DANCBJAMMIN

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Well, today was a rather cool day. My wife had some items to return at Old Navy, and found there to be a sale with some men's jeans for $10. I need some new one's because all of mine are too big. ANYWAYS....I am wearing a size 38" waist and they are'nt even tight! I am so excited. 7 months ago I was wearing a size 56" waist. I am  keeping soooo busy training for my triathlon in a couple weeks. I can't tell you how happy I am about the direction my life is heading in! Thanks everyone for your support!

-Dan

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Here's a family photo we took at about 6 1/2 months post-op...
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Family Photo January 13th, 2008....Day Before Surgery
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Ok Ya'll,

     So I am off to the races! I am almost 7 months post-op and have began gaining weight!!! At 6 month's post-op I was down from 400 pounds to 235 pounds, and found that I had lost weight so quickly, I lost the majority of the muscle mass that I had. I decided 3 weeks ago to start weight training and I am absolutely loving it! In 3 weeks I have gained 7 pounds of lean muscle! I have up'd my protien intake to between 125G-150G p/ day, along with that I am supplementing my diet with Glutamine, Creatine, and Nitric Oxide along with my daily vitamins of course (Calcium, B12, and Multi Vitamin). According to specialists, at my age, height, and weight, in order to gain optimal muscle mass, I should be eating about 4,000 calories p/ day. "YEAH RIGHT"! I try to eat all day long to do the best I can to take in as many calories as I can, but even with my best effort I can only do between 2,000 - 2,500 cals a day. My diet consists of lots of beef jerky, protien bars with under 3g of sugar, I love wheat bread with peanut butter, I eat lots of rolled oats, eggs, lean meats, and I have to admit I have been having the strangest craving for nachos lately! So I eat a plate of nachos 2-3 times per week, and that seems to handle the craving. I do not even mess with sugar, to date , I don't believe I have "Dumped", and I do not plan on tempting fate at all!

     Next month is my first triathalon and I am absolutley excited about it. It is a sprint.... 5K run (3.1 Miles), 12 mile bike ride, and a 1/2 mile swim. I am completing all these excercises in training in a little under 1 1/2 hours so I will be curious to see how I do in my first competition. When I workout, I am burning about 800-900 calories, so my net caloric intake is still not too high, but I know for the most part, the food I am eating is high in protien, fiber, complex carbs (Energy!!!!), and are yummy to eat!


     The reason why I have decided to begin gaining weight VIA muscle mass is because muscle burns fat almost 3 x's faster than without good muscle mass ( It also weighs 3 x's the weight of fat). I plan on gaining weight until I hit about 250 lbs- 260 lbs (TBD), and then lowering my caloric intake, decreasing the weight that I work out with, increasing reps and water inttake, to further define muscle mass that has been gained and to shed the remaining fat left on my body.

     The portions I am eating now are probably double that of what they were immediately after surgery. I can almost eat a small chicken breast with some veggies...(Maybe 5-6 oz) I think it is so important, now that I can eat more, to continue to make good decisions on the food I take into my body. After all, no workout routine can compensate for a terrible diet!

     I am looking at this transition to working out as a "Phase 2" of my WLS and could not be happier! I have a little bit of loose skin on my belly, but it is nothing I cannot handle. If I need a TT down the road, so be it, I am just going to keep doing my thing and continue hoping for the best. I have added a picture in the 7month Post Op folder so you can see a before & after with my shirt off. My body certainly is not a "Taj Majal", but as I have always believed, life and certainly WL is not so much about perfection, but about constant improvement. Thanks for taking the time to read this winded message and for supporting me in my journey. I appreciate you all more than you know.

-Dan

Hey Everyone,

     I just wanted to drop a quicknote and say that I am officially in the 230's!!!! Yee haw!!!!  I was stuck in the 240'sfor like 5-6 weeks and I finally broke through. Starting off just under 400 pounds six months ago, I couldn't be happier. I work really hard at trying to get healthy and I am so grateful to know that hard work does payoff. Other than that just another day, but am way happy to have finally reached 230's. Thanks for allyour loveand support!

