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When replying to Deb’s two year surgiversery post. I looked at my signature and realized that today is my three year surgiversery.

I agree time does sure fly.

So let’s recap I started my journey on 12/10/2009 when I first visited my Surgeon. I weighed in at a whopping 357 pounds. On the day of surgery 3/3/2010, I weighed 309. Today I weighed in at 205.1.

I reached goal at 7 months at 220 pounds. Although my body didn’t stop. I went as low as 188 pounds.

For those that followed my progress. You know that I struggled with my goal weight for a long time. I was never one to believe in the Normal BMI range. When I got to 188 I was disgusted with how I looked. I would have to lose another 15 pounds to get to the top of the normal range. I got comments from friends and family but I ignored them but I truly didn’t like the way I looked. So I decided to stay in the 195 to 200 Range. Therefore I lost a total of 169 but put back on 17 pounds on purpose for a total loss of a 157 pounds.

I then had Plastic Surgery in December of 2011 (LBL) and June of 2012 (Gynecomastia). Basically I now have a new body. I still have flabby thighs but I can live with it. I adjusted my target range between 200 and 205. I now look in the mirror and can honestly say I love what I see. Most importantly…I love myself.

I lead an active lifestyle. I work hard and play hard at the same time. I’m trying to maintain a good work life balance.

To give an example two weeks ago I went Camping with my son in sub degree cold weather. Yesterday I took my son and daughter skiing. Next week I’m off to Minnesota for work for several days.

The activities I am now able to do with my kids are priceless. They create long term memories that they will never forget. I would never have been able to do them at 350+ pounds. I've been in support group meetings where people have said that they missed their children childhoods. I'm glad that I made this decision before loosing the ability to profoundly impact my kids childhoods..

I don’t post much anymore. But I do visit every day to update my weight in the tracker. And pretty much just briefly lurk.

I never weigh my food. I stopped tracking as I pretty much eat the same foods all the time. So I know what’s safe and what’s not and how those foods affect my body. I never eat till I’m full. Don’t like throwing up so not going there. I do weigh myself daily. I don’t stress…I adjust. Once in a blue moon I’ll take a break. To get out of my rut. But I’ll hop back on the bandwagon if my clothes feel tight. I know that if I don’t stay vigilant I will fall back in my old ways…ain’t going to happen…Been through too much to go there.

Bottom line...If you develop good habits early on...Maintainance becomes a breeze and you know how to work your tool.

Since I forgot about my surgiversery I didn’t make an annual appointment with my surgeon. I have to do that as I have questions. My only complaints are that when I laugh really hard I get spasms in my intestines. If I eat or drink an hour before going to bed I wake up out of my sleep choking. I posted about that earlier and was told it may be GERD.

Other than that…even though the honeymoon is over…I still love my Sleeve!!!

I had my second followup post surgical Plastic Surgery  visit. It went pretty well. Dr. Gonzalez removed the last two drains as they were outputting less than 10 cc's. I was surprised how quickly they came off. For the LBL I  had them for three weeks. He said that they weren't 100% necessary he did it really more because that he's paranoid. They were a safety blanket if I started to bleed internally. He didn't expect them to output much.

He told me at my 1st follow up visit to bring in the compression shirt I was planning to wear. I have a bunch of mediums  I bought a Small just in case.

He said the Medium was sufficient but as the swelling goes down I may transition into the small.

He said I have to wear the compression shirts 24/7 for 4 weeks then when I sleep for 2 more weeks.

I told him that I thought my breasts would be smaller. He said he had to leave some breast tissue as I wanted to maintain the nipple sensitivity. If he said it was a trade off. He said that I was going to have a great result. That I was going to contract. I wont be able to see the final results until 6 months. He said it will be great results if I exercise the area after six weeks.

He wants me to come back for a visit on Monday.

Ever since I was thirteen I've had Man tits. They have been a constant point of embarrassment for me. I never liked swimming or any activity where I had to remove my shirt. Hard growing up when we organized team sports by Shirts Vs. Skins.

