Messinger's Diary - Page 12 - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

milwmarc · 10-22-2009, 10:59 PM

Had to go to Target today to get some more Powerade Zero's I now always stop in at clearence clothes at Target, Kohls, Boston Store etc.

I keep going through pants and tops even though the scale isn't moving that much, I must still be losing. My scale today said I had a BMI of 21.5.

So I'm at Target in Clearence, I'm have NO sport coats to where anymore, they last me about 5-6 weeks and then they are too big. at 120 to 220 per sport coat that gets expensive. I see in the Clearence Rack they have a MENS Athletic Fit 44L sport coat. That is for well built tall guys that where like a size Large shirt. I say..."sigh their is no Friggin way that coat will fit, but I'll try it on" I try it on and it fits like a glove! Holy Cow I can wear an Athletic Fit Cut Large Sport Coat! And I still have 30 lbs to lose to my personal goal! I look at the price tag. $14.38! Well for a coat I may only fit into for 5-6 weeks what a great price! I then see some Size Large Performance shirts for runners (poor man's Underarmour) I look at them and think well these would fit my 10 yr old son but not me. I'll bring them home for him since they were only $2.00 on clearence from $25.00.

I get the shirts home and decide to go for a run, I try one of the size large shirts. It fits good too! Holy Cow! Size Large Mens Athletic Cut clothing fits? and I still have 25 lbs to go.

It is NOT easy to have to always make conscieous decisions of what to put in your mouth, what not to and when to walk away from bad decisions. This is the hardest thing I have ever done for weight loss and it is permanent.

Tonight I had to go to a business event with LOTS of great food and drink. I had some cheese, a piece of sausage and could have eaten lots more, but I decided to go to the bar and get 2 large glasses of water, I drank one quickly and that took care of my hunger, I then took my other water glass and walked and talked to everyone while they drank and ate to their hearts content, gave me more time to listen to them instead of focusing on food and drink. A new lifestyle.

It truly is a good life!

milwmarc · 10-28-2009, 09:37 PM

Well, I had some communication with my WLS Doctors staff and shared that I had a diary on here. It appears many have or are reading it from my Doctors office.

Yesterday my doctors office called and asked if someone from their marketing department could use my story on their web site. I was very busy yesterday and didnt get a chance to respond. I thought "I'd think about it" because I hadn't shared with the whole world of my surgery as for many reason's that were printed in my first pages of my diary here. I also thought, well maybe my blunt postings could help some.

Today I'm at one of my offices and another Larger Fellow from work (My big buddy brethren) says "howd you lose all the weight? I give my same reply I always do, Eat a lot less, excercise a lot more and learn to control my "needs" in my head. He says, you must have had something done. I say to him we can "talk" he says, you had Gastric Bypass and tells me of others in his family he knows have had it done. For the first time I have been "outed" and it feels strange. I've worked my Ass off to get where I am and the surgery was the tool I needed but I have had to learn to use that tool of WLS.

Tonight I have had my 4th 12-13 hour day in a row. I'm tired, my guard is down and I'm not responding to people quickly. I meet with one of my managers from my Franchise Sport Clips. We go back into the salon in our back room and 4 staff are back there. They are eating Pizza. I tell them "No Thanks I'll just do what I alwasy do, when none of you are looking I'll open up the box, lick the top of each piece of pizza and then close the box back up, that way I get the taste but not the calories" They laugh and my manager says, it must be hard to not be able to eat pizza after your gastric bypass." Silince from me. What the hell? who told them? Guess doesn't take rocket science when you've lost 88 lbs in 7 months. I didn't tell my staff, It's hard to do this and I didn't need the stigmas of "the easy way out" from all my staff.

So twice in one day I have been outed. I'm just tryign to decide now, the next time I am asked do I just start telling everyone and come clean about WLS? In some ways it would have been nice to have more support, but in the same token, I was able to 100% focus on what I needed to do to succeed without hearing people put their baggage on me.

lasty it has been 7 months and 2 weeks. and that (*&(*&)(^(*(_)*&^%$^&*() scale won't move yet again! Jesus this gets harder as you lose the weight. I am stuck between 224 and 226 bmi average of 23%. Eating shrimp, Turkey, Tilapia 120 ozs of Powerade zero a day mixed with 60 grams of unjury, for snack it's sugar free pudding mixed with Unjury and Peanuts "in shell".

