Asking for your Positive Thoughts & Wishes...

Hello Everyone, I know that I haven't been here in such a long time, and that I am only now just "coming back out of my shell", and I realize that my request is nowhere near as urgent as some of the others I have seen on here, but I am asking from my heart nonetheless... 2008 so far has been a year of tremendous change for me.  Spiritual change, emotional change, and of course with bodybuilding, physical change.  I am just starting to realize the person that I can be, and I am so blessed with so much in my life. Well, no matter how much muscle I build, or how much I change the shape of my body and change my attitude towards life, the huge amount of skin around my abdomen is going nowhere.  If you have seen my photos, through exercise and weights I have tightened up everything else; my arms, my chest, etc. - but no amount of weights, crunches, or protein powders will change the skin around my abdomen, and no matter how much effort I put into changing my body, I am still so embarassed that I can't even wear a simple bathing suit at the beach.  The amount of skin is enormous. My local doctor, in all his wisdom, referred me to a local plastic surgeon through my insurance to have the skin removed.  My doctor has listed this as a required medical necessity, and so he hopes to have this go through the insurance process, since I do not have the $12500 needed for the operation.  I have very high hopes. My referral appointment with the plastic surgeon is next Monday, and I am asking for you to join me in positive thoughts and good wishes that I will be able to go on through with the surgery and get the skin removed.  This skin has been a major contributor to my feeling so badly about myself in the past, and also past depression.  This surgery means so very much to me, that words alone cannot express how much.  If for any reason the insurance goes against my surgeon's recommendation for the skin removal as a necessity, I will sell anything I have in my home, no matter what, to help pay for the surgery.  I pray that it will not come to that.  God has taken me on this journey and has led me so far, and I have complete faith and trust in the outcome, no matter what it is. On a lighter note, I am officially weight training in the EAS 2008 Body For Life Challenge, and it is completely transforming my life.  As a large man, bodybuilding was nothing more than a pipedream; a fantasy.  I believe that God has given me the strength to heal myself, and to take on this new challenge in my life. It has taken a great deal of time and commitment on my part, but I know that in the end it will be well worth it.  I train 6 days a week (3 days of heavy weights and 3 days of cardio), by rising at 3:30AM, and reporting to the Ft. Rucker gym by 5AM sharp Monday through Friday (Saturdays is just elliptical cardio in my house in the morning).  Part of this training has been a new relationship with food and eating.  I now eat approximately 3000-3200 calories a day, over 6-7 meals, comprising approximately 350 grams of protein, 350-400 grams of low glycemic carbohydrates, and around 60 grams of good fats.  Imagine - ALL that!  Yet, it all just seems to work!  I was 148 pounds, sickly, with a 30-inch waist and a very bony body (every rib used to show right through!), and now I am 187, with a 30-inch waist, and a real body with real mass - I am in disbelief!  I would never have thought that life like this was possible.  My goal for early next year is 200 pounds with 6-8% body fat.  I know I will make it! Not only have people from EAS and MuscleTech been very supportive, but so has my trainer and the US Army, for taking me under their wing.  Please also send me your positive thoughts and well-wishes for my continued success in this endeavor. God bless you all, and thank you for always being there, Mike

Congrats on your success.  I did an EAS contest in 1996.  See my profile.

Sonny - - absolutely amazing!  Your transformation back then was inspirational.  I have very similar goals, but not to win any particular prize, just to achieve a certain musculature - bodybuilding is something I have always wanted.  Rather than having to lose weight and body fat, I am trying to gain - and have been doing so now for a few months.  It is a slow gaining process, trying to get in 3000 calories a day - but slowly and surely.  Of course, with the surgery you don't really absorb all of that - a lot "comes out in the end" with me, so I am a hard gainer... You are an amazing person, Sonny - and I know that anything you want to achieve you will do it, including surgery,  Besides, this OH board is so full of amazing, supportive people, you couldn't have come to a better place!! Have a great day, Sonny! Mike

You want 'em, you got 'em. Good luck!

Hey man, thank you, thank you, and MORE thank you! :) :) :) - Mike

Michael, You bet. Prayers and positive vibes to you. Congratulations on the "Body for Life" stuff. AND- I also had a roll of skin at my waist When all other skin had pulled up fine. Panniculectomy! If your insurance will cover the Full Abdomeplasty, Go for it. If not, a self-pay Panniculectomy can be had (And by one of the best) For as little as 5 to 7 thou. The price of a used clunker of a pick-up truck. I “auditioned” several Plastic Surgeons. I went with one (in Memphis by the way) That had done Panniculectomies on 6 other Men In the previous 4 months. I wanted someone in the habit of doing exactly the procedure I was seeking. Since the vast majority of PS is performed on Women, Be sure to ask your surgeon how many procedures, of the type you are after, they have performed on Men recently. May you have a famously successful PS! (keep us posted) Best Wishes- Dx

Thank you so very much!  I really appreciate it!!!  :) Have a great day, Mike

Best of luck in your journey, Mike! You are a perfect example of how you can lose all the weight in the world and still not be healthy.  "I was 148 pounds, sickly, with a 30-inch waist and a very bony body (every rib used to show right through!), and now I am 187, with a 30-inch waist." Not everyone has to be a bodybuilder, triathalete or whatever, but to get healthy you have to incorporate some amount of exercise into your life. It's what we've heard all our life......diet AND exercise. Boner

Thanks for the comments - - and you are SO right, not everyone has to go after the goals that I am - but thats just it, it is a goal that I have set for myself, and no one else.  I am proving to myself that I CAN do it, more than anything.   It doesn't have to just be a fantasy anymore, it is within my control - and that's the key. Have a great day, and thanks again! - Mike

Positive thoughts headed your way.  Great job so far - just keep on keepin' on!  Keep setting goals and going after them with all ya got!! We all know that Bama boys can do whatever they set their minds to!!!