I'm happy to say they are now gone. I had surgery to remove them yesterday.

I arrived Nassau University Medical Center at 6:00am for an 8:00 procedure on 6/14/2012. The chief Resident Marco Gonzalez did all the markings the Attending Surgeon Joshua Zuckerman reviewed them and said that I will have an excellent result.

Dr. Gonzalez said that this was going to be a complicated surgery as I wanted to preserve my nipple sensitivity. He said it was more than just a Gynecomastia. The name of the procedure is  inferior pedicel breast reduction with lipo and excision of axillary and back roll. He again warned me of all the risks and that I will have scars. He showed me where the scars will be. He said he was going to excise the skin all the way around my back to get rid of the rolls. I was very happy about that. He said they were going to have to flip me on the OR table to do that.

He also warned me that it may be possible that the nipple could get damaged during the surgery. And they may have to use a fake one for cosmetic purposes. I said I was willing to accept the risk

They rolled me into the OR about 8:20am. Had me start by breathing in oxygen. injected something into my IV. Next thing I knew I was in the Recovery room. The nurse said you are awake good. Don't know what time that was. Then I fell back asleep and the next thing I knew it was 4:00pm and I was in the ASU area. My ride came they gave me my discharge paperwork. Which included a antibiotic and percoset script along with a follow up appointment for Monday.

I was upset to see that I had four drains. I was initially told that I shouldn't need any. But I guess since this was a more complicated procedure. It is what it Is.

I got home about 5:00 pm. Immediately went to sleep. I woke up at 10:30pm and realized that I needed to take my meds. I haven't taken any. According to the script I'm supposed to take one of each pill every 6 hours. It's been more than that since the hospital gave me any meds.

I realized that I wasn't experiencing any pain. I decided to take a percoset anyway.

I finally had the nerve to look at the work that they did. It looks awesome. I'm very happy with it. I can see alot since they used steristrips vs. bandages. I can even feel my nipples which makes me totally happy.

I've been very confused over my Body Fat percentages. My home scale is one of those Weight Watchers scale. This scales not only shows weight but it also shows, Body Fat in lbs, Body Fat Percentage, Water Weight, Bone Density and BMI.

I'm a numbers person, so I also enjoyed keeping track of my numbers. But it has always bothered me that the Body Fat % on my scale Vs. My Bariatric Doctor's very fancy and expensive Tantia body composition analyzer differs so much. My Scale showed my body fat at 26.5% where my doctors scale showed a fat % of 16.9 during my annual appointment last week.

I asked the Nut how accurate their scale is and she said very accurate. I figured they must have the thing calibrated. So I figured my scale must not be that accurate. 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to get a Bod Pod test. Before going in the technician warned me Every single person that has gone in was disappointed with the results. I have to say that I didn't disappoint him.

My Reading Body Mass 195.473 Lbs with Fat % - 26.4

I had a nice long talk with the technician who is also a personal trainer. He was very intrigued with my story and why I was getting tested.

He told me that the scale is meaning less. It's about how you look and feel. We talked about what I have been doing from an exercise perspective. He suggested that I concentrate less on cardio and more on interval strength training. He also said that I was too consistent with my routine. I need to change it up. Confuse my body so it doesn't get accustomed to my work out routine. He said the goal would be to build more lean body mass. He said my weight may increase or stay the same but encouraged me to come back now that I'm in the system and compare my results as I work on building muscle.

I asked him if the excess skin that I have on my thighs and on my chest would skew the results. He said good question and told me that he would contact the manufacturer. He got back to me this afternoon. I included the response below.

Loose Skin after Bariatric Surgery

 

It has been found that the loose skin does not affect the accuracy of the BOD POD results. Body Fat percentage and Fat Free Mass percentage should all be within the correct range.

The makeup of the extra skin can only be broken down via chemical analysis, so we can't say the loose skin is only in the fat free mass category. But a study done with patients before and after gastric bypass surgery showed that excess skin did not skew the results obtained from the BOD POD.