I'm getting about 1,600, to 1,800 calories a day, 120 grams of protien a day, 120oz's liquid a day average.

I work out on average 45 minutes a day now, Moved from running to inside activities now of eliptical, weight lifting, some running inside, and also Hockey, which is a BIG workout! But my workouts are less frequent then they were all spring and summer. So busy at work, my franchise and chasing kids to hockey every day for practice.

So based on my activities I would think I'd keep losing. Sooo frustrating to see 0 loss in 2 weeks, clothes don't feel any loser either. My wife tends to think its the Nuts I'm eating, all the salt in the Peanuse and the almonds I eat.

Maybe time to go see the Nutritionist. I REALLY want to lose this last 25 lbs I still feel quite overweight and know their is still a "better me" inside that can still be chiseled out.

kcg · 10-29-2009, 03:11 AM

So far, so good. I`m therefore sure that the last 25lb will fall off eventually like water off a duck`s back. Congrats on the progressive weight loss. An inspiration.

Bama · 10-29-2009, 06:13 AM

Hang in there man! I hit a 3 week stall that just about drove me nuts. It was my fault with the food choices I were making. I got my act together, cut out the junk/grazing and added an extra protien shake. Finally broke through my stall and lost 5 lbs.

milwmarc · 11-11-2009, 05:54 PM

Well my last month has been uneventful in the weight loss department to say the least! I have lost only 2 lbs in the past month.

I am hovering right between 224 to 225 lbs. I have logged everything I am eating, drinking and excercising. I have sent a copy of that to the nutritionist from my Dr.'s office and she has made some very minor adjustments that are easy enough to do and see if I can get the metabolism motor running again.

I'm thinking it could also be some more muscle gain as in the past month I have: Run my fast 3 miles time ever, can run 30 minutes straight now without stopping to walk, My size 38 jeans seam to be getting a bit loose, I keep hearing how I look like I'm losing more weight and that (from many) I need to stop! I can see outlines of muscles in my legs and arms better. My gut every week seems to creep down a wee bit and I don't have the gut roll as much as I once did.

I still think I can lose another 24 lbs to get to 199, but only the WLS God's will be able to tell me if that is possible.

Other then that, a very methodical typical month, Work work work, chasing with the kids to all their practices and hockey, running our Sport Clips Haircuts Franchise after my wife and I get done with our day jobs, and finding the time to get the workouts in. I finally got the weight room up and operational in the basement again, but I just haven't made the time to weight lift on a weekly basis, I have found the time for Aerobic excercise but I will be re-commiting to weightlifting now as well. I will update my journal with some pictures of the new workout room in the next few days.

At 8 months I still feel I have so far to go in this journey. I love how I feel when I bend over and don't feel the pressure from a big gut, I love not feeling gravity pull on my body as much when I'm playing with the kids, excercising etc.

We spent this past weekend at a hotel with a indoor waterpark, I felt comfortable double riding with my kids on the slides, in the past I would be afraid that my 300+ lbs would make us go extremely fast on the rides, not so now.

I felt "somewhat" normal. I still think I'm one of the biggest guys at the waterpark, but surrounded by our freinds this past weekend I felt like "one of them" as we went on 4 person adult rides togethor and not "the huge guy" I absolutely love to swim, so the MOOBS (man boobs) are definately on my list to get rectified with surgery in early 2010.

A lot of the basics of this weight loss have been chiseled out, now its time to really mold this body from God into a creation both he and I can be proud of! Not their yet, but working at it.

One thing, weight loss is not is sexy or exciting, it's hard work, its creating habits for life and it is easy to go off track. Let's hope in the next month I have a bigger loss to post!

I will post my surgery day with current picture comparson post in a few days along with some pictures of the weight room, those pictures are more to motivate me to get my duff in gear and get the weight lifting back in the picture.

It Truly Is A Good Life!

milwmarc · 11-13-2009, 12:56 PM

Sometimes people just don't know what they are saying.

