gaming videos were being uploaded on the channel before the Francis character was introduced in 2009.
This was the first time Boogie2988 was showing his real self – Steven Jason Williams – and in the video, he was recorded ranting about the Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition game.
As time goes on, Boogie2988 became very popular on the internet via his YouTube content. Besides that, he was invited to air his contents on Twitch.tv where his videos were posted about four times a week.
Also, he partnered with a fellow YouTuber, McJuggerNuggets, to create The Devil Inside series; the series was later released on McJuggerNuggets’ channel.
Boogie2988 began a Facebook page in August 2010, and currently, the page has over 250,000 likes with about the same number of followers.
He also opened accounts on Twitter, Reddit, and Vine, gathering thousands of followers on the internet landscape.
His Lifelong Struggle With Food
Boogie2988 has been struggling with an eating disorder since his childhood; besides, he was fat since when he was a kid. Also, at the age of 7, he weighed about 25 or 50 pounds more than the kids in his school, and they called him names because of that.
In one of his YouTube videos, he talked about how he used to eat out most of the time, and this made him obsessed and also depressed.
Boogie2988 used to weigh over 500 pounds, which is very unhealthy for a typical human being. According to him, food was like a drug, and he became addicted to it.
The doctor he talked to about his condition said if he continued eating the way he did, he would be dead before he got to 25.
When he finally opted to lose weight, he tried to stop overeating. However, in May 2019 – after his surgery – he still admitted that he is still struggling with his eating disorder via tweet.
Boogie2988’s Weight Loss Surgery Details
Boogie2988 had his surgery on August 1st, 2017, as at that time, he weighed 540 pounds. Getting a doctor to operate was not very easy.
This is because a maximum weight of 450 pounds is required and Boogie was way past this measurement.
Nevertheless, Boogie2988 got a doctor in the Mercy Network to perform the surgery on him. According to him, the doctor had operated on people that weighed 100 pounds more.
The surgery was first scheduled for July 25th, 2017, but for some unknown reason, it was postponed. It was finally conducted on August 1st, 2017.
However, before then, Boogie2988 was made to attend some orientation classes to prepare him for the operation.
Image Source: Imgur
His weight loss surgery was carried out in the early hours of the day. He posted a video on his YouTube channel just before going in announcing that it was D-Day.
His wife was the one to keep fans posted on the happenings via her Twitter handle.
The surgery did not take long; Boogie2988 had a healthy stomach, so everything went well. A lot of his fans on Twitter reacted positively to the news of his successful surgery.
His wife shared the story via Twitter at about 11 am after the surgery had been completed. He was discharged later in the evening at about 7:30 pm.
However, he did feel some pain in his abdomen within a few days after the operation. On the other hand, he was given some pain killers after the surgery to help deal with the pain.
After the surgery, he took some time to recover fully. He was not allowed to take food or liquids for three days, and he was not allowed to take pureed foods for two weeks.
Solid foods would have to wait until six weeks, and it would take about a year before he could eat a small-sized meal.
During his recovery period, which lasted for a couple of weeks, Boogie was off YouTube. He did not post any videos, but his Twitter account was very much active.
However, he had earlier stated that he had prepared up to 5 videos for publishing while he was on break.
Updates about his recovery and overall weight condition were released to fans via his Twitter handle. Information was also shared via his wife’s Twitter handle, as well.
To help with the recovery, the doctors instructed that he walk at least once every hour. These exercises are to last for 3 to 4 minutes.
He was able to keep up with this despite the pains from his abdomen, making him feel uncomfortable.
How Much Weight Did Boogie2988 Lose After The Weight Loss Surgery?
After his weight-loss surgery, Boogie2988 lost a lot of weight very quickly. As stated by him, he lost about 30 pounds over the course of 28 days.
He weighed up to 597 pounds before his weight loss surgery, and afterward, he reached a low weight of 360 pounds. This means he lost a total of 237 pounds after the weight loss surgery.
He aimed to lose up to 270 pounds in his first eighteen months after surgery, and possibly he is en route to achieving that. If such happens, then he would need to undergo cosmetic surgery to get rid of his loose skin.