 

Clinical Research Manager

Today I had my two year checkup with my surgeon.

I love going to the office as everyone there is so nice. I talked to the nut and she commented on how great I looked. The last time I saw her, I was 220 pounds. I told her that was my goal. She told me she could see me loosing another 20 pounds. She was right

She has one of those Tantia fancy Body composition analyzers. I always look forward to what it has to say. She interpreted the results for me. I weighed in at 194 pounds (with clothes). Body fat was 16.9%. It says for me to maintain my weight I need to consume 1,892 calories. My BMI is 27.1. According to the unit my target body fat should be 22% and I need to gain 12 pounds.

The Nut told me that I shouldn't lose any more weight. She said that I need to gain weight by adding muscle.

I then met with the surgeon. Dr. Nish said I looked great. I showed him the work that the plastic surgeon did and he said it was awesome.

He looked me over and reviewed my Blood Work. For the first time every item was in range. Usually I had some issue with my Iron, cholesterol or Vitamin-D level. Dr. Nish then went on to say that I shouldn't lose any more weight. He said I was a poster child for the practice.

Dr. Nish gave me some advice:

·         He told me that he has changed his stance on NSAIDS. He told me not to take them. He said there have been recent findings that NSAIDS can cause issues with the sleeve. He said the chance of developing an ulcer is the same as if you didn't have gastric surgery. But if an ulcer develops on the staple line it could cause a leak. He said he had a patient who ended up with a leak 9 months after surgery.

·         He also told me that it is still very important to make sure that you chew very well. Don't let food get lodged into your stomach that can then cause you to throw up.

·         Don’t eat stringy Green vegetables or stringy pasta. Don’t remember the reason why. But I don’t like them anyway so not a problem.

He told me that I should check in with him annually or I can come back at 6 months if I want.

 

Also want to mention that I had a follow up consultation with the Cardiologist after my fainting episode (http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/mikeymike/blog/2012/02/20/2-11-12---i-passed-out/ ). He said all the test I did was the right course of action. He said that he also believed it was a vasovagal response. He said there is one more test he would like to do to be a 100% that there is no issue with my heart. He wants me to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours. This will give him a 24 hour EKG. He went on to say that there could have been several contributing factors to the issue. Alcohol which is a vaso dialator in combination with the blood pressure medicine could have caused me to have the issue. He told me to cut the medicine in half. I did that last week. When my surgeon took my blood pressure today it was 110/80. I think he may have hit the nail right on the head. Anyway he told me to come back and see him in a month. He said not to have any alcohol until I come back. I’m scheduled to get the Heart Monitor on Monday.

I don’t have an opportunity to post as much as I used too…But I thought it was important to share my two year post. I still do blog. So feel free to look at mine as I have blogged on OH since the start of my journey.  

Let’s start with the facts. I started my WLS journey at 357 pounds 12/10/2009 when I went for my initial consultation with Dr. Nishimura. My highest recorded weight was 380; but I was definitely heavier than that…lost interest, didn’t want to know what the actual number was, but I’m sure I was pushing well over 400 Pounds. 27 months ago I was wearing a 22” Neck Dress Shirt, 3 or 4 XL Polo Shirt and 54” waist pants my BMI was 49.8.   I lost 48 pounds on my pre-op diet and weighed 309 on the day of my surgery (3/3/2010). Today I’m 196 pounds wearing 15” Dress shirt, Medium Polo Shirt and 34” waist pants my BMI is 27 I’ve lost about 85% of my excess weight (160 pounds). I lost 22 points on the BMI scale. I’ve lost 59 inches from various parts of my body (ie neck, chest, arms, waist, thighs, etc). I lost an entire person.

