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Something sad and tragic has occurred. I'm preparing to return to The Hideout for support.

Hellooo.

I know. I haven't been around to update my blog, but there has been so much going on!

My life is better than ever. I did actually gain some weight over the holidays, but I put a stop to that by going back on the tried-and-true protein shakes for several days. Now I'm working my way back down. A minor set back? This stuff sometimes happens. One just has to keep it in perspective and deal with it directly. I'm really happy with myself.

Evelyn Wood continues to be the best thing that has ever happened to me. Would I ever have met her without first becoming obese?  Without discovering VSG? Without finding support here? We occasionally talk about it. Truly, it's as if everything happened for a reason and at the right times. I've no regrets. As I told her, my new motto is: "Treasure the past, but keep looking forward!"


I've just come back from my first cruise ever. EW arranged a trip but kept it a secret. I didn't know where or how we were going until we arrived at the Carnival Cruiseline terminal in Long Beach, California. It was fantastic and she is ever more the Queen of My Heart.


I used to take antacids several times a day and at bedtime. I never thought of it as anything more than heartburn, but it turned out to be GERD! Because of it, I had developed esophageal ulcers. I started taking Protonix once a day and I immediately quit the antacids. The pain stopped the first day. Who knew? We all need to be sure not to take symptoms for granted; we're surgery patients!

I just turned fifty! This was confirmed when my unsolicited application for AARP (Association of American Retired People) arrived in the mail. I suppose that letter is a rite of passage in the USA.
Fifty or not, global economic recession or not, Global Warming (tm) or not, my VSG has elevated my life and is a source of continued optimism.


On that note, I end here. I'll be back to share my post-surgical adventures and to check on you, my friends-in-support. I'll not forget your kindness and friendship...not ever.

Hello again.

I didn't think that there would be much left to discover, but I was wrong. In the last month or two I've been surprised by some observations about myself.

I thought that I was finished resizing my clothes, but my body is still significantly changing. I just determined that I have to go one size smaller on shirts and pants. I will probably go another step down before the end of the year. This means that I'll finish at five shirt-sizes down and about 18" off of my waist. That will put me at my high-school dimensions. This causes me to consider eventual cosmetic surgery (something that I thought I didn't care about).

I've realized that I was so used to wearing ill-fitting clothes that only recently have I discovered that I can achieve a decent fit. I had to clear out my closet yet again. Mind you, I'm not complaining!
Big Wow: This week, I found that I need never go to a Big & Tall clothing store ever again.

Dear OH associate EvelynWood shared her experiences about being treated differently by friends and strangers in public. It was a revelation when I thought about it- it's true. I have been getting different treatment from lots of people. Wow. I can really tell the difference in the service that I get from retail clerks and food servers and strangers with whom I stand in lines. Furthermore, I know that I'm more outgoing and tend not to hesitate to be in public places.

I don't really know why, but I am only lately beginning to realize the incredible depth of these post-op changes in my life. I am in awe.

I'm single and I've been used to being solitary for many, many years. I actually stopped thinking about it. Now, my experiences are making me realize that I can afford to adventure out socially, and I am. I feel pangs of loneliness, but I take it to be a very positive sign that my life is normalizing.

Having blogged thusly, I wish the same wins and wows for my fellow WLS kindred and I can't wait to see what's around the next bend.

Hm. What to write?
True, I don't surf through OH nearly as often as I used to; Nano was right- as time goes by the life focus changes from the surgery to just plain living. Rightly so. Nano is wise. Perhaps the most wise.
These days, I stop A LOT to "smell the roses" and they are sweet. My career has dropped a few notches in priority as I reclaim the missing pieces of life from the "before time" (pre-op).
The world seems brighter. Friendships seem deeper. Weight plateaus and the occasional bad food choice are mere flecks on the sun. For me, WLS has been a big catapult that has flung me forward on the trail. That's a good thing because I have a lot of catching up to do. I've got my plans laid out for 2008. One must reach out to catch up because the missing pieces are not going to fall in one's lap. It's a lot of fun.
I continue to seek the advice of patients who are farther out than I (such as EvelynWood) and I hope that I can inspire noobs to dwell less in the past as they turn toward a future of adventure and fulfillment.
Ah...how sweet it is.

I've been away from OH for a loooong time. So much more to do. So much more to live.

I moved from the bay area to Orange County in Southern California in mid-October. I've been busy with starting a free-lance consulting career, but now I think I have to start looking for a regular gig working for "The Man". Remember this: have as much money as possible in the bank before you start your own business!

I've discovered a lot of new things about my new self. I still am.
- I can walk a lot farther and stand a lot longer than I ever imagined.
- I can't sit for long periods; my weight is focused on my tail bone because my butt has lost all of its "padding".
- My memory and concentration have improved.
- I'm invisible when I'm in public and out on the street. I don't attract any particular attention. Nobody has to make way for me and I don't hold up the parade on the sidewalk. This is a good thing.
- I can go to restaurants without worrying about fitting in a booth.
- My travel bug has come alive! I travel whenever I have the chance.
- I can lose inches even when I'm not losing weight.

