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Goals

Weigh in at 180 pounds by 01/01/2011

1 Person
 in progress, 
0 People
 achieved this

be overweight (191 pounds) by my birthday.

0 People
 in progress, 
1 Person
 achieved this

Weigh under 200 pounds by New Years Eve.

0 People
 in progress, 
1 Person
 achieved this

trim down to 210 pounds for my 2008 after Thanksgiving Carribbean cruise.

0 People
 in progress, 
1 Person
 achieved this
View The Goals Page
Surgeon Testimonial

John George Zografakis
My first impression of Dr. Z. was in 2006 when my partner was preparing for gastric bypass by Dr. Z. I met him during some of my partner’s testing and in the recovery room after surgery. He is truly a genuinely nice, compassionate person. His personality puts people at ease. He is always willing to explain a procedure or process.

As I began my journey, I sought out Dr. Z. He has only strengthened my opinion of him. He talks down to earth and gives you the facts straight up. I notice that he has good working relationships in his office with many talented folks.

He does seem to favor gastric bypass. However, he was willing to work with me and take me through scenarios to determine the best course of action for me. He listened and took my input seriously.

The Summa aftercare program is phenomenal. They really look at the whole picture in terms of weight loss. I have learned so much in this process. I so appreciated the exercise assessment. It got me started down the right path. The ½ day pre-surgery homecare session was great. All along the way, the staff and Dr. Z. make sure you are prepared for the surgery and help you be a success after.

I guess the only negative comment that I can make is the fact that he is extremely busy. Appointments are not always scheduled conveniently, and it is hard to reschedule them. I realize the center is growing. I think he is going through growing pains. I have noticed several new staff members that should make things go a little more smoothly.
Member Interests

ohbearly's Journey

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Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I was always a thin person until I approached my early 30s. I began traveling for work quite a bit and become more sedentary. The weight just seemed to snowball. By my early 40s I was well over 200 pounds. At age 51 I was 270 pounds and suffered a heart attack and had a triple coronary bypass. I have been on a roller coaster ride with all types of diets. No solution ever held for more than 2-3 months. I usually gained back more than I lost. I felt that I was destined to always be the fat man.
Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by jj_in_CA on 7/15/08 8:35 pm
    Good luck tomorrow! Let us know how you're doing. I wish you a speedy, pain free recovery! ---jan---
  • Comment by vikkihayward on 7/15/08 10:27 am
    I saw you are having lap band and wanted to wish you good luck! I hope you have a safe surgery and a speedy recovery. It was the best thing I have done for myself and I am only 3.5 months into my journey. Best of luck, we are all here for ya.
Click here for the surgery support page

Hi from Northeast Ohio ! I am a gay techie 59 year old baby boomer living in the Akron, Ohio suburbs with my partner Brett of 24 years and our three dogs. I began my lap band journey in December 2007 with a visit to a seminar at Summa Akron City . I followed up with my initial visit with Dr. Z. at the end of January 2008. Throughout the winter I worked on the pre-op processes. I've finished the Aetna mandated 3 month diet and exercise program and a variety of medical tests. I had my Lapband surgery on July 16, 2008 after a 6 week pre-op Optifast liquid diet. Right now I am post-op. I have have 8.2cc in 14cc band as of 05-28-2010. I am past at the overweight BMI 191 pound mark and now am on to my personal goal of 185. It is hard work moving that scale along.

    

ohbearly's Blog
ohbearly's Blog


http://beariatric.com/
on February 1, 2011 6:07 am
BeariatricLogo1Check out my blog - http://beariatric.com/

Bariatric surgery is a tool to help those suffering from the chronic disease of obesity achieve a normal fulfilling life. A common misconception is that this surgery alone solves the person’s weight loss puzzle.  The truth is that it puts a critical puzzle piece into place to allow the individual to reach their ultimate goal of a healthy weight.

Maintaining weight loss is a full time job; even more so for the post-op bariatric patient. Life throws hurdles at us every day. It’s easy to succumb to the urge to not exercise, rely on a diet of fast food, and return to the pre-op comfort zone of bad behaviors. Beariatric.com is one man’s personal story of experiencing life after bariatric surgery.

Having a caring support environment helps the post-op bariatric patient overcome life’s hurdles. Sharing experiences and stories with others allows the bariatric patient to grow in self confidence; expand their knowledge of weight loss and weight management; and become much more successful in their new life. My hope is that this blog will become part of your personal support network.

“Diet + Fitness + Health + Wellness = Happiness” is the theme of beariatric.com. In late 2010, I spent considerable time developing a Wellness Vision for myself. This is a big picture of where I see myself in terms of wellness over time. As the vision came into focus, a common theme of happiness emerged; not what I expected. Once complete, I came to understand that my happiness comes from the sum of a healthy diet, good physical fitness, concentrating on my health and a focusing on wellness.

You will note that the content of this blog goes back five years. I chose to move past entries from my personal blog to this web space. My thoughts on my weight loss journey are detailed in these posts. They offer valuable insight into my trials, tribulations and joys as a weight loss surgery patient. In 2008, Beariatric.com began as a recipe blog for bariatric patients. After a year, I stopped blogging about food and recipes to concentrate on my personal blog.  Given the focus of my wellness vision, it is only natural for these two blogs to come together.

I am sure many of you are perplexed with the spelling of Beariatric.com. No, it is not misspelled. It is a play on words. In the gay community, hirsute men are commonly known as bears. There is a complete gay bear subculture. I took this label and merged it with bariatric to define my identity as a gay bearish guy who had weight loss surgery.

What can you expect on this blog? I write openly about my life experiences. This is not a clinical blog on weight loss. It’s my personal journey through life. Along the way, I share tidbits on how diet, fitness, health and wellness have become the focus of my life and my pursuit of happiness. You will most likely catch me with an occasional rant or rave on something that just makes me mad or happy. I hope you stay around and visit with me now and then.

Welcome to my world!
Tom Bilcze

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My Story

I started life as a skinny guy and mid life caught up with me. You know the story, before you know it you are 250 pounds. My partner Brett is my inspiration for this journey. In October 2006 he had gastric bypass. Over the past 1 1/2 years he has gone from 365 pounds to 185 pounds... an amazing transformation!  I have seen the success and am ready to be a healthier person.

Health is my primary concern. I had a heart attack and cardiac triple bypass in October of 2005. I suffer from hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes. I need to lose the weight to have a longer healthier life. I am fortunate that my primary care physician, carioliogist and surgeon are completely in support of the surgery. I am also fortunate that my insurance approval was smooth and speedy.