 

			Weight Loss by Month
Dec-09	Jan-10	Feb-10	Mar-10	Apr-10	May-10	Jun-10	Jul-10
23	12	13	21	21	13	10	11
Aug-10	Sep-10	Oct-10	Nov-10	Dec-10	Jan-11	Feb-11	Mar-11
5	11	2	-3	1	10	0	4
Apr-11	May-11	Jun-11	Jul-11	Aug-11	Sep-11	Oct-11	Nov-11
0.2	-6.2	7.6	0.1	-3.9	7.2	0.3	4.5
Dec-11	Jan-12	Feb-12	Mar-12	Apr-12	May-12	Jun-12	Jul-12
-3.6	2.6	-3.3	1.3
			Total Pounds Loss		160.8

 
Overall life has been great. You never realize how having an extra person on your back represses you. So far I have gone: Skiing, Snowboarding, Roller Skating, Zip Lining, Roller Coasters. These are things that I wasn’t able to do at 357 pounds. I look back and think how I denied my kids the opportunity of being exposed to these activities. I am truly ashamed that I let myself get to that point. The thing that I have come to realize is that it’s not the losing the weight that is the best thing. It’s the life you can now live and enjoy that is truly fabulous.

I can’t say that everything has been wonderful. I guess you take the bad with the good. So what are my challenges?

My biggest issue has been body Dysmorphia when I look in the mirror I still see a fat person. In talking with members of my support group that are several years out this seems to be a common problem. I’ve posted about my struggles with my goal weight. I have been struggling with losing more weight, staying where I am or putting on more weight. I’ve followed the advice of my doctor “You’re body will know when to stop”. My original goal was 220. I’m 196 as I write this. I went as low as 190 pounds but decided I didn’t like the way I looked. So I put on more weight. Still not happy with the way I look. I feel that I’m too thin. I get many comments from CoWorkers, Friends and family that I’m too thin. Need to put more weight on. For the most part I ignore them but it does have its toll. Sometimes I think they are right. I have my annual checkup with my bariatric doctor in two weeks. This is on my list to talk with him about.

I had plastics this past November. A Circumferential Lower Body Lift (LBL). The procedure was very successful and removed all the excess skin around my stomach, waist, lower back, butt and outer thighs. This has improved my self-esteem and I love the way I look now. I just have one more round of plastics to satisfy myself image. I need to do my chest. I have deflated man boobs. These have been the plague of my existence since I was 13 years old. I think once I have that procedure done. I’ll finally be able to determine my ideal weight. I’m scheduling that for May.

Fear of Failure. I’m terrified that I will go back to my former self. Part of the reason I still weigh my self every day. I don’t beat my self up if I’m up or down on the scale. When I fall out of range I adjust my eating plan accordingly. I feel as if I have a second chance in life…I’m determined not to “F” it up.

At two years I can definitely eat more than I did at 6 months and even more than I did at one year. I’ve never been one to measure my food or count calories. As an example at 6 months I could eat ½ of a small wendy’s Chilli. At a year I could eat about ¾. Today I could finish it. I think we all need to find what works for us. I think the practice of eating till I am satiated and not until I’m full prepared me for this. I’ve learned not to finish my plate. I eat protein first I usually try to get in at least 90 grams a day. I start off each morning with a premier protein shake (30 Grams of protein). I drink at least 80 ounces of water / Ice Tea (diet) a day. I eat as little carbs as possible. Carbs are not my friend. Once I start I can’t stop. Therefore I limit them as much as I can. My doctor said from the start you have to build good eating and exercise habits early on so that they become second nature. This is what will set you up for long term success when you go into maintenance. 

Again overall the good out outweighs the bad.

I still can’t believe how successful this has been for me. I thought I was going to be a slow looser or that this surgery wouldn’t work for me. After a year I realize that this was the best thing that I have done for myself. After two years I see that long term success is a definite. I can’t tell you how many diets I have been on where I loss a significant amount of weight to gain it back and then some. With a little effort and diligence the excess weight is gone for good. I definitely see a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s definitely getting brighter.

I love my sleeve.

