ceciln
10/13/2003 - Hi! I am 42 years old, married, and have 2 teenage daughters. I have been overweight almost all my life. I weighed 337 last month when I went to the doctor. I was in my best shape in Jr. high and high school where I played football. My senior year after football season, I began to gain weight. I went from 155 to 215 by the time I graduated. I have been over 300 lbs for the past 12 years, except for about a year in the late 90s when I lost down to 213. Of course I gain it all back plus some. I tried low fat, low carb, Weight Watchers, Adkins, Slim Fast, Metabolife, Herbalife, Ephedrine, Chromaslim, Phentermine, and on and on. None of that crap worked. In September of 2002 I had been having chest pains. I called my doctor to make an appointment, they sent me to the emergercy room. It ended up being acid reflux. My doctor and I decided at that time to do something about my weight. He suggested I consider bariatric surgery and put me in touch with the Endocrinology folks at Scott & White. They have been wonderful. I was approved by my HMO (Scott & White) without any problem. I have a surgery date of 11/12/2003. I have been praying for years to be healed of this horrible disease (morbid obesity), now I know my healing is just around the corner.
10/16/2003 - I have been reading some of the stories you guys write. Boy aren't you all a bunch of losers? I hope to be a biger loser, too. I see adds for all kinds of weight loss products and exercise equipment and all the testimonials have disclaimers stating "results are not typical". It appears that with this surgery everybody loses big. I can't weight (wait). 27 more days.
10/22/2003 - My 17 year old daughter plays softball on our church 's co-ed softball team. They had a game Monday night. I really wanted to play, but I can't run or move around very well. I just sat and watched through the fence like a little kid watching the big kids play. Only instead of bing too little to play, I was too big. One day soon, I will be small enough to play. I will be playing this coming spring you can bet on that. I can't wait. My surgery is 3 weeks from today.
10/27/2003 - They sent me a schedule for all the pre-op stuff I have to do.
11/5 Meeting with the nurse and then with the surgeon.
11/6 Lab work and visit my regular doctor.
11/10 Admitting, Anestheseology, and Ultrasound.
11/11 Veterans Day and I don't have to work (It's good to work for a bank).
11/12 Surgery Day
10/30/2003 - Just 13 days until my surgery. Some of the men at our church get together for lunch every Thursday at Golden Corral. It's all you can eat. I enjoy going, not just for the food, but for the fellowship. I get to go today and next week, then that's it. I have mixed feelings about eating now. Part of me says "eat it while you still can", part of me says "you'd better start cutting back". I guess I just have to make up my mind that I am not going to be able to eat like I'm used to. I can't wait to get this over with.
11/10/2003 - Finish my pre-op appointments today. They did an ultrasound this morning. My ribs are a little sore. They really bear down on you. I had never had one done before. Tomorrow I to get drink some stuff that's supposed to clean me out. I am anticipating that it will taste bad. I hate taking stuff like that. I always gag. I'm not really nervous or scared about the surgery, I'm more worried about having to drink something yucky.
11/11/2003 - Tomorrow is the day. I'm not really scared or nervous. I know that everything is in the Lord's hands. Well, I gotta get my stuff packed. I'll let ya'll know how it went. Oh, by the way, the laxative didn't taste so bad after all.
11/24/2003 - 12 days post-op. I'll give you the gorey details.
Surgery Day - 11/12 - I had to report to the hospital at 10:30am. My wife, my kids, and I drove the 30 miles from Robinson to Temple. My parents and my sister met us there. I checked in. They took me into a little room and asked me some questions and took my blood sugar. The nurse told me she had the same surgery and had lost over 100 lbs(made me feel better). After she got done with me, I was directed to go to the pre-op area. There they had me change into a gown and lie on this bed, they called a hover bed (I'll explain about that later). Then this guy came in and shaved my belly. Two of the guys on staff at my chuch came in to pray with me. Me and these guys are all musicians in our church band. Well, we started cutting up and were really getting crazy. We were laughing and having way too much fun. While they were there a nurse was trying to put an IV in my right hand. Well, she couldn't find a vein. She tried again in my wrist, still no luck. I thought I was gonna pass out. I had not eaten in 24 hours. Finally she got help from another nurse. They got me in the left hand. I didn't even feel that one. I guess it was because my buds had me laughing so hard. Finally we got serious for a moment and prayed. Then another nusrse came to take me to the OR. She told me she had the surgery done and lost over 100lbs, too. In the OR, they rolled me right up to the operating table. The hover bed was pretty cool. They filled it with air which lifted me about 4 inches. This made it easy to slide me right across to operating table. They then put me to sleep. Next thing I know I'm in the recovery room. That was a blur, mostley. They put me in a room and I got to visit my family. It was already 9:00pm.
02/05/2004 - Well, I've been bad. I haven't been updating this thing. I've been too busy losing weight. It's been 85 days and I've lost 79 lbs. Not too shabby. I feel great. I go through clothes like crazy. I promise to update more often.