However, there are certain drawbacks to this as he still has his food addiction to battle with. As earlier stated, he revealed via a recent Twitter tweet that he was still struggling with his eating disorder.
Why Did Boogie2988 Opt For Weight Loss Surgery?
As stated earlier, Boogie2988 had his surgery in August 2017. Before then, he had tried other possible means of reducing his weight, all to no avail.
He started taking his weight condition serious in the year 2011; then, he made an announcement about the condition on his YouTube channel.
Weight loss surgery was not the first thing on his mind as he tried a lot of things. He started with weight loss guides he found on the internet and followed them devoutly.
However, this did not yield any positive results. Other stuff he tried included eating only fruit, not eating any fruit, going carb-free, and more; they too did not deliver any positive results.
Admittedly, he lost about 60 pounds before 2017 when he opted for surgery. That is 60 pounds in six years, which did not have any significant effect on his weight.
As of 2017, weight loss surgery seemed like the only possible way out if Boogie needed to lose weight.
According to him, surgical intervention is the only way people like him can deal with obesity.
Before he was admitted for surgery, he was required to provide proof that he had tried other methods without success, which he did.
The decision to opt for surgery was taken by him and the consent of his wife – who he later divorced – around 2014.
The decision was not an easy one, as he was even scared of not surviving the surgery.
Nevertheless, his primary reason for choosing bariatric surgery was that it would allow him to control his food addiction and would also enable him to carry out some exercises without feeling unbearable pain.
Is Boogie2988 Much Healthier After The Weight Loss Surgery?
The gastric bypass surgery did have its good and bad effects; however, according to Boogie2988, the good outweighs the bad. Mainly, it reduces his weight, which means he is no longer as obese as he used to be. Being obese is unhealthy, so weight loss surgery improved his health.
A few weeks after the surgery, Boogie2988 admitted to it having some side effects on his body.
First of all, he got really cold; it affected his sleep as he could not get the right temperature to fall asleep. Also, the surgery reduced his cravings for food as the size of his stomach was reduced.
He was not able to eat as much as he used to, and if Boogie2988 tried, he could end up throwing up. He was only ready to eat things that had a moderate temperature, not too hot and not too cold.
Another effect within the first few weeks was fatigue. It made him sleep up to 10 or 12 hours a day as he was exhausted most of the time.
Besides that, the weight loss surgery made Boogie2988 healthier as he now has better mobility.
Not to mention, he can now walk and move more quickly than before. His obese condition made him a victim of other health problems such as diabetes and lymphedema.
After the surgery, these health problems were better managed, and he had to worry less about them. As he wanted, it made it possible for him to exercise, which is an essential factor for healthy living.
How Much Money Does Boogie2988 Make?
Boogie2988 opted for gastric bypass surgery which is quite expensive. This brings up the question, how much does Boogie2988 make to be able to afford such an operation?
Well, Boogie2988 makes a lot of money off his YouTube channels and other means. Steven has a net worth estimated at $1.7 million.
His YouTube channel has an estimated net worth of about $327,000 as of December 2019. This is not surprising because he has about 4.5 million subscribers and has accumulated about 863 million views since 2006.
The Boogie2988 YouTube channel gets about 150,000 views in a day, which generates about $600 daily. In a year, this amount cumulates to about $218,000.
Also, the revenue mainly obtained from advertisements displayed on the videos.
YouTubers do make a lot of money if the channel has a lot of subscribers. Moreover, the money paid by advertisers is shared between YouTube and publishers.
Publishers, like Boogie2988, receive close to $9 per 1,000 views after YouTube takes its share.
The amount realized depends on various factors, but depends mainly on the location of the viewers. It is still possible for publishers to make way over $9 per 1,000 views.
Aside from his YouTube channel, Boogie2988 has a channel on the Twitch platform, where he also shares videos. He makes money with publisher advertising via this Twitch channel as well.
In addition, Boogie2988 sells merchandise and sells music on iTunes. Sometimes, he receives donations from his fans via his PayPal and Patreon accounts.
What is Gastric Bypass Surgery?