                      Me At My Heaviest:


                              One Year Post Op:


          Two Weeks Ago:

I passed out twice early this morning and ended up in the Hospital after a Black Tie affair for an organization I’m involved with. Let me start off by telling you what I ate for the day.

The Black Tie event was yesterday night it was the end of a three day meeting at a Hotel in Maryland.

Breakfast:  Muscle Milk Protein Drink, Bran Mini Muffin, Danon Vanilla Yogurt (added Pineapples & Blue Berries)

Lunch: 3oz Salmon, Spinach, chocolate gelato (ate ¾ of it).

Snack: Chobanni Greek Yogurt (Peach)

Dinner: Surf and Turf (little Lobster and Steak), Spinach

80 ounces of water

I didn’t count up all the protein but I believe I made my goal with ease. I should also mention that I did work out early in the morning. Ran a 15 minute mile on the treadmill and lifted some weights.

After dinner and the awards ceremony they had some desert. I admit I over did it on the chocolate and had about 6oz of dark/milk chocolate (11:00 pm).

There was an after gala party in the hotel lounge. Had a blast. I did have a drink Vodka and Pineapple juice. I had the drink about midnight.  Felt buzzed and decided that one was enough.  The buzz whore off after about a ½ hour.

I left the party around 1:30 am. When I went down to the hotel lobby to go back to my room as the lounge was on the 18^th Floor (dedicated elevator). I noticed that one of my friends was in a wheel chair. She was complaining that she could no longer feel her legs and a severe headache. I decided to wait with her and comfort her until the ambulance arrived. Waited there about ten minutes. The ambulance finally arrived.

As the ambulance arrived I started to feel light headed and faint. Since there were other people and friends there to attend to my friend in the wheelchair. I decided to step into the background and lean up against the wall. I figured I was having a hyperglycemic reaction to the chocolate that I ate earlier. This has happened to me a few times before when I introduced a large amount of sugar into my system. In the past I would just sit down and the sensation would past.

The next thing I knew I was on the floor (on my butt) and people where buzzing around me asking me if I was ok. I asked what happened and they said I passed out.  I asked if I hit my head as I didn’t remember passing out.  I was told no, you slid rapidly down against the wall. (thank god I leaned up against the wall). The paramedics took my blood pressure and it was 74/50. Traditionally I have high blood pressure controlled with meds. I explained to the paramedics that it maybe a hyperglycemic reaction. They pricked my finger and tested my blood sugar it was 115. They asked me If I wanted to go to the hospital I refused and said I would be ok. I just needed to sit a bit to get my bearings and sip some water. I told them to take care of my friend and get her to the hospital.  The ambulance left I must have sat for about 15 minutes.

I told my friends that I was ready to get up and go to my room. They told me to take it easy and they helped me to rise slowly. The next thing I knew I was being placed in the wheel chair. I passed out again. My friends called for another ambulance and told me that I had no choice I should go to the hospital.

I noticed that I broke out into a cold sweat as my shirt was soaked.  I remembered those times that I felt like this before I also broke out into a cold sweat then. I actually felt back to normal. The Paramedics took my blood pressure and it was normal 120/80. The Paramedics said that since this was the second call that I had no choice I had to go to the hospital. My friends agreed.

I really felt better at this point. I was able to get up and walk to the ambulance as well as climb into it on my own. They had me lie down on the stretcher in the ambulance and they strapped me in. A friend of mine came with me and off we went to Fort Washington hospital.

When we got to the hospital They asked me a ton of questions. I told them I had Gastric Sleeve Surgery almost two years ago. As well as Plastic Surgery 11 weeks ago.  The doctor asked me about my eating and drinking habits for the day. I told him and mentioned I thought it was a hyperglycemic reaction. He said he doubts it as I had several balanced meals throughout the day. He said I wasn’t dehydrated and that one drink of alcohol shouldn’t have caused me to passout. He told me that he wanted to do blood work,  Cat Scan of the Head and Chest as well as a chest x-ray. He said if the tests come back negative that his recommendation would be for me to be admitted into the hospital and have a Echo and stress test. He said that I may have to be transferred to another hospital depending if they had beds. I was surprised as the only other person that was in the ER was my friend who they were about to transfer to another hospital as this hospital had no trauma unit.  

