One year after my sleeve surgery by the numbers with pictures

Oct 12, 2012

One year down.  A year in a life amounts to about 1.3% of the average expectancy.  In the last year since surgery 10/10/2011 I’ve lost 80% of my excess weight.  151 pounds gone.  With the 51 I lost before surgery this puts me over the 200 lost line and 48% of my total body weight.  I have to let that sink in sometimes.  Half of me is gone.  The last time I weighed this amount was in 1980 when I was 18.  That’s 64% of my life ago.  I’m well on my way to the weight I last saw when I was in junior high school on my way up.  At this point, I see no reason I shouldn’t make it.

What do all these numbers really mean?  Well, for one, I feel young.  So much more life than I’ve had for so many years.  For another for the first time one of the in a long time I feel like I’m just a regular guy.  Overweight? Sure.  Older? Sure.  But more like a young 51 rather than an ancient 50.  And I’m heading in the right weight direction and in control.  Perhaps like never before in my entire life.  Every aspect of my world is better;  especially my relationship with my wife.  She loves me and supports me and I feel like a better man for her. 

How about health?  Diabetes – Gone.  Blood pressure -  soon to be totally off drugs (already down to ¼ of my old dose.  Gout – seems to be gone (I’ve gone off allopurinol).  Endurance – way up. 

Some more numbers since surgery: 5x shirts to medium/large.  Size 62 pants to size 38 (even fit into a size 36 but too tight to claim it for a while);   9 SCUBA dives in the last six weeks for the first time since 1993. 

Nothing comes free though right?  I mean, I can’t eat unlimited quantities.  I can’t sit comfortably for 16 hours a day.  I have to be diligent about what I eat.  I have a lot of excess skin.  When I start to feel sorry for myself (and I sometimes do for fleeting moments) I just DO something, or review my progress, or plan for my next adventure.  How freaking cool is that. 

I have learned that being with my friends is not just about great food (although I still go out and enjoy great food within my self imposed parameters).  My new normal almost always feels OK.  I also have new friends that I’ve met here and at my support group.  That’s cool.  I’m also planning more activities like learning to sail, riding horses, and mountain hiking.  Lots to do and I can do it now or very soon.  So much more hope and so many more possibilities.

 I can’t wait to see what year 2 brings.  What a great journey this has been.


 

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