JFish
9ish month post-op
Sep 06, 2008
The computer I used to store all my weights and measurements crashed and so I lost all of my weights and measurements. So there's no blow by blow to report in month's 7 & 8. But in month 9 here's the tale of the tape:
Weight 265
Chest 46"
Abdomen 46"
Hips 46.5"
Upper Thigh 28"
Scrawny assed arm 14.5"
One year goal is 240 lbs or less and a 43" waist.
Everything is going smooth, having to really renew my commitment to self-disciplined eating habits as the restriction isn't much of a restriction at this point. The amount of gas produced during the night is amazing. I'm having to wake up in the middle of the night just to fart enough to relieve the stomach cramps. Other than that, it's all tits at this point.
Weight 265
Chest 46"
Abdomen 46"
Hips 46.5"
Upper Thigh 28"
Scrawny assed arm 14.5"
One year goal is 240 lbs or less and a 43" waist.
Everything is going smooth, having to really renew my commitment to self-disciplined eating habits as the restriction isn't much of a restriction at this point. The amount of gas produced during the night is amazing. I'm having to wake up in the middle of the night just to fart enough to relieve the stomach cramps. Other than that, it's all tits at this point.
6 month post-op
May 27, 2008
Yesterday was my 6 month anniversary. Here is the tale of the scale and the tape:
Date Weight Chest Waist Hips Upper Thigh
Oct 31, 2007 455
Nov 26, 2007 442 57" 67" 64" 40"
Dec 06, 2007 426
Jan 15, 2008 395 54.5" 61" 58" 36.5"
Feb 06, 2008 378 53.5" 59" 57" 35"
Feb 15, 2008 365
Feb 26, 2008 356 52.5" 56.5" 55.5" 33"
Mar 06, 2008 355 52" 58" 56" 34"
Mar 26, 2008 343 51" 56.5" 54.5" 32.5"
Apr 06, 2008 333 50.25" 54.5" 54" 32"
Apr 26, 2008 319 49.5" 53" 52" 31.5"
May 06, 2008 315 49.5" 53" 52" 31"
May 26, 2008 303 49" 51.5" 51" 31"
The last time I have a record of being at or near 300 is in the fall of '97. I lost from the low 340's down to 300 lbs during the course of a football season including 4 playoff games, so about 14 wks of dieting. My goal is to be at 365 by the 9 month mark which will be August 26th. That should put me able to wear my size 18 shirts and 42 to maybe 40 pants to start the school year. Also, I should be able to wear my wedding ring and college ring again at that weight.
Date Weight Chest Waist Hips Upper Thigh
Oct 31, 2007 455
Nov 26, 2007 442 57" 67" 64" 40"
Dec 06, 2007 426
Jan 15, 2008 395 54.5" 61" 58" 36.5"
Feb 06, 2008 378 53.5" 59" 57" 35"
Feb 15, 2008 365
Feb 26, 2008 356 52.5" 56.5" 55.5" 33"
Mar 06, 2008 355 52" 58" 56" 34"
Mar 26, 2008 343 51" 56.5" 54.5" 32.5"
Apr 06, 2008 333 50.25" 54.5" 54" 32"
Apr 26, 2008 319 49.5" 53" 52" 31.5"
May 06, 2008 315 49.5" 53" 52" 31"
May 26, 2008 303 49" 51.5" 51" 31"
The last time I have a record of being at or near 300 is in the fall of '97. I lost from the low 340's down to 300 lbs during the course of a football season including 4 playoff games, so about 14 wks of dieting. My goal is to be at 365 by the 9 month mark which will be August 26th. That should put me able to wear my size 18 shirts and 42 to maybe 40 pants to start the school year. Also, I should be able to wear my wedding ring and college ring again at that weight.
3 months post-op
Feb 26, 2008
Today is my 3 month anniversary. Thought I ought to post some numbers as I'm doing a shitty job of posting my thoughts as I go along.
Date Weight Chest Waist Hips Upper Thigh
Oct 31, 2007 455
Nov 26, 2007 442 57" 67" 64" 40"
Dec 06, 2007 426
Jan 15, 2008 395 54.5" 61" 58" 36.5"
Feb 06, 2008 378 53.5" 59" 57" 35"
Feb 15, 2008 365
Feb 26, 2008 356 52.5" 56.5" 55.5" 33"
I've undone about 5 years worth of damage in three months. Another good three months and I'll be at my 96-97 weight.
I'm trying to keep my calorie intake in the 1050 to 1200 range while getting my protein up over 100 grams. Some days it's not to tough. Other days, like today, I'm hungry most of the day.
Date Weight Chest Waist Hips Upper Thigh
Oct 31, 2007 455
Nov 26, 2007 442 57" 67" 64" 40"
Dec 06, 2007 426
Jan 15, 2008 395 54.5" 61" 58" 36.5"
Feb 06, 2008 378 53.5" 59" 57" 35"
Feb 15, 2008 365
Feb 26, 2008 356 52.5" 56.5" 55.5" 33"
I've undone about 5 years worth of damage in three months. Another good three months and I'll be at my 96-97 weight.