Gastric bypass surgery is a known surgery for weight loss. The primary work of this surgery is aimed at reducing the amount of food and nutrients the body’s digestive system can absorb when food is taken.
A gastric bypass surgery can make an obese person lose up to 80% of their weight in about two years.
The surgery follows two procedures. The first involves reducing the quantity of food the stomach can hold; this is achieved by stapling it to create a tiny pouch.
What follows next is attaching a section of the small intestine to the pouch; however, food won’t pass through the upper and lower parts of the small intestine.
These approaches do result in several health issues for patients involved; conversely, this is generally called the dumping syndrome.
Some of these health issues include dizziness, fast heartbeat, cold sweats, and nausea. It is also possible for a patient to experience diarrhea.
The health issues encountered after surgery depend mainly on how extensive the gastric bypass surgery was.
On the other hand, gastric bypass surgery is quite an expensive medical operation. According to the NIDDK, the average cost of weight loss surgeries in the United States is between $20,000 and $25,000.
However, this amount varies across several locations in the United States. It could cost as much as $57,000 in Alaska and as little as $15,000 in Arkansas.
Conversely, this surgery costs up to €15,000 in Germany and some other parts of Europe. Nonetheless, the surgery cost will be less if a person has health insurance.
Does Surgery Help With Weight Loss?
Surgery does help with weight loss, and it is recommended for mainly obese adults and those suffering from weight-related health issues.
However, weight loss surgery will not be the right option if you have a high alcohol intake or any major mental illness.
When dealing with weight loss, it is essential to try out natural procedures. No doctor will let you undergo weight loss surgery if you have not tried any natural methods of losing weight.
Before surgery is considered, specific changes in physical activity need to have been implemented, and the right calorie intake checked.
Possibly, one can try out some weight-loss medicines to see if they help.
There are different types of weight loss surgeries, which include gastric bypass surgery, adjustable gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy, and biliopancreatic diversion.
Before undergoing any of them, it is essential to know the risks and benefits involved. Besides, there is always going to be a change of lifestyle after the operation to ensure that the weight stays off.
The majority of people that undergo weight loss surgery are between 18 to 65 years of age. For teenagers, weight loss surgery is not necessarily needed.
However, it might be required if the person is obese and also suffers from weight-related health issues.
Medically, the teen must have a minimum body max index of 35. For children, weight loss surgery will be recommended if their body max index is much higher, usually above 35 BMI.
If you are obese, it is always important to talk to your doctor before opting for weight loss surgery.
Your doctor should help you decide, based on your health status, if you are going to benefit from weight-loss surgery or not.
Conclusion: Boogie Line
Boogie2988 had a very complicated early life due to his mental issues. However, when his YouTube channel was opened in 2006, things changed for the better.
He could engage in activities that he loved to do and also make money off it. It gave him the boost to think about himself, which brought about his decision to lose weight.
When it comes to surgery, it is always reasonable for a person to be nervous and optimistic. It was no different for Boogie as he contemplated a lot of things.
Surgery does require a lot of lifestyle adjustments, and there is a recovery period with pain to deal with. Not everyone would find it easy to adapt to these lifestyle adjustments and be comfortable with it.
After the surgery, Boogie2988 had some health issues that kept him off YouTube for a while. He had constipation and also had to deal with diarrhea.
It was not an easy process, but he did manage to scale through it. One of the things that helped Boogie2988 was that he got a lot of support from his fans and well-wishers.
The surgery did help. Whereas he might still look fat, but he did lose over 200 pounds of weight and is much healthier now than before.
On the other hand, his weight can come back if he is not mindful of his eating habits.
Nevertheless, gastric surgery reduces the stomach size so a person cannot overeat. While it lasts, the person should be able to adapt to a new lifestyle of eating less.
Presently, Boogie2988 still struggles with his eating disorder as it is mentally related. With time, the stomach can expand, which means he will then be able to eat more.
If his food addiction is not cured by then, he might once again weigh close to 600 pounds.
Diana Paul is a certified nutritionist who writes for leading health blogs. She is a master herbalist, yoga teacher, forager, and wild-crafting writer She is focused on helping people transform life blocks to opportunities. Based in NYC, she often holds health seminars and lectures.