INTRODUCTION

The "Price of Freedom" is an expensive one. Just as our country struggles to bring freedom to millions in the Middle-East, millions of Americans are struggling to free themselves from the bondage of food-addiction. There are more obese people in the U.S. than ever before. And the temptations are everywhere. From fast-food drive-thrus to the abundant rows of candy at every cash register, the enemy is closing in on every side. As our lives become more and more chaotic and faster paced, the foot-hold the enemy has on us grows as well. Many of us have become slaves to the enemy. Many have died in the hands of the enemy. It is easy to become dismayed and disillusioned by the demons some of us fight in our heads every single day. Just like our brave soldiers overseas, sometimes the only road to victory is to fight back.


BRIEF BIO

I am your typical obese male. I have been overweight most of my life. It started back before my conscious mind can remember. I was a large toddler...VERY large. My relatives swear that I weighed 97 pounds when I was 3 years old. Like most overweight people, my weight has been my biggest nemesis my whole life.

My dad died when I was 9. My two half-brothers died when I was 7 and 12. My mom worked three jobs to support us so I didn't get to see much of her. Growing up all alone can be very unhealthy for a kid. It is amazing what one's psyche can become adjusted to. I became accustomed to being alone. Food became my best friend. It was my source of comfort, but it also was my source of self-loathing as well.

Middle school came, and after the third death in my immediate family in just 5 years and more torment endured by my peers at school, I became anorexic and addicted to prescription narcotics. I became so thin that I had to be hospitalized a few times. But this made me no less unpopular, and like all of the diets I had ever been on, eventually the weight came back.

I was the quiet kid in school. Being overweight and quiet meant a lot of time alone. I focused my attention on school and became known as the "fat science geek" and graduated fifth in my class. However, once school had ended, so did what little bit of self-respect that I had. I spent the next several years kind of lost.

Then in 2000, the weight gain REALLY started. I put on 160 pounds in just 4 years. I went from morbidly obese to super obese. My health began failing me. I had thought about surgery for a long time, but what did it for me was the day I went walking with some friends. My legs were swollen, red, and oozing liquid. My back was killing me. My circulation was poor. Then it happened...I collapsed just 1/4 mile into our walk. I wound up in the hospital the next day unable to stand. That was the day I decided something had to be done.

The following entries are my experiences with weight loss surgery. My hope is that they are insightful for somebody else looking to end their life-long struggle....

