Tmac

Well, the day finally arrived. I had my band put in at 8am this morning and my wife and I were on our 2.5 hour trek back home by 11am.

There has been some suble pain, but not enough to prompt me to take pain meds. That fact is driving my wife nuts, who is convinced that I'm going to double over in pain any minute. I was told that tomorrow will be a harder day since the meds from surgery will be out of my system by then.

Overall, it's been a great day and with a little fear of potentially regretting this statement tomorrow, it was a lot easier than I thought.

I've been sipping my water all day and I've been on a few walks around the neighborhood. I took my girls over to lake by my house and we hunted for good skipping stones. I love that I took vacation this week and my girls are done with school this week, so we'll have lots of time together.

I'm trying to convince my doctor to give me my fill one week early, so I'm working really hard to be completely healed. I have to fly to Shanghai on week 4, so it's a bad week for a fill. (Yes, I know I wouldn't have that issue with the sleeve, ah well.) So, that means lots of exercise and movement to speed up the recovery process.

As for the fills, for anyone having the band, follow-up care is certainly critical. As a self-pay, I wanted to understand the added cost of this kind of care. What I learned is that a fill/adjustment takes about 15 minutes and I found sites to do this near my home and several other cities that I frequent. The good news about my doc is that he has a set price for the surgery and 2 full years of post-op care that covers all fills. It even covers a second procedure should it be determined anything went wrong. As a self-pay, I negotiated 2 additional years of service for a great price.

Tomorrow, I start the soft foods and I'm looking forward to having some yogurt. I LOVE yogurt and it was hard not having any on my liquid diet.

As for the liquid diet, I decided to go hard core and made sure that I didn't vary from the diet at all. I can't believe how much weight I lost in two week. (Well, you need to know that prior to my liquid diet, I was sort of on a "tour of my favorite foods.") I wasn't a complete pig, but I did enjoy my favorite steak and had a nice evening with buddies, generously sampling some of my favorite small batch bourbons.

I need to start one of those weight loss tickers, so I'll have to read up on how to do that. Here are the stats:

300lbs - Ow. I hit the big 300 as I "prepared" to say goodbye to food. This was 2 weeks prior to surgery
288 - Today, day of surgery

It was nice to drop 12lbs prior to surgery and I also started a better exercise routine 2 weeks ago.

Overall, I'm really excited. I feel great and I finally feel like I have a advocate on my side to ensure that my attempts to loose weight are no longer sobotaged by that constant feeling of hunger.

And now, my new ticker...






Tmac

__________________
Tmac
Surgeon: Dr. Trace Curry
surgery date: June 1, 2009

Aviator

Welcome to the Loser's Bench. We look forward to hearing about your progress!

__________________

Aviator aka AeroBear
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
Surgery date: Dec 31, 2008
Post Op wt: 310
Current wt: 229.7
Goal wt: 210
Check out:
http://www.thinnertimesforum.com/per...-log-book.html

Tmac

Thanks, Av. Day 2 put the ol' ego in check as I started to experience the real pain without the surgery meds still in my body. Aside from a little bit of pain, I've managed to skip taking any of the pain meds that came home with me. I'm not trying to be a hero, but I like feeling where I stand so I have a better recognition of my improvement. Besides, it really doesn't hurt very much.

Today was a great day. I walked around the lake with my kids and enjoyed watching them throw rocks into the lake and chase after minnows.

As for thinking about my personal future, this was a huge day.

Tonight I experienced the first real hunger since getting home from the procedure. I think as my body was in shock yesterday, so I didn't really want to eat. Well, about 3 hours after that walk I was suddenly famished. I found myself in that familiar place...hanging out in the kitchen.

I opened the fridge and found some pudding. After slowly eating that, I wasn't full. So I opened a small cottage cheese container and ate that. That's about 1/4 cup more than I was told I should eat. Well, about 3 minutes later, I hugely regretted eating that second item as I felt my new "full" as the pouch above my band was clearly pressing under my rib cage and against to top of my diaphragm. I was uncomfortably full.

At first, I was miserable because I was thinking about how I just fell right back into an old trap. Then I started to feel positively giddy. I realized that I just got stuffed on 1 cup of food. It's so wonderful to know that I now have a helper that's going to really make me feel full sooner. AND, I was full for 3 hours.

Every diet that I've tried in the past has started out great and I've lost weight...then there was the slip. And another. And another. At the beginning of each of those diets I always had a hopeful, yet fatefully negative attitude as I knew I was fighting an uphill battle with my physiology. Today, my physiology lost! Now, I'm in control and it feels awesome.

I can't begin to share how profound this feels to me. The whole world just got a hue brighter and I'm, for the first time in a while, thinking about the very real ability to drop this weight for good and fundamentally change my life.

Yes, loser's bench. Here I am and I plan to be here, well, for the rest of my life!

Tmac

__________________
Tmac
Surgeon: Dr. Trace Curry
surgery date: June 1, 2009

zoomlenz4u

Wow. TMAC, you have painted a great picture of what I can expect when I have my surgery. Your seat belt extensions is funny to me cause I confront my fat in the face and always asked for a fat mans extension and the flight stewardess' always giggle. Your travel situation sounds challenging but you definately sound like your up for it. I am so looking forward to having my surgery done once and for all.

