February 26, 2006 - I have been thinking about having WLS for a while now and after several battles with weight loss and weight gain (lost 100-plus pounds and put it back on) I couldn't take it any longer. I called the Barix Clinic only to find out that my insurance doesn't cover WLS. After doing some research I came to realize my wife's insurance does cover it, so I dropped mine and picked up hers. Best move I ever made! Had my initial consultation with Dr. Marymor on January 9th, finished my physch eval and cardiac eval in early February and got my phone call for my surgery date - this coming Wednesday, March 1. I'm excited, anxious and, obviously, a little nervous. But, at 5-11 and 365 pounds and the not-so-proud owner of a previous mild heart attack, I figure if I don't do this I won't live to see my 6-year old daughter Katelyn or my 5-year-old son Corey graduate. Also, I'll be damned if some other man is going to walk Katelyn down the aisle in 20 years or so when she gets married. I'll update after surgery. Before you go to sleep tonight, drop to a knee and say a prayer for me. I appreciate it.

March 3, 2006- Well, I'm officially on the other side!!!! Surgery went great!! No problems whatsoever. As a matter of fact, it went so well that I was allowed to go home from the hospital a day early. How sweet is that. Well, I had heard about the water weight you put on in the hospital from the IV's, but, WOW!!!! 14 pounds of H2O was more than I expected. But, believe it or not, i lost that plus two pounds from my pre-op weight, so I'm already on my way down. Can't wait till my 2 week checkup on 3-16-06. I promised myself I will not step on a scale until then. Can't wait. Will update then. Bye.

March16, 2006- I'm in an incredible mood today. I went for my two week post op appointment and I've already dropped an unbelieveable 35 pounds!!! I also found out some of the foods I'll be graduating to next week. Protein shakes and liquids are slowly about to be phased out. Thank God! Well, that's all for now. I'll update again soon.

March 28, 2006 - Everything's going good. Weighed myself today and I'm down a total of 45 pounds. Very happy with that. I'm slowly adding different pureed foods into my diet making each day easier to deal with. Having a little trouble getting in all my protein, but I am walking a lot, taking my vitamins and getting in all my liquids. I can't wait until I get to regular foods so I can get more protein in more easily. I go for my six week checkup on April 14. I won't weigh myself until then and I'll update at that time.

April 20, 2006 - It's been about 3 weeks since my last update and things couldn't be going any better. I weighed myself today and I'm down an amazing 71 pounds in just 7 weeks!!!! That's 10 pounds a week on average. I can't believe I'm still taking that much off after seven weeks. But I do know it will slow down here soon enough. The best part is I no longer have to say I weigh three hundred and..... I am now down to 294!!!!!!! I live for the day I can say I weigh 190, which is where I am going down to. It's wierd how little I can eat at meal time. Finishing a normal sized salad is a chore. I don't even try. Eat until you're comfortable I was told and it's what I'm doing. It's strange, you know. I now realize every meal I eat is not my last. I will eat again tomorrow. Wish I had that attitude growing up and I wouldn't have needed surgery. But, hey, what's the old saying? Better late than never? Well, I go for my belated six week checkup on May 3rd (My original date was cancelled because I couldn't make it). I'll update then. That's two weeks away, it would be nice to be in the high 270, low 280 range by then. We'll see. Oh yeah, I'm joining the local YMCA next week. That will also help. See ya!!!

May 3, 2006 - Well, I had my belated 6-week checkup, although I'm actually exactly 9 weeks out today and it was the first time I got to weight myself on the scale at the hospital since my 2-week exam and I was glad to see it was pretty close to the scale in my house (about a 2 pound difference). Anyway, I'm at 285 now for a total loss of 80 pounds!!!!! Not too shabby. Now the next step is to join the century club. I'd like to hit that by my next doctor's visit (June 14). Actually, let me rephrase that. I will hit that by then. All is going well. I do find it hard sometime to mix in a variety of foods at this stage. It's a lot of chicken, tuna and fish. But, hey, I need my protein, right? I've got to start looking at other alternatives with those foods, though. Whether it's different recipes or maybe using buffalo sauce with my chicken and making a buffalo grilled chicken salad or stuff like that. I'll start looking at different web sites for recipes and get some ideas at this web site whether it be in the chat room or whatever. Anyway, I'll talk to you after my next doctor's visit. See ya all!!!!

