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Five years ago I weighed 475 pounds.  I took 11 different medications a day and walked with a cane due to knee and back pain.  I needed a C-PAP machine to help me sleep two to three hours a night.  I was always exhausted, always in pain, and lived with the daily feeling that I could die at any moment.  It took my family doctor telling me that I would never see my 50Th birthday and seeing the emotional pain and worry my wife was going through to finally accept the fact that unless I accepted some help, I would soon die.

My biggest and most blessed WOW moment that I have yet to experience was to celebrate my 50Th birthday on January 5Th of this new year.  I celebrated with my wife and 20 friends at my favorite steak restaurant.  As we sat waiting for our food, I took the friendly ribbing of turning 50 as a badge of honor.  As everyone took their shot at the same old 50Th birthday jokes that have been told for years, I was reminded of how blessed I was.

No longer do I wake up taking pain pills and muscle relaxers just to make the pain tolerable enough to get out of bed.  Gone is the cane and the C-PAP machine.  Gone are all but two of the medications.  Gone are the headaches, the knee and back pain.  I can now sit behind the steering wheel of my vehicles and now I can fasten the seat-belt.  Gone is having to ask for an extension for the seat-belt in a plane.  Gone is the fear of going to the movies, or a restaurant, or an amusement part because I might not fit in the seat, or the booth or riding harness.  It feels good to go to Wal-Mart and buy clothes off the rack.  It is exhilarating to be able to hike for hours up and down the hills of my hunting lease.  It is a blessing to be able to kneel down and look into the eyes of a child.  There are so many little things that have changed in my life that just make me stop and praise God for the second chance He has given me.

To be able to hold that last note of the choir special for 8, 10, 12 more beats is awesome to me.  To be able to lift a crying child in my arms and comfort them is unexplainable.  To enjoy flirting, and tickling, and rough-housing, and loving my wife once again is indescribable.  To help lay a half mile of barbed wire fence, to help set up deer stands, to work six straight hours in the parking lot at a church 4th of July celebration is en powering.

Five years ago I knew I would never see 50.  Now I'm charging through it and can't wait to see the challenges God has in store for me on my way to 80!!  To God I give all the honor and glory.  Through Him I have the strength and power to do all things.  He is my Rock and my Salvation.  I could not have done anything without His wisdom, grace, and guidance.

God is good all the time, all the time, God is good.

Well I step on the scale and I'm at 289 pounds, 14 pounds over my lowest weight.  I can list plenty of excuses but that's all they are........excuses!  To put it bluntly, I have gotten complacent and have settled for what I've already accomplished.  I have not followed the plan, eaten anything and everything I've wanted, not taken in the proper amount of water and ignored my supplement requirements.  I have fallen of the wagon and I have been wallowing in the muck that I worked so hard to climb out of.

That said, I am going to recommit to get back on track.  I have 36 days before I see the doctor and nutritionist again.  I am re-committing to eating correctly, drinking my minimum of 64 oz of water, exercising, and taking my supplements.  Hopefully, I'm not too far gone to get it all back together.

Very Short Goals:

1.  Loose 20 pounds in 36 days
2. Journal at least once a week.
3.  Do 30 minute of cardio a day
4. Hit the gym at least twice a week.

Let's see how this goes before committing to more goals!

It's been a tough few weeks due to a new health issue in my life.  As of this morning, I have passed 16 kidney stones in 10 days.  Most are very small and are causing minimal discomfort but it's been constant now for over six weeks.  I've been doing research and sure enough, the studies are showing that bariatric surgery patients can have a higher risk of kidney stones after the surgery.  Most of what I have research seems to agree that an increase of oxalate in the system is the main culprit as it binds with unabsorbed calcium to form the stones.  The report also see reduced levels of citrate as a possible problem.  Most of the research also states that to eliminate or reduce the frequency of the stones, you must reduce the oxalate in your system.  The problem is that several of the things that are on the list to reduce are those items that I've started eating or drinking after the surgery.  Things like soy products, dark green leafy veggies, and tea to name a small sampling.

So, I guess it's back to the drawing board when it comes to my diet.  I'm going to lay off the soy milk and tea and try to take in a minimum of 100 oz of water a day.  I'm also going to reduce the calcium rich foods I eat to include my cheese sticks.  We'll see how it goes from here on out.

It's been way to long between posts and it has hurt me.  I've let things slide for over two months and I have slipped up.  Two days ago I was up 13 pounds and looking to get back into the 290's.  So, it's time to kick myself in the butt and get motivated once again.

