MikeyMike
9-3-2010 - 6 Month Surgiversery
Sep 03, 2010
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!!!