May 14, 2006 - Well, I wasn't going to update until my June 14th doctor's checkup, but after weighing myself today, I couldn't resist. Somehow, I am still melting pounds off at a ridiculious rate. I'm now down to 271 pounds for a total weight loss of.....drum roll please..........94 pounds!!!!!!!!!!! Just 6 more pounds to go and I'm a member of the century club. Yahoooo!!!!!!
I wasn't going to update until my June 14th checkup, but now I have to update when I lose those 6 pounds to get to the magic 1-0-0. I can't wait. See ya then.

May 26, 2006 - I've been so busy working I forgot to update when I hit that magic weight loss number, but less than a week ago I officially became a member of the century club. I weighed myself this morning and and now down to 262 for a total loss of 103 pounds!!!! I feel fantastic. I started out in a size 48 waist and I can now wear, not just button, but wear, a size 38!!! I just absolutely love it when I see someone I hadn't seen since surgery and see their reaction. You all know where I'm coming from. Is it not the biggest high to see the look of disbelief on their faces? You betcha!!! As you can see, I finally got a "before" photo posted. When I get down to my goal of 190 I'll have my "after" done. I can hardly wait. I have my 3 month checkup on June 13 with Dr. Marymor. I'll update then. Oh yeah, I'm going to the beach on June 24 for the first time in years. I get to shop for a new swimming trunks. Looking foward to that.

June 14, 2006 - Things are going much better than I could've ever expected. Had my 3 month checkup with Dr. Marymor today and am down to 247, bringing the total weight loss to an unreal 118 pounds!!! I've lost 54% of my excess weight and my nutritionist said the average 3 month loss is 30%. So that was pretty cool. I also have been named Support Group leader for my area for Barix Clinics even though my surgery was just 3 1/2 months ago and they generally don't want to put someone in that position until they're at least six months out. But our group leader quit and no one else stepped up. I see this as an outstanding opportunity to be able to pass along everything I've learned and, at the same time, shape the support group into a highly-productive one. My first meeting as SG leader is this coming Monday, June 19th. I'm very excited about it. Well, I'm not going to wait until my 6 month checkup in September to update. Probably be back in about a month or so. See ya then.

July 6, 2006 - I hope everybody had a great July 4th holiday. I know I did. I went to the Jersey shore and for the first time since I can remember, I actually took off my shirt to lay out on the beach and stand in the ocean. What an experience. I didn't feel as though everyone was looking at me and making beached whale jokes. It actually almost brought me to tears I was so happy. Well, 12 more pounds off since last posting to brings me to 130 total pounds gone forever!!! How cool is that? I started at 365 pounds at surgery on March 1 and a little over four months later I am down to 235. Just 45 pounds until goal!!!! Yahooooo!!! How's this for a reality check.....someone actually asked me the other day, what happens when you get down to your goal (190) and can't stop losing weight. What a nice problem that would be, huh? I'm sure I'll manage. Well, time to go work out, I'll check back in sometime early next month. Till then, take care.

July 27, 2006 - Hello again. It's been just 3 weeks since I've updated, but I was sitting here bored so I said what the heck. Well, the weight obviously isn't flying off like the first three or four months, but I'm hanging tough at around 3 pounds a week. I'm now down to 225, losing 10 pounds over the last 3 weeks. I'll take it. I'm not concerned with how long it takes me to get to my goal because I know I'll get there. I'm one of the lucky ones that gets full despite eating very small portions and being almost 5 months post-op. Remember, this is a lifestyle, lifetime change, not some fad diet. I will not regain the person I've already lost. Only 35 pounds till goal and I'm very happy. Hey, who knows? Maybe I'll get down to 190 and still lose a little more. After all, my ideal weight (according to several insane charts I've read) varies anywhere from 166 up to 190. But, like the past five months, I'll take things one day, one pound at a time. Till next time, take care.