WEIGHT OVER TIME

WEIGHT LOSS HISTORY

7/6/04 - 432 pounds (day of surgery)
8/6/04 - 374.5 pounds (1 month - 57.5 pounds)
9/6/04 - 358 pounds (2 months - 16.5 pounds / 74 total)
10/6/04 - 338 pounds (3 months - 20 pounds / 94 total)
11/6/04 - 318 pounds (4 months - 20 pounds / 114 total)
12/6/04 - 301 pounds (5 months - 17 pounds / 131 total)
1/6/05 - 287 pounds (6 months - 14 pounds / 145 total)
2/6/05 - 274 pounds (7 months - 13 pounds / 158 total)
3/6/05 - 259.5 pounds (8 months - 14.5 pounds / 172.5 total)
4/6/05 - 244 pounds (9 months - 15.5 pounds / 188 total)
5/6/05 - 231 pounds (10 months - 13 pounds / 201 total)
6/6/05 - 223.5 pounds (11 months - 7.5 pounds / 208.5 total)
7/6/05 - 213.5 pounds (1 year - 10 pounds / 218.5 total)
8/6/05 - 202 pounds (13 months - 11.5 pounds / 230 total)
9/6/05 - 196 pounds (14 months - 6 pounds / 236 total)
10/6/05 - 187 pounds (15 months - 9 pounds / 245 total)
11/6/05 - 182 pounds (16 months - 5 pounds / 250 total)
12/6/05 - 180 pounds (17 months - 2 pounds / 252 total)
1/6/06 - 172 pounds (18 months - 8 pounds / 260 total)
2/6/06 - 168.5 pounds (19 months - 3.5 pounds / 263.5 total)
3/6/06 - 167.5 pounds (20 months - 1 pound / 264.5 total)
4/6/06 - 168.5 pounds (21 months - (+1) pound / 263.5 total)
5/6/06 - 166.5 pounds (22 months - 2 pounds / 265.5 total)
6/6/06 - 165 pounds (23 months - 1.5 pounds / 267 total)
7/6/06 - 160.5 pounds (2 years - 4.5 pounds / 271.5 total)
8/6/06 - 162.5 pounds (25 months - (+2) pounds / 269.5 total)
9/6/06 - 166.5 pounds (26 months - (+4) pounds / 265.5 total)
10/6/06 - 164.5 pounds (27 months - 2 pounds / 267.5 total)
11/6/06 - 161.5 pounds (28 months - 3 pounds / 270.5 total)
12/6/06 - 162.5 pounds (29 months - (+1) pounds / 269.5 total)
1/6/07 - 163.5 pounds (30 months - (+1) / 268.5 total)
2/6/07 - 161 pounds (31 months - 2.5 pounds / 271 total)
3/6/07 - 166 pounds (32 months - (+5) pounds / 266 total)
4/6/07 - 168.5 pounds (33 months - (+2.5) pounds / 263.5 total)
5/6/07 - 172 pounds (34 months - (+3.5) pounds / 260 total)
6/6/07 - 165.5 pounds (35 months - 6.5 pounds / 266.5 total)
7/6/07 - 169.5 pounds (3 years - (+4) pounds / 262.5 total)
8/6/07 - 162 pounds (37 months - 7.5 pounds / 270 total)
9/6/07 - 164 pounds (38 months - (+2) pounds / 268 total)
10/6/07 - 169.5 pounds (39 months - (+5.5) pounds / 262.5 total)
11/6/07 - 170.5 pounds (40 months - (+1) pounds / 261.5 total)
12/6/07 - 170.5 pounds (41 months - 0 pounds / 261.5 total)
1/6/08 - 169.5 pounds (42 months - 2 pounds / 262.5 total)
2/6/08 - 175 pounds (43 months - (+5.5) pounds / 257 total)
3/6/08 - 173.5 pounds (44 months - 1.5 pounds / 258.5 total)
4/6/08 - 175.5 pounds (45 months - (+2) pounds / 256.5 total)
5/6/08 - 176.5 pounds (46 months - (+1) pounds / 255.5 total)
6/6/08 - 176 pounds (47 months - 0.5 pounds / 256 total)
7/6/08 - 177.5 pounds (4 years - (+1.5) pounds / 254.5 total)
8/6/08 - 172 pounds (49 months - 5.5 pounds / 260 total)
9/6/08 - 176.5 pounds (50 months - (+4.5) pounds / 255.5 total)
10/6/08 - 175.5 pounds (51 months - 1 pound / 256.5 total)
11/6/08 - 176 pounds (52 months - (+0.5) pounds / 256 total)
12/6/08 - 175.5 pounds (53 months - 0.5 pounds / 256.5 total)
1/6/09 - 175.5 pounds (54 months - 0 pounds / 256.5 total)
2/6/09 - 177 pounds (55 months - (+1.5)pounds / 255 total)
3/6/09 - 174.5 pounds (56 months - 2.5 pounds / 257.5 total)
4/6/09 - 177 pounds (57 months - (+2.5) pounds / 255 total)
5/6/09 - 175 pounds (58 months - 2 pounds / 257 total)