My oldest son's favorite teacher of all time that I love as well; saw me in the hallway at school today, took a double take and said "Marc, is that you? I said yes, she said, "My God what happened to the big bloated balloon I know and love?" WHAT THE $#@$? She is a sweet dear dear lady, but I didn't think people looked at me as a big bloated baloon at my larger weight. I thought I carried it rather well..maybe I"m fooling myself of what I looked like at my larger size? People don't always know what they are saying.

I started talking to my youngest daughters kindergarten teacher who all 3 of my kids have had. She kept giving me strange looks, then she got a big smile on her face and warmed up after my daughter came to give me a hug. I realize this lady who has known me through my kids didn't recognize me I guess. I HONESTLY don't see that much of a difference. But it keeps happening.

Well as promised here are my 8 month progression pictures. I love the new smaller me but know I have a long way to still go now.

P.S. Where the heck did all the guys go on here? If I was single this certainly would be the place to hang out!

milwmarc · 11-13-2009, 01:13 PM

Well, I have been saying for 7 weeks I was going to get the weight training going again. I started up last night again. Now I have to drop the last 20 lbs and tone up all the flubber I have along with the MOOBS (man boobs) Let's hope the dusted off weight room can be of assistance.

Smaller amounts of weights and higher repetitions is what I'm working on to burn more calories and hopefully get the metabolism fired back up.

This last one is a fun slide board that I made. It allows you to train like Ice Skating across the board and work on core muscles along with one HECK of a sweat going!

milwmarc · 11-18-2009, 06:21 PM

Anyone else got a case of the winter blahs starting?.... gotta work out more to keep my attitude in the positive side of the meter

Aviator · 11-18-2009, 06:50 PM

Been a while since I posted on your blog, Sorry about being outed. Im still keeping mine a secret and no one is the wiser. They may suspect but no one is asking. (They might be afraid to...he he. I am El Jefe, as you know.)

Im stuck weight wise also. 82 lbs down and it is still barely creeping down. Just got back from a week in Hawaii and basically stayed the same - which is a good thing. Pics on my blog BTW. Have a look

Next week is Thanksgiving, so yuck! 13 people coming to the house.

Love 'em but they bring junky calorie laden holiday food.

Then on Sunday after Thanksgiving, I'm headed to Colombia - as in South America. 8,600 ft high in the Andes - Bogota. Damn, I wish the oil patch would move to Hawaii. Always in godforsaken armpits of the world. Bogota is actually very nice and is very safe these days.

You know marc...we are not in a hurry. It will come off when it comes off. My BP meds are gone now, my cholesterol and triglycerides are that of a 30 year old. Lost 12 waist inches.

If it takes till next spring, we will be OK, amigo.

milwmarc · 11-18-2009, 07:12 PM

Wow, we must be attached at the hip! I'm down exactly 82 lbs as well since the day of surgery! Scale is not moving much, but I have brought my calorie count down in last week to an average of 1,300 calories and have bumped up the weight lifting to now 3 days per week along with continuing to use the eliptical, slide board (like skating for hockey but really gets the heart pumping) and playing hockey as well.

Waist is down 12 inches as well from my high of 48 to now a 38 inch waist. My BMI on the scale hovers between 23 to 24BMI. I was hoping to get below 200 but now I have pushed that back and will be happy with 210 a wee 14 lbs away. I'm not sure if that can be done. Next year I do plan on getting the man boobs removed and see what I have for excess skin around the stomach if any needs to be removed.

So every day I just keep eating right and trying to stay positive. The toughest part now is just trying to balance being a dad to 3 little ones that are very active in Hockey and all their schedules, working my day job as a reverse mortgage specialist, run my 2 franchise sport clips nights and weekends, finding time to work out and somehwere in there find time for the little enjoyments a family can bring. Food thankfully has NOT become a crutch for me during the stressful times. I am hoping that maybe in the past 8 months I have started to create some good habits that will stick long term in the old "what I put in the pie hole department."

Love your new picture! Let's keep each other moving forward. Maybe I should sell the sport clips, give up the career as a reverse mortgage specialist and learn your industry and apply to work for you! At some point I keep saying my jobs will provide me with a quality of life that I am seeking.

I just have to keep telling myself, my kids, my wife and I are healthy, we've got a great home, I've lost 82 lbs and we're still employed. Its much tougher out there for many.

It truly still is a good life!