September 1, 2006 - Well, its been a while since I've updated, but I figured I'd wait 'till now because today is my 6-month post-op anniversary. I am down to 210 pounds for a total loss of 155 pounds. Just 20 more pounds till goal. I can't wait to get under 200 pounds just to say I weight one-something!!! Just think, I was only 35 pounds away from saying I weighed 400 pounds only 6 months ago today!!! Now that is a reality check. Anyway, all is going well. I was told by my nutritionist months ago that at 6 months I could start drinking diet soda and resume alcohol, although I was never a big drinker to begin with. I'll have a beer every once in a while. I'm curious to see how toasted I get off of one beer. Should be interesting. Don't worry, I'm not going to blow everything I've worked so hard to achieve. Till next time, take care.

September 28, 2006 - Well, I did it!!!!!!!! I got done working out at the YMCA this afternoon, stepped on the scale and I am now down to 198 pounds!!!! Just 3 days shy of my 7-month post-op anniversary and I am down 167 pounds. What a great feeling to not only be out of the 300 pound class, but now, out of the 200 pound class. I'm still in a state of shock. Joining the YMCA was the best decision I could've made after surgery. I work out about 5 days a week on the average, 5 miles on the treadmill, some weight lifting, a half hour in the pool and extra, extra work on my abs. I can actually feel my abs hardening everyday. What a transformation. Just 8 more pounds till goal of 190!!! I'm sure I'm actually going to get lower than goal, especially after plastic surgery (to get rid of some loose skin around my midsection and my armpit area). I can't wait to see the finished product. I'll post my "after" picture once I lose these last 8 pounds. You'll be shocked. Till next time, take care.

October 24, 2006 - I am sooo sorrry. I was so excited and tied up in MAINTAINING my GOAL WEIGHT - YES, I DID IT!!!!! - that I forgot to share it with all of you great people. I reached my goal weight on October 12th and have been working hard at the YMCA and with following everything I've learned to this point to keep it there. Now the real work begins. Staying a well-fit, normal-size human being. That means following the game plan to a "T", staying active on this and other web sites and continuing to lead my Barix Support Group in Chadds Ford, PA. With all of your help I truly do believe I will ALWAYS be this size. P.S.- Check out the new photo. Pretty sweet, eh? Till next time, love you all.

 


February 26, 2006 - I have been thinking about having WLS for a while now and after several battles with weight loss and weight gain (lost 100-plus pounds and put it back on) I couldn't take it any longer. I called the Barix Clinic only to find out that my insurance doesn't cover WLS. After doing some research I came to realize my wife's insurance does cover it, so I dropped mine and picked up hers. Best move I ever made! Had my initial consultation with Dr. Marymor on January 9th, finished my physch eval and cardiac eval in early February and got my phone call for my surgery date - this coming Wednesday, March 1. I'm excited, anxious and, obviously, a little nervous. But, at 5-11 and 365 pounds and the not-so-proud owner of a previous mild heart attack, I figure if I don't do this I won't live to see my 6-year old daughter Katelyn or my 5-year-old son Corey graduate. Also, I'll be damned if some other man is going to walk Katelyn down the aisle in 20 years or so when she gets married. I'll update after surgery. Before you go to sleep tonight, drop to a knee and say a prayer for me. I appreciate it.

March 3, 2006- Well, I'm officially on the other side!!!! Surgery went great!! No problems whatsoever. As a matter of fact, it went so well that I was allowed to go home from the hospital a day early. How sweet is that. Well, I had heard about the water weight you put on in the hospital from the IV's, but, WOW!!!! 14 pounds of H2O was more than I expected. But, believe it or not, i lost that plus two pounds from my pre-op weight, so I'm already on my way down. Can't wait till my 2 week checkup on 3-16-06. I promised myself I will not step on a scale until then. Can't wait. Will update then. Bye.

March16, 2006- I'm in an incredible mood today. I went for my two week post op appointment and I've already dropped an unbelieveable 35 pounds!!! I also found out some of the foods I'll be graduating to next week. Protein shakes and liquids are slowly about to be phased out. Thank God! Well, that's all for now. I'll update again soon.

March 28, 2006 - Everything's going good. Weighed myself today and I'm down a total of 45 pounds. Very happy with that. I'm slowly adding different pureed foods into my diet making each day easier to deal with. Having a little trouble getting in all my protein, but I am walking a lot, taking my vitamins and getting in all my liquids. I can't wait until I get to regular foods so I can get more protein in more easily. I go for my six week checkup on April 14. I won't weigh myself until then and I'll update at that time.