I'm trying to keep my calorie intake in the 1050 to 1200 range while getting my protein up over 100 grams. Some days it's not to tough. Other days, like today, I'm hungry most of the day.
Initial Post - 15 days post-op
Dec 10, 2007
One of the things I've noticed about this forum is that it's mostly women who post and keep journals and stuff. I've been looking around on here for a year or so, and have been dissapointed not to be able to find out much about men's experiences with WLS. The women's info was helpful, but I think the two genders have a little different perspective on most things, including major traumatic surgery. At any rate, I'm a 47 year old man and I want to share my experiences in case there are other men who are looking for guidance in the WLS area.
I have been considering some type of WLS for about 3 years but was reluctant to pull the trigger due to the irreversable nature of it. On April 13, 2007, a friend of mine who was 5'11" and 505lbs had a laproscopic RNY done by Dr. Wade Barker in Dallas. I didn't find out about it until late May. We don't run in to each other accidentally and so I spent all summer wondering how he was doing, but not getting off the couch to go see him. Finally, sometime around the last week of August, I went by where he works and asked him if he had time to visit. I was flabergasted at his weight loss. 4.5 months post-op he had dropped 163 lbs. He was still wearing his size 72 pants and it was pretty humorous. He assured me that he had no regrets about having the surgery done and felt like it was the best decision he had ever made, and that if I chose likewise I would feel the same way. I decided right then and there to get off the fence and get something done. He spoke highly of Dr. Barker and his team so I called them and made an appt.
I don't remember the exact date of my first visit, but it was late August or early September. My first impression was that Dr. Barker must push himself very hard to see as many people as he does. I was amazed at how many other fat people were in the waiting room besides me. There were enough of us that there was about a 15 degree temperature difference between the hall and the waiting room. At any rate, I saw Dr. Barker and several members of his staff. They talked to me about my weight loss history and my motivation for seeking a surgical solution, and told me they felt like I was a very good candidate for WLS and would have a successful outcome. They weighed and measured me that day and I was 6'3" and 456 lbs. I hadn't had a true weight in 3-4 year as my Dr.s office scale only goes to 350, but I was shocked that I weighed that much. I thought I would be somewhere around 400. I guess one thing that contributes to our obesity though is the ability to be delusional about our appearance. Dr. Barker's people told me that they would write a letter to my ins. company to find out what help I could expect from them and that it would take about a month to get a reply. Six weeks went by and I hadn't heard anything from them. I called his office and they told me they hadn't heard back from BCBS and that I might ought to call them and prod them along. So I did, and found out that the letter denying me coverage in the area of treating morbid obesity had been mailed out to me and to Dr. Barker two days prior. The next day I recieved the letter and two days later Dr. Barker's office called with the bad news, which I already knew, and I told them, I would self-pay and let's get on with it.
My second appt was set for Oct 31, 2007. A little more Q&A but basically we set a date for surgery and put the thing in motion. I weighed 455 that day and Dr. Barker joked that I was already seeing some success as I had lost a pound in only 2 months. Surgery was set for Nov 26, 2007 at Drs Hospital. It went OK, as far as I know, other than I had to be catherized about 4 hours after I came out of surgery due to the fact that my bladder was affected by the anesthesia to the point that I couldn't keep it open long enough to do any good. The catheterization was brutal, but the result was a big relief. I weighed 442 the day I checked in for sugery. I guess I lost around 13 lbs during the week prior to surgery with the all liquid diet. I went home on Nov 28th and thought I might go back to work the next day, but I woke up still sore, and week from going on 11 days with nothing but liquid, and decided to stay home the rest of the week. I had 125 sick days built up, so I guess it didn't hurt to use a couple of extra.
I started the "mushy food" stage 7 days post-op, which would have been Dec 2nd I guess. A small bowl of oatmeal that I would've thrown in the trash rather than eat for most of my adult life, tasted pretty danged good that morning. I've been eating oatmeal, grits, cottege cheese, and a little scrambled eggs ever since. Oh yeah, and a couple of nights ago I got brave and made some slimy tuna salad. It was beautiful, but I wish I could have some crackers. I'm lusting crackers these days. My first post-op visit was on Dec 6th and I weighed 426 lbs. So doing a little math, that's 16 lbs in 10 days since the surgery. Extrapolating that rate out in a linear fashion, I guess I could possibly be down to my goal weight of 220 in a little over 4 months. But I'm guessing the rate of loss will continually slow as I get further away from the starting line. I'll be pleased as punch if I weighed 220 by Thanksgiving of 2009.