They did all the tests and they all came back normal. The doctor wanted to admit me but I refused. I wasn’t impressed with the care of the hospital it looked like a dump and I really did feel fine. I went to the bathroom and walked there and back with no issue. I left the hospital against medical advice they made copies of all my records and I promised to follow up with my doctor. On Monday I will call my Primary as well as my bariatric doctor. Based on what they say I may also make an appointment with my cardiologist that cleared me for the sleeve.

I got back to my hotel room around 5:00am this morning and slept until 9:00. I got up took a shower went down to the hotel lobby for breakfast. Met up with a friend and he walked me to the Jos A. Bank store (two blocks from the hotel) to return the Tux I rented. I was able to move around pretty well today and felt good.

Hopefully my doctor can give me more answers. But truly at this point I feel back to normal. I really believed it was a hyperglycemic reaction.  But I plan to follow-up to see if I can determine the cause.

It turns out that my friend that loss feeling in her legs. Had an aneurysm. She had surgery to take care of it and the doctor said he was happy with her progress. She’s going to have a long recovery. All of her family came to support her.

Update the Monday After:

I had a visit with my primary as well as spoke with the doctor who assisted during my sleeve procedure.

Both came to the same conclusion Vasovagal Response http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_response

I spoke to my primary first (he is a Gastroenterologist) I explained all that happened. He didn't think it was a hypoglycemic reaction due to the fact that I had well balanced meals and the blood test the paramedics read was close to normal. He said it could have been a compound of issues: Dehydration compounded by alcohol, Standing too long in the club, the stressful situation with my friend.

He took my vitals and said I wasn't in danger of kicking the bucket but suggested that I have a echo and stress test to rule out circulatory problems.

I spoke with my bariatric doctor shortly after wards. I didn't tell him about the conversation with my primary when we first started talking. He said this had nothing to do with the sleeve and that it sounds more like a VasoVagal issue. He told me to follow up with my primary. That's when I told him what my primary said. He agreed with my primary diagnosis and said the root cause may be difficult to determine. He also suggested seeing a cardiologist.

Update afer Seeing Cardiologist (2/20/12):


I had the Echo and the stress test this morning. Cardiologist said that the stress test was normal nothing to be concerned about. He did say something interesting about the echo.

He noted that it does show some changes from my previous echo consistent with someone who was morbidly obese and lost a significant amount of weight. He said the Heart muscle is still a little bit thicken and enlarged in the chambers. He said it does take quite some time for that to reduce and eventually it will. He did go on to say that my heart is good and strong and doing well.

None of the doctors thought it was a Hypoglycemic reaction.

Hopefully it's past me now.

I still can’t believe it in only 10 months since I’ve started this journey; I’ve reached goal. 48 Pounds Pre-op and 89 pounds post-op for a total of 137 pounds gone forever!!!

Here’s my weight progression since Surgery:

·         March – 21 Pounds

·         April – 21 Pounds

·         May – 13 Pounds

·         June – 10 Pounds

·         July – 11 Pounds

·         August – 5 Pounds

·         September – 8 Pounds

·         I’ve lost 62” on various parts of my body since surgery

I came up with my goal weight after some serious thought and discussions with both my Bariatric and Primary Doctors. Neither Physician recommended a normal BMI range for me as I’ve always been a big guy. When I tell people that I weighed 357 pounds last year they can’t believe it. I always carried my weight well and most people thought I was between 280 and 300 pounds. My Bariatric doctor thought that the mid 200’s would be a good range for me. My Primary doctor said that I should aim for a 34” waist pants. I decided to shot for 220 pounds and both Doctors were fine with it.

 

Today I’m wearing a Size 16” Dress shirt and a 34” Waist Pants down from a 22” Shirt and 54” Pants.