April 20, 2006 - It's been about 3 weeks since my last update and things couldn't be going any better. I weighed myself today and I'm down an amazing 71 pounds in just 7 weeks!!!! That's 10 pounds a week on average. I can't believe I'm still taking that much off after seven weeks. But I do know it will slow down here soon enough. The best part is I no longer have to say I weigh three hundred and..... I am now down to 294!!!!!!! I live for the day I can say I weigh 190, which is where I am going down to. It's wierd how little I can eat at meal time. Finishing a normal sized salad is a chore. I don't even try. Eat until you're comfortable I was told and it's what I'm doing. It's strange, you know. I now realize every meal I eat is not my last. I will eat again tomorrow. Wish I had that attitude growing up and I wouldn't have needed surgery. But, hey, what's the old saying? Better late than never? Well, I go for my belated six week checkup on May 3rd (My original date was cancelled because I couldn't make it). I'll update then. That's two weeks away, it would be nice to be in the high 270, low 280 range by then. We'll see. Oh yeah, I'm joining the local YMCA next week. That will also help. See ya!!!

May 3, 2006 - Well, I had my belated 6-week checkup, although I'm actually exactly 9 weeks out today and it was the first time I got to weight myself on the scale at the hospital since my 2-week exam and I was glad to see it was pretty close to the scale in my house (about a 2 pound difference). Anyway, I'm at 285 now for a total loss of 80 pounds!!!!! Not too shabby. Now the next step is to join the century club. I'd like to hit that by my next doctor's visit (June 14). Actually, let me rephrase that. I will hit that by then. All is going well. I do find it hard sometime to mix in a variety of foods at this stage. It's a lot of chicken, tuna and fish. But, hey, I need my protein, right? I've got to start looking at other alternatives with those foods, though. Whether it's different recipes or maybe using buffalo sauce with my chicken and making a buffalo grilled chicken salad or stuff like that. I'll start looking at different web sites for recipes and get some ideas at this web site whether it be in the chat room or whatever. Anyway, I'll talk to you after my next doctor's visit. See ya all!!!!

May 14, 2006 - Well, I wasn't going to update until my June 14th doctor's checkup, but after weighing myself today, I couldn't resist. Somehow, I am still melting pounds off at a ridiculious rate. I'm now down to 271 pounds for a total weight loss of.....drum roll please..........94 pounds!!!!!!!!!!! Just 6 more pounds to go and I'm a member of the century club. Yahoooo!!!!!!
I wasn't going to update until my June 14th checkup, but now I have to update when I lose those 6 pounds to get to the magic 1-0-0. I can't wait. See ya then.

May 26, 2006 - I've been so busy working I forgot to update when I hit that magic weight loss number, but less than a week ago I officially became a member of the century club. I weighed myself this morning and and now down to 262 for a total loss of 103 pounds!!!! I feel fantastic. I started out in a size 48 waist and I can now wear, not just button, but wear, a size 38!!! I just absolutely love it when I see someone I hadn't seen since surgery and see their reaction. You all know where I'm coming from. Is it not the biggest high to see the look of disbelief on their faces? You betcha!!! As you can see, I finally got a "before" photo posted. When I get down to my goal of 190 I'll have my "after" done. I can hardly wait. I have my 3 month checkup on June 13 with Dr. Marymor. I'll update then. Oh yeah, I'm going to the beach on June 24 for the first time in years. I get to shop for a new swimming trunks. Looking foward to that.

June 14, 2006 - Things are going much better than I could've ever expected. Had my 3 month checkup with Dr. Marymor today and am down to 247, bringing the total weight loss to an unreal 118 pounds!!! I've lost 54% of my excess weight and my nutritionist said the average 3 month loss is 30%. So that was pretty cool. I also have been named Support Group leader for my area for Barix Clinics even though my surgery was just 3 1/2 months ago and they generally don't want to put someone in that position until they're at least six months out. But our group leader quit and no one else stepped up. I see this as an outstanding opportunity to be able to pass along everything I've learned and, at the same time, shape the support group into a highly-productive one. My first meeting as SG leader is this coming Monday, June 19th. I'm very excited about it. Well, I'm not going to wait until my 6 month checkup in September to update. Probably be back in about a month or so. See ya then.