I'm going to travel back to the San Francisco area for my one-year post-op follow-up on April 1st. I've been on a long weight plateau since November, but I'm not worried. These things happen. My appetite started to return after six months, so I have to work harder now, but it's so worth it.

2008 is going to be my biggest year of change. I have plans. More on this later. How you doin'?

PS: Everybody's new avatars look amazing. It's very heartening to see.

I've been away doing new things. My dear friend EvelynWood has reminded me to update my profile. This I will do soon...after I return from visiting my family in Hawaii. Back in February!

Thanks for checking in. Take care now!

Yo. I just had my 6-month follow-up with Dr. Asbun. Everything checked out fine. Officially, I'm down 127 lbs. I missed (by 3 lbs.) the record of 130 lbs./6 months set by the doctor's biggest male loser, but I must say that I'm still pretty happy. I'm about 48 lbs. from my weight goal. Personally, I still don't count pre-op weight loss so by my accounting, I'm down 112 lbs.

My hair is bouncing back nicely. I thought that I was starting to get a little fold of extra skin on my throat, but it turned out that it's just my Adam's Apple becoming visible. I've donated away almost all of my old clothes, but I saved my pre-op jeans for future reference.

Lately, several people have told me that I look a lot younger. I was surprised. I don't know why.

I went to Disneyland with my visiting brother's family last weekend. I walked farther than I have in many years. I fit in all of the rides with room to spare, but I'm still getting used to not having my "natural" seat cushion- the seat on Splash Mountain is hard and unforgiving! My next goal is to visit the hair-raising rides atop The Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas where last time I was unable to fit under the safety restraints.

The journey has been wonderful so far. I think that the reason is PMO: Positive Mental Outlook. I wish as much for my WLS friends.

Ever wonder why...
Falling stars in the night sky are rare and special but falling stars in Hollywood are becoming the opposite?

It's 3:00am. I just returned from an overnight trip to Orange County for my first consulting gig. It went very well. I'm back in the employment saddle.

Wow #1: There was a terry guest robe in my hotel room- one size fits all. I tried it on. IT FIT!

Wow #2: A few days ago, I took magnifying glass to mirror. I saw previously undetected new hair growth at the front hairline. My hair is fine and the new growth is finer so I didn't notice it before. The new hair is about 1/4", so it's been coming back for a little while. Maybe I can resume my side gig as Elvis impersonator!? Guess I won't have to resort to the Hair Alternative Treatment (H.A.T.)! Get it? I stole that from "The Man Show". Never mind.

Wow #3: All of my old/reserve dress slacks have been donated out because they're too big to wear. All I have at the moment are new black cuffed slacks. It's a good neutral color that can be mixed with my dress shirts which I need to have darted to improve the fit and extend their wearability. I think that I'll be at the size where I can buy off the rack in about two months. I haven't done that since high school (Bedrock High School, Class of 2,000,000 BC).

Wow #4: Inexplicably, I have greater awareness and appreciation of the inner goodness and beauty of obese people that I observe in public. I feel the same way about my VSG forum mates.

Ever Wonder...
Why fish can fly but chickens can't? It doesn't seem right to me.

Down 91 lbs. since surgery day.
I just got back from a meeting in Southern California (SoCal) to generate some employment. I ate out exclusively, and still managed to lose 4 lbs., so that's nice.
I reconnected with a lot of my business buddies and collected info about what was going on in the restaurant/food service industry (my specialty). Two friends who are partners in a small software company asked me to subcontract some consulting for a client. That's going to be tough to do from Northern Cal, so I figured that this is the time to make my move down south like I wanted. I've come to a crossroads like Tom Hanks did in "Castaway". I chose self-fulfillment over money. Along that vein, I also decided to do full-time consulting. So, a big move, a big career change, and low cash funds. A recipe for high adventure...and high anxiety.
I figure that I'll be moved by the end of September. I'll be renting a friend's guest room for a little while. Until then, it's going to be a weekly 350-mile commute. I feel like I'm reading about myself in a book. Could become a real page-turner.

Skinny Eyes
On this visit, I saw a hand-full of friends who had not seen me since before surgery. They we're impressed. For the first time, I'm beginning to feel that I cannot describe myself as a "big, chunky guy". I feel like I'm really starting to blend in with the crowd on the street. I was told that I'm no longer a heavy breather and appear to be a lot "lighter" on my feet.
I feel that I am turning into the me that I was meant to be in this life. In a way, it's as if somebody else is slowly taking over. Am I one of the Pod People? Hm.

Ever Wonder...
Why other people want you to try something that they think tastes awful?

Just a short entry here. I'm down about 10 lbs. since the last entry at the beginning of the month. For the nit-pickers: subtract 15 lbs. more for pre-op weight-loss.
My hair is still coming out, but it's not getting worse, so that's okay (see hair-loss comparison photo in my gallery).

Ever Wonder...
How folks on the internet can misspell "definitely" so many different ways? I'm mean come on. Really. I'm not joking. Hey!