Two Year Check-Up

Apr 01, 2009

In continuing the tradition for the second year, I've decided to fill out the same questionnaire I filled out at the one year mark, just to see myself how things have changed since then.  I'd like to make this a yearly thing, but I can't commit to that.  I seem to have a problem with commitment, just ask the fifteen or so boyfriends I had in the last year.  Anyway, here we go.

Starting Weight- 380
Surgery Weight- 330
Current Weight- 145
Goal Weight- 150
Starting Sizes- 50" waist, XXXXL shirt
Current Sizes- 26-27" waist, S-M shirt

What was your biggest WOW moment?
Every morning when I wake up and thank God for my good health, my good friends and the extra years I've added to my life is a wow moment.

What are some goals you haven’t reached yet, but know that you will?
I'd like to keep the weight off for the rest of my life, and I've done a really good job thus far.  Hopefully, I can keep that goal, but I'll never know unless I gain a lot of weight or die thin.

What are some things that you can do now that you couldn't a year ago?
Ride a jeepney.  Walk to the beach.  Climb a volcano.  Walk up three flights of steps to the Manila LRT with no problem.

What is your reward when you reach/ed your goal weight?
Nothing really.  Maybe a sigh at the realization that the work has just begun.  I don't see my weight loss as something that neccessarily has to be celebrated, but as something that needs to be cherished and preserved.

Do you have any regrets since your surgery?
I regret that I didn't do it sooner.  I was first presented with the idea years before, but thought that I was too good for it.  Man, what a douche I was...

What has been the hardest thing to do since surgery?
The most difficult thing to do has been to take pure enjoyment in the improvement of my health while my father's, in the same time period, has deteriorated immensely.  He can barely walk now, has end stage renal hemodialysis three times a week, has constant fluctuations in his blood suger and is extremely suseptible to infection.  In January, on the 23rd specifically (on his and my mother's 36th wedding anniversary) he was in the ICU close to death with an infection.  He was unresponsive and hallucinating.  He was closer to death than he was even after his two heart attacks or before his heart bypass surgery.  But I know that he's happy for me.

What are some complications that you’ve had?
Not really a complication, but dammit if steamed rice is something I have so much trouble keeping down!  Sometimes, all I want is a big scoop of rice topped with Silver Swan soy sauce.  Mmm.

What are some medical issues that have resolved since surgery?
Same since last year, but my knees have gotten worse.  I guess my weight did some pretty bad damage to them.  I may require surgery.

Name one bad habit that you’ve reverted back to since surgery.  
Eating sweets.  But not too much.  A healthy amount, I guess.  (I know.  That's an oxymoron.)

Is there anything you wish you would have done differently during your post-op journey?
I learned from all of the mistakes I made during my 1999 major weight loss and subsequent gain.  I don't intend to repeat them.

How has your weight loss affected your relationships with friends, family, spouse or significant other?
Everyone has been so positive.  When I first arrived in the Philippines, my family was expecting to see a grossly overweight me.  Well, they were duely surprised.  I went through quite a few (in)significant others the months before moving (it wasn't relationship time) but am now settled down, single and patiently waiting for the right guy.

What is your favorite post op food? 
There are so many great tasting and healthy Filipino dishes that I get to enjoy every day.  A guilty pleasure is called lumpia, or a Filipino egg roll.  Corn and crab soup (from Chow King) is great, too.

If you could pass along advice "been there, done that" to pre-ops, what advice would it be?
Follow the rules.  Quoting LadyRaven, "This is your one shot rocket."  Enjoy it, but never take it for granted.

Someone once asked me if I were offered a billion dollars to go back to being obese, and I had to stay there for the rest of my life, would I do it?  No way in hell.  The pounds I lost are worth their weight in gold and diamonds.  Good health is tantamount to a long and productive life.  And the way my life is now, I want to be able to enjoy it for as long as possible.

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