I’ve received many comments that I should stop loosing. These comments come from very close family and friends including my wife. I’ve lost weight in my face which is given me a gaunt look.

I’ve decided to hold here and really start to focus on toning my Body. Now the tough part begins…trying to maintain at this weight. I’m going to call my Suergons office and speak with the nut to find out her recommendations to maintain my weight.

For those of you on the fence about weight loss. Get off…The Sleeve is defiantly worth it.

 

I love my Sleeve!!!

Today marks six months since my surgery.  I have to say that I was never expecting these results. To give some stats: I have lost 129 pounds since my initial consult (12/7/2009) with my surgeon. I lost 48 pounds pre-op on the optifast program and then another 81 pounds since surgery (3/3/2010).  Since Surgery I have lost over 60 inches from various parts of my body.

Here’s the number of pounds I lost each month:

·         March – 21 Pounds

·         April – 21 Pounds

·         May – 13 Pounds

·         June – 10 Pounds

·         July – 11 Pounds

·         August - 5 Pounds

This time last year I was wearing a 4XL Golf Shirts, 22” Dress Shirts and 54” Pants. Today I’m wearing Large Golf Shirts, 16 ½” Dress Shirts and 36” Waist Pants.

These are the Goals that I have achieved (set prior to surgery):

·         Able to go swimming with my kids and feel comfortable

·         Ride all the rides at an amusement park

·         Fit in an airplane seat comfortably (no seat belt extender)

·         Sit comfortably in a booth at a restaurant with my family

·         Make it thru Surgery without complications

I have two goals still left to achieve:

·         To Overall get Physically fit and healthy

·         Get off medications

I’m still working on these. I think by the end of the year I will achieve these goals. I’m working out at least three times a week. I’m taking Spin classes as well as running on the treadmill. I’m still taking High Blood pressure and cholesterol meds. But the dosage has been reduced. Hope to be off of them in a couple of months.

I’m 9 pounds from my goal. I set this goal prior to surgery as a weight that I thought I would be comfortable at. I wasn’t fond of trying to set the normal BMI as my goal. I think that I wouldn’t look right at 180 pounds. I’m still not sure if I should go any lower. Many people have told me that I have lost enough and that I should concentrate on firming my body out. The jury is still out on that one. My doctor said the first year is the easiest period to lose weight. I’m contemplating hitting 185 to see what I look like. I figure I can always put the weight back on. I’ll make a decision once I hit my first goal of 220 pounds.

The most surprising thing to me is that my relationship with food has changed. My support group has a saying that prior to surgery we used to “Live to eat…now we eat to live”. At first these were just words to me, now I see that this is my reality.

 

I haven’t been hungry since the surgery.  I eat on a schedule to make sure that I get my protein in. Foods that I used to crave (mostly high carb, high sugar deserts) don’t appeal to me anymore. They also don’t taste as good as I remember them. Don’t get me wrong I have tried a couple of things here and there. But now I don’t feel those foods deserve to go into my body. I read the labels on foods now. And make smart choices as to what is going into my body. 

I started to lose hair at the start of my second month. But I’ve recently noticed that the hair is coming back strong.

I’m tolerating most foods at this point. In the beginning I threw up even if I chewed well and slow. I still have a problem with eggs. I can keep them down. They just don’t taste the same and I’ve developed a disliking towards eggs. Pasta was the last food that I tried that didn’t stay down. I haven’t been in a rush to reintroduce it as its high in carbs.

Overall, I’m ecstatic with my progress. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would lose all this weight this fast. I was expecting to be a slow looser or even not lose anything at all.

I’ve said it several times but this truly comes from my heart…I Love my Sleeve!!!

I think it's over....My stall that is....I stepped on the scale today and it said 228.8. I've updated my health tracker and entered 229 just to be on the safe side. That brings me to the 80 pound mark.

I'm heading to LA tomorrow so don't know if I'll have access to a scale. Hopefully this is the start of a new downward trend.