-Dan

Sorry I haven't been around much... Have been way busy. Just hit a pretty big milestone today so I thought I would post it. I had RNY January 14th 2008 at just under 400 pounds... This morning I weighed 245. Life is so good these days. I am working out about 5-6 times per week and my stamina is growing every day. Last night I ran 3.5 miles without stopping in 35 minutes, Rode the bike for 12 miles in about 25 minutes, swam 1 mile in 35 minutes. I remember before surgery I used to get winded walking up 1 flight of stairs. My how times have changed. We took some family portraits and some individual shots and will post those in the coming week, please check back and take a look. Other than that all is well and I again want to thank you all for your love and support.

-Dan

Nothing major happening right now, I was just stoked last week when my wife, against my wishes, got me to go into Old Navy to look at clothes, which I have never imagined shopping there because of size limitations in their inventory. Suprisingly I got a bunch of clothes on clearance, and was able to fit into a loose 2XL shirt and size 40 pants!! Today is my exact 5 month surgiversary and I started out at 56" waist and a snug fitting 5 XL shirt. I have lost 16" off my waist!!! It's so awesome. Now instead of having to go to a big n tall store to buy a $75 pair of name brand jeans, I go to the clearance rack at Old Navy and getting awesome jeans for $14-$17. I would do this all over again in heartbeat!!

Also, my sister is having RNY on July 14th, 2008. Give her all the encouragement and support you can. Her username here on OH is SMLOZANO. Please go to her profile and give her lots of support. She is self-pay and would love the encouragement. Thanks ya'll and I will talk to you all soon.

-Dan

So, today is May 24, 2008 and I have realized it's been a while since I have posted. As of today I weigh 263 pounds..... A little over 4 months ago I was tippin the scales at just under 400 pounds. I feel absolutely amazing, am excercising quit a bit, and am buying clothes off the rack at most stores. In January I was wearing a size 56 waist, 22 dress shirt, and a 5x tshirt.... As of now I am in a loose 42 waist, 2x shirt, and 18 dress shirt. It seems like my body is still playing a little catch-up over these past few weeks. I really haven't lost a significant amount of weight this past month, but man have I lost a lot of inches. I will post some new pics in the next couple of days, I promise...

Alot of friends and family have been asking if I have alot of issues with saggy skin... The answer is, yes I have a little hanging skin, but it is manageable, and I still have about 60 pounds I want to lose. The main areas are under arms, a little inside thighs, and my belly, which still has a lot of fat that hopefully will go down quite a bit still. The bottom line is, if I can jog, ride my bike, play with my kids, go on roller coasters, etc.... regardless of hanging skin, I wouldn't change a thing. I am not going to worry about "skin" until I have hit my goal and maintained a relative weight for about 6 months, then we can see what kind of laxity my skin has at that point.

Aside from the weight loss, I took my 4 1/2 year old son on our first camping trip together yesterday. We had a blast and the coolest part was that I took him on a hike and could actually keep up with him. (He has so much energy). I am going to be visiting family next week in Utah and am very excited about seeing how I fit in a seat on the airplane. This will be the first time in about 12 years I will not have to ask for an extension! Will let you know how that goes. Other than that everything is well, and I am excited to have signed up for my first 5k run next month. I am doing 3.1 miles in about 35 minutes now and am excited to see how I do. Well, that's all for now, check back in a few days to see some updated pics. Take care and thanks to all of you for your love and support.

-Dan

I can't believe how fast time has flown by since srgery. I am 3 months out now, down 107, and am feeling awesome. Tomorrow for a work outing we are all going to the baseball game.... This will probably be the first time I will actually enjoy a game seeing as I will probably fit in the seats comfortably now! I will let you know. Thanks for everything you all have done for me. I love and appreciate you all.
=) Dan

Exciting stuff, 100 pounds gone forever! I can't believe I have lost this much in less than 3 months.... I am feeling awesome. I thank everybody who has offered support, thought, prayers, and love through this proccess. You all are the best.