On Monday, I started watching my carb intake and started substituting some of my meals with protein shakes.  I'm already down five pounds.  I'm also back to planning my meals instead of just cooking something up at the spur of the moment or dining out.  There are no real excuses for my weight gain but since August 4th, I put myself into a no win situation.  My wife had major surgery, she called it a renovation, and my church family brought meals for over a week.  If there is one thing a Baptist church can do it is cook.  We received high fat, high carb, and high volume foods for over a week.  All of it was delicious but none of it was healthy, except for an occasional salad.  I had no will power and my weight shot up because of it.  That doesn't excuse the lack of weight loss in June and July but it is a reason for the weight gain.

I once again have got to get my priorities straight.  Too much time in front of the TV and computer have kept me out of the gym.  Now that Awana has kicked off and I've started a picture framing business, time is a precious commodity.  Hunting season starts September 1st, so I need to prioritize quickly.  Some short term goals:

1.  Re-start my food, weight, and activity logs.
2.  Re-start my weight loss journal - weekly to start out
3.  Connect with my old trainer or get a new train and get back in the gym.
4.  Think Protein, water, supplements first.  Everything else doesn't matter.

I can't believe I finally lost 200 pounds!  From here on out, every pound lost is a new adventure.  I now weigh less than I did as a senior in high school.  I weigh less than when I was married almost 23 years ago.  My wife found a picture the other night of me right after we were married.  I weighed close to three hundred pounds but it was positioned totally different.  Let's just say it was a lot more well proportioned. 

My next goal is another 10 pounds by my next dietitian appointment on June 4Th.  My next big milestone that I'm reaching for is to weigh 250 pounds.  I'm not going to set a time, just the goal.  Physically, I'm setting a couple of goals.  First, I want to start walking in a couple of charity walks.  I want to walk in the Walk For Life in honor of my mother-in-law who died five years ago after battling cancer.  I also want to walk in the the Autism Walk this year.  My second goal is to start hiking again.  Back in my Scouting days, I loved to take off on day hikes and commune with nature.  This is something that both the wife and I want to do. 

Spiritually, I'm at a crossroad in my life.  As the Awana year winds down, I look forward to the summer break and a time to rejuvenate my spirit.  I very much love the Awana ministry and the benefits and blessings have be awesome.  I love working with children and watching them come to trust, love, and share Jesus Christ.  My struggle is not with the kids but with the adults.  My expectations are set high for the Awana ministry in our church but other than the staff, those expectations are not shared by a majority of the adult congregation.  On several occasions this year, I have been questioned by parents that are oblivious to the reason that Awana exists.  They see Awana as a place to dump their children so that they can attend a class or worse yet, spend some time away from their kids.  They question the rules and guidelines and call them too rigid.  They complain that their child is unhappy because they can not participate in certain activities just because they did not prepare and complete required work.  They genuinely want their children to grow spiritually but don't want to get involved except when their child complains.  So I'm not sure what I should do next or what direction I should go.  Once the year is over, I plan to take some time to reflect and pray for wisdom and guidence.  I want to do what God is calling me to do so I will pray for a fresh wind and a fresh fire in my ministry walk.

Being a diabetic, I have never had an A1C level of less than 7.4.  For many years, my A1c was well over 9 and was as high as 13.  My doctors have been trying to get my A1C under 7 for years with no success.  When I went to my new family physician, her stated goal was under 7 but she said she would settle for anything under 7.5.  Well, they called me with my blood work results yesterday and I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. 

First, I was slightly anemic.  My B12 and iron levels were good and my cholesterol levels were excellent.  The big surprise was that my A1C was 6.4.  It's got to be my lowest rating in 30 years.  Praise God, thank you Jesus.

I took a life expectancy test this morning and based on its results, I have a life expectancy of 88 years.  Pretty good for someone who didn't think he would live to see 50!

Although the weight seems to be creeping down at an unacceptable pace, there are always small victories.  I have a friend who volunteers at the Whitesburg Clothing Closet who looks out for certain pants sizes for me.  She sent me ten pairs of pants yesterday, all at a waist size of 46.  I have not fit into a size 46 since I was a teenager.  I took the pants home and tried them on and I can now say that I'm in a size 46 pants.  It's these small victories or "WOW moments" that keep me going.

I went to the Dave Ramsey Town Hall Meeting of Hope last Thursday and the evening got me thinking about different things.  First, I have been second guessing a decision to start my own picture framing business.  With time as they are or as time are perceived, I started to doubt that starting a business right now would not be the smartest thing to do.  As our media, congress, and president keep telling us, we are in the worst shape economically, as we've been since the great depression.  I have almost been scared into sitting on my money and delaying any business start up.  But Dave change my perspective.

First, we as a country are not in a depression.  We are not even in the worst recession on record as some would like you to believe.  Unemployment is only up 3% during this economic downturn.  That's no where near the 13% seen in the 72 and 84 recessions.  Mortgage rates are at 5% and inflation is nearly zero.  In 72, the mortgage rates were at 18% and inflation was double digits.  We have a congress and president that are waving the panic flag to drum up support for their own agenda and we have a media system that would rather spread panic and confusion through half truths rather than just reporting facts and letting the public come to their own conclusions.