02/17/2004 - The past week or so, I seemed to have been stuck. My weight was going back and forth between 260 and 258. Finally on Friday it went down to 257. Yesterday it was 255 and today it's 253. It's good to see the little weight on the scale moving to the left two days in a row (I have set of doctor scales). I'm looking forward to 250, so I can move the 50 lb weight to the left another notch (never to go back again). So far I've lost 85 lbs in 97 days. When I hit 248, hopefully sometime in the next week or so, I will have lost half of my excess weight. My fiends say "Hey Skinny!", and I just grin!
03/01/2004 - Well my weight loss has kicked into overdrive the past couple of weeks. Today I weighed 243. That's -95 lbs since 11/12/2003. Up until the last couple of weeks, it seemed like I was losing a lot of inches everywhere else except my belly (especially in my face). I've really started to notice my shirts and jackets are getting looser. I am just over half way to my goal and I still need to loose 85 more lbs. I suppose a big chunk of that will come off my belly. I mentioned my face getting thinner. One night we were traveling and it was really late and I was really tired. We stopped at a gas station to get rid of some of this water I have to drink (ok, I had to pee). I was washing my hands and (now remember it's late and I'm tired) when I looked up and saw myself in the mirror, it startled me because I did not know who that guy was. Anyway, it was kinda funny!
3/22/2004 - Well, finally after a couple of weeks of slow losing, I reached a milestone. On Friday I weighed 238. That's means I've lost 100 lbs. This morning it was 102. My clothes keep getting bigger and looser and baggier. I gave away a whole hefty bag full of clothes to a friend who is happens to be the size I used to be. By coincidence his name is also Cecil Ray, just like mine, but he goes by Ray. My dad bought me some new pants last week. They were 40 in. waist. Four months ago, I wore 50s and they were stretched out. I have been swimming every night at the Y and I needed a new swim suit. I now wear a large. Not X-Large or XX-Large, but just Large. This is starting to get fun.
3/30/2004 - Time to update. I weighed 232 today. That's -106 lbs. Also added some pictures.
4/09/2004 - I went to the Dr. today for my 5 month checkup. He said everything was great and that I am 3 or 4 weeks ahead of where I should be. He said to keep doing what I'm doing. I weighed 226 this morning. That's -112. Also, I bought some new pants today. They were size 38 waist.
4/12/2004 - 5 month anniverary today. I haven't lost anything since Friday. That's alright, though. I know it'll kick back in. I usually have a few days of no loss followed by a few days of losing a pound a day.
4/28/2004 - Well, this morning I weighed 218. I have now lost 120 lbs. I am 5 lbs away from the low point I got down to 5 years ago. That time I started at 318 and went down to 213. It took over a year. I did it on my own, cutting down on eating fat. This time I started at 338 and it took less than 6 months. This time it's permanent. I bought a new shirt the other day. It was a large. Not xxxx-large, xxx-large, xx-large, or ever x-large. Just a plain ole LARGE.
5/7/2004 - Weighed in at 215 today. Man, I know I'm getting smaller because my clothes are getting bigger, but I am really getting flabby. I have never been like this. When I was really big, every thing was solid. I was an athlete in my younger days and I have always been muscular. Even my big old belly was always rock hard. Now I have wings under my arms, my belly is like jello and I hate it. My doc said it would shrink over time, but it really bothers me. The good news is, I am still losing weight. My next goal is to get below 213. That was my low point 5 years ago when I went on a diet. After that, my goal will be to get under 200. I haven't been under 200 since 1978, my senior year in high school.
5/11/2004 - I broke the 213 barrier this morning, weighing in at 212. I don't remember if I have ever been this light as an adult. I am getting close to running out of clothes. All of my pants are too big, but I still wear them. Thank the Lord for belts. My next goal as I stated last week is to get below 200.
5/25/2004 - The scale is still moving to the left. I weighed 207 this morning. I signed up to play softball with the church league. I've been wanting to play softball for several years, ever since my daughter started playing 7 years ago. I have coached and umpired for the past few years, but I have not played. Sunday, we practiced and last night we playd our first game. Boy am I sore! We lost 9-8, but it was a lot of fun.
6/04/2004 - After 2 weeks of bouncing back and fourth from 209 to 207 I finally broke through. Day before yesterday I weighed in at 206 and today I weighed 205. My next mini goal is to get under 200. I'm almost there. At 196 I will no longer be obese, just overweight. I would like to be there by the end of June.
6/23/2004 - It's coming off slow, but it's still coming off. I've had a hard time getting in my exercise lately. I started umpiring softball in May and even though that's some exercise, it's not really enough. I'm done with that, but my dad got sick and has been in the hospital for the better part of 3 weeks. I am really hoping I can get back on track this week. I did however reach one of my goals. I weighed 199 today for the first time in at least 26 years.
7/02/2004 - I made it to 196 today. I am no longer obese! My surgeon set a goal of 190 for me when I saw him in April. I should be there pretty soon. My personal goal is to get down to 160. Only 36 more pounds to go!
7/29/2004 - It's been a slow losing month, but today I weighed 190 for the first time since who knows. That puts me at my doctor's goal. I still want to loose another 30. I feel like I've got at least 30 lbs of loose skin hanging off me.