6/6/09 - 174.5 pounds (59 months - 0.5 pounds / 257.5 total)
7/6/09 - 177.5 pounds (5 years - (+3) pounds / 254.5 total)
8/6/09 - 179.5 pounds (61 months - (+2) pounds / 252.5 total)
9/6/09 - 174.5 pounds (62 months - 5 pounds / 257.5 total)
10/6/09 - 176 pounds (63 months - (+1.5) pounds / 256 total)
11/6/09 - 174.5 pounds (64 months - 1.5 pounds / 257.5 total)
12/6/09 - 175 pounds (65 months - (+0.5) pounds / 257 total)
1/6/10 - 172 pounds (66 months - 3 pounds / 260 total)
2/6/10 - 177 pounds (67 months - (+5) pounds / 255 total)
3/6/10 - 178.5 pounds (68 months - (+1.5) pounds / 253.5 total)
4/6/10 - 178.5 pounds (69 months - (0) pounds / 253.5 total)
5/6/10 - 180.5 pounds (70 months - (+2) pounds / 251.5 total)
6/6/10 - 180.5 pounds (71 months - (0) pounds / 251.5 total)
7/6/10 - 180.5 pounds (6 years - (0) pounds / 251.5 total)
8/6/10 - 181 pounds (73 months - (+0.5) pounds / 251 total)
9/6/10 - 179 pounds (74 months - 2 pounds / 253 total)
10/6/10 - 180.5 pounds (75 months - (+1.5) pounds / 251.5 total)
11/6/10 - 183 pounds (76 months - (+2.5) pounds / 249 total)
12/6/10 - 183 pounds (77 months - (0) pounds / 249 total)
1/6/11 - 186 pounds (78 months - (+3) pounds / 246 total) 
2/6/11 - 189 pounds (79 months - (+3) pounds / 243 total) 
3/6/11 - 188.5 pounds (80 months - 0.5 pounds / 243.5 total) 
4/6/11 - 190.5 pounds (81 months - (+2) pounds / 241.5 total) 
5/6/11 - 196.5 pounds (82 months - (+6) pounds / 235.5 total) 
6/6/11 - 196.5 pounds (83 months - 0 pounds / 235.5 total) 
7/6/11 - 197.5 pounds (7 years - (+1) pounds / 234.5 total) 
8/6/11 - 195.5 pounds (85 months - 2 pounds / 236.5 total) 
9/6/11 - 192 pounds (86 months - 3.5 pounds / 240 total) 
10/6/11 - 192 pounds (87 months - 0 pounds / 240 total)
11/6/11 - 189.5 pounds (88 months - 2.5 pounds / 242.5 total)
12/6/11 - 190.5 pounds (89 months - (+1) pounds / 241.5 total)
1/6/12 - 198 pounds (90 months - (+7.5) pounds / 234 total)
2/6/12 - 189 pounds (91 months -  9 pounds / 243 total)
3/6/12 - 192 pounds (92 months - (+3) pounds / 240 total)
4/6/12 - 192 pounds (93 months - 0 pounds / 240 total)
5/6/12 - 189 pounds (94 months - 3 pounds / 243 total)
6/6/12 - 193 pounds (95 months - (+4) pounds / 239 total)
7/6/12 - 194 pounds (8 years - (+1) pounds / 238 total)
8/6/12 - 194.5 pounds (97 months - (+0.5) pounds / 237.5 total)
9/6/12 - 196 pounds (98 months - (+1.5) pounds / 236 total)
10/6/12 - 197 pounds (99 months - (+1) pounds / 235 total)
11/6/12 - 197 pounds (100 months - 0 pounds / 235 total)
12/6/12 - 200 pounds (101 months - (+3) pounds / 235 total)
1/6/13 - 195 pounds (102 months  - 5 pounds / 240 total)
2/6/13 - 207 pounds (103 months - (+12) pounds / 228 total)
3/6/13 - 205 pounds (104 months - 2 pounds / 230 total) 
4/6/13 - 206 pounds (105 months - 1 pounds / 229 total)

5/6/13 - 205.5 pounds (106 months - .5 pounds / 229.5 total)

 
WEIGHT LOSS HISTORY BY YEAR ANNIVERSARY

7/6/04 - 432 pounds (day of surgery)
7/6/05 - 213.5 pounds (1 year - 218.5 pounds / 218.5 total)
7/6/06 - 160.5 pounds (2 years - 53 pounds / 271.5 total)
7/6/07 - 169.5 pounds (3 years - (+9) pounds / 262.5 total)
7/6/08 - 177.5 pounds (4 years - (+8) pounds / 254.5 total)
7/6/09 - 177.5 pounds (5 years - (0) pounds / 254.5 total)
7/6/10 - 180.5 pounds (6 years - (+3) pounds / 251.5 total)
7/6/11 - 197.5 pounds (7 years - (+17) pounds / 234.5 total)
7/6/12 - 194 pounds (8 years - 3.5 pounds / 238 total)

NEXT MILESTONE:

Get back to goal... and get in Shape!!!