So as Dave Ramsey has said, I refuse to participate in this recession.  First I'm going to take action.  I will start my framing business by September.  I will start participating once again in my 401K plan.  I will use Dave's plan to reduce my debt-base so that I can do the things I want to do in life.  I refuse to listen to negative talk to include my friends, neighbors, leaders and especially the media.  And to show a faith in God and His plan in my life, I will increase my giving by 1% each year over the next five years. 

Today I started seeing a new family doctor specifically for my diabetes.  Since Dr. Ross-Johnson retired to Florida, I have not felt comfortable with any doctor I've seen.  When you have diabetes, there are certain things you look for in a doctor.  Since Ross-Johnson, I have not had a physician that examined my eyes or my feet when they did a diabetic exam.  My new doctor, Dr. Cowart, did a complete head to toe exam along with asking the right questions.  It's only been one appointment but I'm much more comfortable with her than I've been with any other doctor since Ross-Johnson. 

My problem that I'm having now is having hypoglycemic events.  I've had several days where my sugar has dropped below 60 which is very low for me.  I was woke up from a sound sleep one night with the shakes and nausea.  My sugar level was 54.  For now, I'm off the Byette and Avadamet.  The doc put me on straight Metforum (?) to see what that does to my level.  My insulin units will stay the same for now.  She also has me mixing up my testing.  She wants to see some reading before I eat and some reading after I eat. 

I guess all of this is a good thing.  The more weight I loose, the less medicine I have to take.  Hopefully, I can get off the insulin soon.  Now that will be a huge WOW moment.

  Alright!  My two year anniversary!!  And my lowest weight to date!!  276 pounds......ONE POUND FROM LOSING 200 POUNDS!! 

What an adventure so far!  I'm trying to download some pictures but what a difference.  Three years ago, I'm 475 pounds.  A year later I'm 413 pounds and having surgery.  Now, I'm 275 pounds!! 

I celebrated today by doing something I haven't done in years...... yard work!  I raked some leaves, weed-eated, worked on the lawn mower.  All things that I couldn't physically do two years ago.  I also did some healthy cooking.  Made some top round steak stir fry and cooked up a batch of marinara sauce.  I also tried a new tofu shirataki noodle.  Just three total carbs per serving and it tastes great!!  I followed some on-line instructions to get rid of the fishy taste and with the sauce, I was in heaven.  I haven't had pasta in a very long time.

Would I do it again?  Let's see..... No more back pain, headaches, knee pain, and sleepless nights.  No more pain pills, muscle relaxers, triglyceride medicine, or lasix.  Insulin intake cut from 150 units a day to 28 max.  No longer walking with a cane.  The c-pap machine is history along with the snoring.  These are things that I don't miss at all.  Some other benefits...... I fit behind the wheel of my car and truck.  I can sit in a movie theater seat.  I can use a climber when I hunt.  I don't need an extension when I ride in a plane.  I can walk for miles, workout non-stop for 90 minutes, and actually keep up with my Awana kids.  I'm buying cloths off the rack and all my jewelry has had to be re-sized.  All this and I still have 50 more pounds to go!  You bet I'd do it again.

I praise God for a second chance at life and for seeing through the highs and lows of the past two years.  If not for His strength and guidance, I would not have even had the surgery.  I thank my wife and biggest cheerleader for sticking with me before and after the surgery.  She has been a saint.  I also need to thank Robyn McCoy for being an example and mentor through this process.  She had been through it all before me and gave me wisdom and encouragement through the tough times.  Three years ago, I had serious doubts about making it to my 50Th birthday.  My life was spinning out of control and I saw no easy way of leveling out.  God allowed me to bottom out and then picked me up, dusted me off, and led me down the right path.  It has not been easy and these last 50 pounds will be the hardest.  But God has brought me this far, provided me with good friends and a supportive family, and given me hope that is eternal.  I look forward to conquering the last 50 pounds and celebrating my 50Th birthday and many beyond.

God is good all the time, all the time God is good!

I had a WOW moment while getting ready for the funeral of a friend.  I only mention this because he was a big supporter of my weight loss adventure.  I was looking through a jewelery box for a tie clasp when I saw two rings that I have not worn since I was 21.  One was my Zweibrucken High School ring the other was the ring I received when I was 16 for achieving the rank of Eagle in Boy Scouts.  If I remembered correctly, both are a size 12.  My wedding ring started at a 13 and was re-fitted to a size 16.5 about four years ago.  Both rings fit!!   I've been wearing the Eagle ring the past week and can already tell I will need to have it sized down!!

God is good all the time, all the time God is good!

Ed