8/07/2004 - Hey, I just realized I've lost 150 lbs. I'm now down to 188. I can eat quite a bit more now than I could at first. Some days I think I eat too much, but I still keep loosing. I also find I get hungry now. Or at least I crave things like salty snacks. I try to watch it because my doc says no snacking. I still eat only 2 meals a day. I asked the doctor if I could eat 3 meals a day and he said to wait until after the first year.
09/09/2004 - Wow, August was really slow. It seemed like I weighed 188 forever. I kept bouncing back and forth from 186 to 189 usually staying at 188. I had not been exercising like I'm supposed to and I have been snacking on carb food. I decided to re-join the Y last week and cut back on the carbs. Well, it has paid off. Yesterday I broke through to 185 and today I weighed 182. I hope the bouncing up and down has stopped. I really would like to be at 160 by my 1 year anniversary on Nov. 12th.
09/20/2004 - I hit 181 yesterday and I'm still there today. that's good. I am going to a body shaping class at the Y on Tuesdays and Thursday. Last Thursday they started a contest to see who would be the first to lose 5 pounds. I think I want to try to win that one. I've also started playing racquetball. Hopefully, playing softball, racquetball, golf, weightlifting, and the body shaping class will help me lose this last 21 pounds and firm up some of this loose stuff that's hanging off me.
09/24/2004 - Well I think the excercise is paying off. I weighed 179 this morning. That's 3 pounds this week. Hear are my goals for the rest of the year:
1. At 177 (-2 lbs) I will win the contest at the Y.
2. At 169 (-10 lbs) I will have lost half of my original weight of 338.
3. At 164 (-15 lbs) I will no longer be overweight.
4. At 160 (-19 lbs) I will be at my personal goal weight.
10/06/2004 - It took 12 days to loose the other 2 pounds I needed to win the contest. After going up and down and up and down, I weighed in at 177 this morning. My class meets tomorrow night, so we'll see if the weight stays the same tomorrow. My clothes keep getting too big. I just bought a couple of 36 in. waisted pants and few weeks ago and now they are getting baggy. My dad gave me some 35 and 36 in. jeans and about a dozen shirts. He has always been skinny, now we are about the same size. He got sick back in June and lost some weight. He is trying to gain some back and I am trying to lose a little. I guess we'll meet somewhere in the middle. I was shopping the other day and just for kicks I tried on a SMALL shirt and it buttoned up. I can't believe it. My brain tells me that there's no possible way that shirt would fit, but it did. It boggles the mind! Only 17 lbs left to go.
11/10/2004 - Today I weighed in at 171. 11 lbs to go. My anniversary date is 2 days from now and I have an appointment to see my surgeon for my 1 year follow-up. I'm kind of excited about getting to see him again. I have been working out really hard at the gym. The body shaping class I go to is really starting to pay off. The muscles in my arms and legs are getting more and more defined and rock hard. My abs are getting hard, too, but on the inside. I have a lot of skin where my belly used to be. I told someone that I used to have a spare tire, now I have a flat spare tire. When I was fat, my belly was big and solid. Now it's just flabby. I never was flabby even when I weighed over 300 lbs. I hate it. That's the worst part about all this. Of course it's way better than being 180 lbs overweight.
02/04/2005 - It's been a while since I last posted. My weight loss is very, very slow now. I finally got below 168. I went down to 166 a couple of days ago and today I weighed 167. Maybe I shouldn't weigh everyday, but I'm afraid not to. I don't know if I'll ever hit my goal of 160, but I'm still trying. If I could just get down to 164, I would be "normal" for the first time in a gazillion years. That would be good enough for me. I am still working hard at the gym. I started running. Last Saturday I ran/walked 5 miles with a group from my body shaping class. Tomorrow I am going to run in a 2 mile cross country race. I don't expect to win, I just want to finish. I always hated running in school, because they made us. Now I am running for the "fun" of it. Go figure!
02/09/2005 - Well I ran in the race Saturday and I finshed 8th out of 16. Not bad for my first time. I still can't believe it. In high school we used to run in off season training for football. I remember I was always last or next to last. I can't believe I beat half the other people. It was 2 miles on a very hilly trail through the woods. It was really cool. I can't wait to run some more. My birthday was Monday the 7th. We went to Outback and ate steak. I love steak. I'm getting to where I can eat quite a bit more than I could. I can put down a 6 or 8 oz steak pretty easily. Although I can eat more, it's still a lot less than before surgery. I eat about what a "normal" sized woman might eat. I only eat 2 meals a day. I still want to lose 6 or 7 more pounds to get down to 160. I think the running should help.
03/15/2005 - Still running. Still not losing any more weight. I checked my body fat percent using an electonic device at the Y and it showed I had 16% body fat. That's really good for my age according to the "chart". I checked it a few months ago and it was at 19%. So, I figure that I must be putting on muscle. That explains why I'm not losing any weight. Oh well, I feel great, everyone say's I look great, I'm getting in shape. Who could ask for more?
About Me
Before & After
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