July 6, 2006 - I hope everybody had a great July 4th holiday. I know I did. I went to the Jersey shore and for the first time since I can remember, I actually took off my shirt to lay out on the beach and stand in the ocean. What an experience. I didn't feel as though everyone was looking at me and making beached whale jokes. It actually almost brought me to tears I was so happy. Well, 12 more pounds off since last posting to brings me to 130 total pounds gone forever!!! How cool is that? I started at 365 pounds at surgery on March 1 and a little over four months later I am down to 235. Just 45 pounds until goal!!!! Yahooooo!!! How's this for a reality check.....someone actually asked me the other day, what happens when you get down to your goal (190) and can't stop losing weight. What a nice problem that would be, huh? I'm sure I'll manage. Well, time to go work out, I'll check back in sometime early next month. Till then, take care.

July 27, 2006 - Hello again. It's been just 3 weeks since I've updated, but I was sitting here bored so I said what the heck. Well, the weight obviously isn't flying off like the first three or four months, but I'm hanging tough at around 3 pounds a week. I'm now down to 225, losing 10 pounds over the last 3 weeks. I'll take it. I'm not concerned with how long it takes me to get to my goal because I know I'll get there. I'm one of the lucky ones that gets full despite eating very small portions and being almost 5 months post-op. Remember, this is a lifestyle, lifetime change, not some fad diet. I will not regain the person I've already lost. Only 35 pounds till goal and I'm very happy. Hey, who knows? Maybe I'll get down to 190 and still lose a little more. After all, my ideal weight (according to several insane charts I've read) varies anywhere from 166 up to 190. But, like the past five months, I'll take things one day, one pound at a time. Till next time, take care.

September 1, 2006 - Well, its been a while since I've updated, but I figured I'd wait 'till now because today is my 6-month post-op anniversary. I am down to 210 pounds for a total loss of 155 pounds. Just 20 more pounds till goal. I can't wait to get under 200 pounds just to say I weight one-something!!! Just think, I was only 35 pounds away from saying I weighed 400 pounds only 6 months ago today!!! Now that is a reality check. Anyway, all is going well. I was told by my nutritionist months ago that at 6 months I could start drinking diet soda and resume alcohol, although I was never a big drinker to begin with. I'll have a beer every once in a while. I'm curious to see how toasted I get off of one beer. Should be interesting. Don't worry, I'm not going to blow everything I've worked so hard to achieve. Till next time, take care.

September 28, 2006 - Well, I did it!!!!!!!! I got done working out at the YMCA this afternoon, stepped on the scale and I am now down to 198 pounds!!!! Just 3 days shy of my 7-month post-op anniversary and I am down 167 pounds. What a great feeling to not only be out of the 300 pound class, but now, out of the 200 pound class. I'm still in a state of shock. Joining the YMCA was the best decision I could've made after surgery. I work out about 5 days a week on the average, 5 miles on the treadmill, some weight lifting, a half hour in the pool and extra, extra work on my abs. I can actually feel my abs hardening everyday. What a transformation. Just 8 more pounds till goal of 190!!! I'm sure I'm actually going to get lower than goal, especially after plastic surgery (to get rid of some loose skin around my midsection and my armpit area). I can't wait to see the finished product. I'll post my "after" picture once I lose these last 8 pounds. You'll be shocked. Till next time, take care.

October 24, 2006 - I am sooo sorrry. I was so excited and tied up in MAINTAINING my GOAL WEIGHT - YES, I DID IT!!!!! - that I forgot to share it with all of you great people. I reached my goal weight on October 12th and have been working hard at the YMCA and with following everything I've learned to this point to keep it there. Now the real work begins. Staying a well-fit, normal-size human being. That means following the game plan to a "T", staying active on this and other web sites and continuing to lead my Barix Support Group in Chadds Ford, PA. With all of your help I truly do believe I will ALWAYS be this size. P.S.- Check out the new photo. Pretty sweet, eh? Till next time, love you all.

 


 

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About Me
York, PA
Location
25.8
BMI
RNY
Surgery
03/01/2006
Surgery Date
Feb 22, 2006
Member Since

Before & After
rollover to see after photo
My wedding in Las Vegas, May 21, 2004
365lbs

Friends 59

Latest Blog 3
My 2 year surgiversary!!!
All is Good!!!!!!!!
Very special day!!!

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