ObesityHelp

So, I did not post my one year update so I will lump these two blog posts together.

 

 

 

 

I had my one year checkup just shy of my anniversary and I have nothing but good things to report. :) At my checkup the Doctor was extremely pleased with my progress!  At the start of my insurance required 6 month monitoring period, my stats were as follows.

September 2011

Height = 6'0"

Weight = 358.5

Lean Body Mass = 189.6

Body fat mass = 168.9

BMI = 49

Body Fat % = 47.1

Pants Waist = 52

Shirt Size = 2-3xl

At my check up in April 2012 my stats are as follows

Height = 6'0"

Weight = 234.6

Lean Body Mass = 181.7

Body fat mass = 52.9

BMI = 31.8

Body Fat % = 22.5

Pants Waist = 36

Shirt size = L-XL

So, the Doctor keep reiterating how pleased she was that I lost 117lb of fat mass and only lost 7.9lb of muscle mass. Not to mention my blood work came back perfect, off blood pressure meds, no sleep apnea, back and knee pain is greatly reduced, and I can shop for cloths at any store .....I'll take that. :)

 

I talked with my insurance agent in March to see if I can adjust my life insurance policy.  At the time, my work's life insurance would not cover me due to my high weight and co-morbidities so I purchased a policy on my own. He stated that after one year post surgery to come in and we can take a look at the policy and get me a better rate.  The nurse came by for the health screening and was amazed by my stats.  

Pre surgery

Highest Weight = 370

Blood pressure = 158/98 which is why I was on medication....not good

Resting heart rate = 82 Also not good

13 Months Post OP

Weight = 222

Blood Pressure = 118/75

Resting Heart Rate = 48

I am completely off meds and the nurse was very pleased with those numbers.  According to my new BMI, I am no longer obese...just overweight. :) She asked if I was a runner and I stated I ride my Mountain Bike a couple times a week as well as Wrestling and BJJ....she said it shows. :)

All in all things are going great.  I am continuing to loose but really am hoping I level off around 215-220lb.  I am incorporating more food and trying to learn to maintain as opposed to loosing.  Thanks all for the support so far on this journey....more to come.

I have trained in the Martial Arts most of my life starting in Japanese Jiu Jitsu when in middle school.  I began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the year of 1993, just out of high school.  That year I had to drive 250+ miles one way to Portland, OR to the closest BJJ gym and train.  Needless to say I could not support those trips for long and have been inconsistent with my BJJ training.

 A few years ago I met Randy Stacy when he transferred to the local Air Base, he teamed up with one of the local schools and the built a grappling room for us to train.  I started training BJJ consistently in the year of 2010 but due to my size I did not progress as I should have.  In 2011 I took time off to prepare for surgery and to follow my prescribed 6 month monitoring period.  Surgery happened in April 2012 and I took nearly 4 months to fully heal, once the doc gave me the all clear I was back on the mat!!

BJJ has been vital to my success, the guys push me daily and have wooped, armbared, and choked me into shape.  This past week, I was awarded my blue belt in BJJ which is an accomplishment 20 years in the making.

Below are a few pics of my progress and weight loss.  

With my weight loss, I have grown so much on and off the mat....it is amazing how much differently I can move between being 370lb and now at 230lb.

Don't give up, you can achieve your goals....now I am confident my Purple belt won't take as long.....we will see in a few years. :)

 

I took my daughter for her first skiing trip on Friday to celebrate hitting my goal weight.  The snow started out frozen and tough in the am but the afternoon it was about perfect.  We both ended up with sunburns and good memories.....and being a couple days before they close for the season and on a week day we just about had the place to ourselves.  There were maybe a total of 40 people on the mountain and on the steeper runs I had them to myself.....good stuff.  At one point she wanted to rest in the lodge so I made a few quick runs, two runs each on two separate lifts and I was the only one there...crazy.

 

I could not have though of a better way to spend the day, finally able to show her how to do one of my favorite activities.  She is going to be a good ski buddy for years to come. Her smile pretty much sums up the day.

 

 

Well yesterday I weighed in and the scale read 229.8lb!!!!  I thought that was great but decided to wait until today and try it again before officially calling my goal reached.  Well, this morning the scale read 229.4 so I say it is official.  Below are my stats.

Height = 6'0"

Highest = 370 (6/2011)

At time of 6mo monitoring = 358 (9/2011)

Day of surgery = 328.8 (4/12/2012)

Current = 229.4

So, I am just under one year out and have reached my goal weight that was expected to happen at 18 months.  At my last doctor visit I had only lost 5lb of muscle from when I started so the doc was very pleased.  I can tell you this journey has been very positive, not only in my life but in my families as well.  I have gotten back to some of the activities I loved when I was younger and honestly feel I do some, if not all, of them better now.  

During this journey I have reevaluated my goal weight and feel that somewhere between 210 and 220 would be a very good place for me to end up.  My sights are now set on 215!

I did have a difficult time in the beginning and it really took me 6 months to fully heal up, relearn how to eat and to get my energy back.  I started working out at the 2 month mark but felt exhausted for the most part.  I really was having second thoughts and wondering what the hell I did to myself but that soon passed.  Around the 6 month mark I stopped loosing and plateaued for almost two months which was very frustrating, the doc and nut kept reassuring me to stay the course and it too passed.  My weight loss has been a series of plateaus and drops, usually it would run in a 2 week cycle but most always I say a net loss throughout the month.  From the first if this year to now I have only lost around 15lb but the weather has kept me from mountain biking which contributed to some of my losses.  I stayed very active with wrestling and BJJ throughout the winter but missed the bike.  

I quit attending support groups around the first of this year.  For me it was an 80mi drive to listen to a group of folks talk about ways they can cheat and how to eat foods they are not supposed to.  I tried to give valuable input to new folks but was always over run by those giving, in my opinion, bad advice.  I have found this site as well as some Facebook groups to be a great resource and highly recommend others seek them out if you have questions.

My advice to those thinking about surgery or that are currently struggling is to stay the course.  You have the tools and have been giving the knowledge to be successful all you need is the will to see it through.

I thought I would share a few pics of my progress to date....enjoy.

Pre surgery

A work in progress

Reaching a goal - My XL shirt and 38 waist pants are getting too big...bring on the large!!!!

Thanks all for the time and support....more to come.

Andrew

 

I can't tell you how long it has been sense I was able to go downhill skiing and spend all day on the mountain.  One of my Jiu Jitsu training partners asked if I wanted to hit the slopes so I thought about it and said why not.  I dug all my gear out of the garage and my ski parka out of the back of the closet(yeah it crazy big on me now)man was that stuff dusty. He had a pair of show pants for me to borrow and I had all the gear I needed.  I did not sleep a wink the night before, it has been far too long!

Heading up for the first run of the day

My partner in crime

My jacket is way to big on me now....I could not zip this up when I started my journey last year.

Coming down the mountain

I still have it. :)

http://youtu.be/cVtjGHrwv6

(copy and past into a new tab)

You get the strangest looks from people when you pass the while skiing up hill. :)

My buddy after taking a hard spill....trying to clear a triple jump his board toed into the face of a jump and cartwheeld him on his ass....I tried to get a video but was out of frame...it was an epic crash. :)

I could not have asked for a better day, I even came home with a sunburn....can't beat that!!!  This is the first time in almost 12 years I have gone skiing...hard all day long and feel great.  I am loving my journey and all the activities it has allowed me to pursue!....more to come.