Today I'm 15 days post-op, am back at work, feeling good, haven't had any major cravings, haven't had any major "school of piranhas" hunger to deal with, and am very optomistic about the future. I'm not worried about the Christmas holidays or New Years eve or any of the rest of that stuff that used to derail a diet. Everything's gonna be fine. I'll try to update as I go along. My next appt in Dallas is on January 15th. I may try to find a scale that accurately goes over 400 and weigh sometime between now and then, but I'm probably just going to wait until 1/15 to find out my weight. Scales can make you all nuerotic and shit.
I have been considering some type of WLS for about 3 years but was reluctant to pull the trigger due to the irreversable nature of it. On April 13, 2007, a friend of mine who was 5'11" and 505lbs had a laproscopic RNY done by Dr. Wade Barker in Dallas. I didn't find out about it until late May. We don't run in to each other accidentally and so I spent all summer wondering how he was doing, but not getting off the couch to go see him. Finally, sometime around the last week of August, I went by where he works and asked him if he had time to visit. I was flabergasted at his weight loss. 4.5 months post-op he had dropped 163 lbs. He was still wearing his size 72 pants and it was pretty humorous. He assured me that he had no regrets about having the surgery done and felt like it was the best decision he had ever made, and that if I chose likewise I would feel the same way. I decided right then and there to get off the fence and get something done. He spoke highly of Dr. Barker and his team so I called them and made an appt.
I don't remember the exact date of my first visit, but it was late August or early September. My first impression was that Dr. Barker must push himself very hard to see as many people as he does. I was amazed at how many other fat people were in the waiting room besides me. There were enough of us that there was about a 15 degree temperature difference between the hall and the waiting room. At any rate, I saw Dr. Barker and several members of his staff. They talked to me about my weight loss history and my motivation for seeking a surgical solution, and told me they felt like I was a very good candidate for WLS and would have a successful outcome. They weighed and measured me that day and I was 6'3" and 456 lbs. I hadn't had a true weight in 3-4 year as my Dr.s office scale only goes to 350, but I was shocked that I weighed that much. I thought I would be somewhere around 400. I guess one thing that contributes to our obesity though is the ability to be delusional about our appearance. Dr. Barker's people told me that they would write a letter to my ins. company to find out what help I could expect from them and that it would take about a month to get a reply. Six weeks went by and I hadn't heard anything from them. I called his office and they told me they hadn't heard back from BCBS and that I might ought to call them and prod them along. So I did, and found out that the letter denying me coverage in the area of treating morbid obesity had been mailed out to me and to Dr. Barker two days prior. The next day I recieved the letter and two days later Dr. Barker's office called with the bad news, which I already knew, and I told them, I would self-pay and let's get on with it.
My second appt was set for Oct 31, 2007. A little more Q&A but basically we set a date for surgery and put the thing in motion. I weighed 455 that day and Dr. Barker joked that I was already seeing some success as I had lost a pound in only 2 months. Surgery was set for Nov 26, 2007 at Drs Hospital. It went OK, as far as I know, other than I had to be catherized about 4 hours after I came out of surgery due to the fact that my bladder was affected by the anesthesia to the point that I couldn't keep it open long enough to do any good. The catheterization was brutal, but the result was a big relief. I weighed 442 the day I checked in for sugery. I guess I lost around 13 lbs during the week prior to surgery with the all liquid diet. I went home on Nov 28th and thought I might go back to work the next day, but I woke up still sore, and week from going on 11 days with nothing but liquid, and decided to stay home the rest of the week. I had 125 sick days built up, so I guess it didn't hurt to use a couple of extra.
I started the "mushy food" stage 7 days post-op, which would have been Dec 2nd I guess. A small bowl of oatmeal that I would've thrown in the trash rather than eat for most of my adult life, tasted pretty danged good that morning. I've been eating oatmeal, grits, cottege cheese, and a little scrambled eggs ever since. Oh yeah, and a couple of nights ago I got brave and made some slimy tuna salad. It was beautiful, but I wish I could have some crackers. I'm lusting crackers these days. My first post-op visit was on Dec 6th and I weighed 426 lbs. So doing a little math, that's 16 lbs in 10 days since the surgery. Extrapolating that rate out in a linear fashion, I guess I could possibly be down to my goal weight of 220 in a little over 4 months. But I'm guessing the rate of loss will continually slow as I get further away from the starting line. I'll be pleased as punch if I weighed 220 by Thanksgiving of 2009.
Today I'm 15 days post-op, am back at work, feeling good, haven't had any major cravings, haven't had any major "school of piranhas" hunger to deal with, and am very optomistic about the future. I'm not worried about the Christmas holidays or New Years eve or any of the rest of that stuff that used to derail a diet. Everything's gonna be fine. I'll try to update as I go along. My next appt in Dallas is on January 15th. I may try to find a scale that accurately goes over 400 and weigh sometime between now and then, but I'm probably just going to wait until 1/15 to find out my weight. Scales can make you all nuerotic and shit.