__________________
Luis Arellano
370 @ Seminar
220 set goal

Tmac

Not much news for today. It was a rainy day in my neck of the woods and today I realized that rain can no longer be an excuse to stop from getting in my exercise.

Against of the advice of my dear wife, I took a bike ride today. She thought that might be a bit excessive given the closeness to my surgery, but I felt that my body should be my guide and today I simply felt like riding.

I started out on what used to be my normal course and realized my biking legs are just gone. After a couple steep hills, I was toast and ready to make my way back. Still, it's more than I've done in a long time and it felt good to get out there again.

Later this evening, I pulled out the Wii Fit. The evil little bastard told me it had been 87 days since my last visit, which I grimaced at, but recognized as truth. After 40 minutes of Wii Fit, I sat down again and thought to myself...."when's the last time I had the motivation to workout 2 times in one day?"

My answer - I don't know. One thing is for sure, my attitude is better than ever. While the remnants of my surgery still remind me that I need to heal, I can't help but be filled with a new sense of hope.

This is it. I'm finally going to make it. Man, what a great feeling

Tmac

__________________
Tmac
Surgeon: Dr. Trace Curry
surgery date: June 1, 2009

Tmac

I think it's a little different for everyone. Sounds like you can handle the flight sitauations better than I. I'm still looking forward to the day that I don't need to draw any more attention to myself. You should do well if your attitute is already in the right place and it sounds like it is. Good luck to you.

__________________
Tmac
Surgeon: Dr. Trace Curry
surgery date: June 1, 2009

Tmac

I can't believe it's only been a week since I had the surgery. I feels like much more time.

Learning to eat differently is clearly my new challange. Just call me Mr. MOTO for that one (Master Of The Obvious.)

Of course, by differently, I mean more than just food choices. I was off last week, so today was my first day back at work and back into a hectic environment and too much to do and not enough time. Today, I forgot to eat. Now, that's a first.

I had some yogurt for breakfast and before I new it, 4pm had come around. I ran out of work early today because I was planning a birthday evening with my wife. After some running around for last minute gifts and a small family celebration, we headed out. We got to our favorite sushi place at 7pm and I still hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and now I suddenly realized what bad shape I was in.

I stood there as we waited for a table wondering if I would pass out. Suddenly my body wasn't just hungry, but my blood sugar was very low and I was running on fumes. I ordered a salad as you don't have many options for something quick at this place we love and that salad quickly put my system back in check. Unfortunately, by the time the sushi arrived, I could only have one piece before I was full.

It was nice to be full, but it sucked to not be able to enjoy the meal with my wife. I felt so foolish for wasting my stomach capacity on salad when I could have really used the protein from the fish. If I would have just taken a minute to eat earlier, it could have been a much better dinner experience

It's clear that the old way of doing things is going to get me into a lot of trouble if I keep them up. I'm losing weight quickly, but I'm being pretty stupid about it if today is any measure.

I'm looking forward to a better week at work with more time for eating. Someone here mentioned that I might need to schedule my small meals on my blackberry as simply a reminder. That once sounded pathetic, but now sounds needed in my case.

I hope I do a better job tomorrow!

Tmac

__________________
Tmac
Surgeon: Dr. Trace Curry
surgery date: June 1, 2009

Tmac

Well, I'm 3 weeks out now and now I know why they said this would be the hardest week. I'm hungry again and it's clear to me now that I desperately need a fill so my band can restrict more and I can feel fuller.

Work has been so insanely busy that I'm not working on my diet the way I should. I've been having these terrible days where I start with a cup of coffee in the morning and then realize at 4 or 5 that I haven't had a thing to eat. My blood sugar bottoms out and I feel like crap.

Then I tend to eat to fast and feel horrible for stuffing my little pouch, which lets me know I screwed up. In many ways, I like the reinforcement that I have to abandon my old ways. I'm slowly getting there, but when I get busy I tend to revert to my old habits.

I found that I've stopped losing weight. I'm not gaining any weight, but I'm not losing any more, which is frustrating. Another victim to my insane schedule is some of my exercise. I've been great about getting out on my bike and doing a lot of walking and even some mild jogging. However, I can see the writing on the wall... I can't let myself be too busy to get in the exercise. As a self pay on my surgery, there's some extra incentive not to screw this up. I spent a lot of money on this and I don't want to waste that investment.

I just need to get through 7 more days and then I get back that wonderful feeling of satiety that I'm craving.

Tmac

__________________
Tmac
Surgeon: Dr. Trace Curry
surgery date: June 1, 2009

Tmac

Well, I wondered what it would be like to travel again post-op and I'm getting more than my share of experience right now. The job has me in China this week and Germany next week. So far, so good. Of course, when you're relying on the point-at-the-picture form of ordering, you don't always get something you're actually willing to eat. So, while I haven't been on a scale in a week now, I suspect that I'm still losing weight as eating is a bit harder here. I'm looking forward to getting back to Europe where ordering is a bit easier.

One bit noticable change is that I didn't need the seat-belt extender on the plane. Woo Hoo! Of course, I'm at the very limit of the seat belt, but that's an improvement that I'll take.

I miss the family something terrible right now and jet lag is starting to set in, which always makes it harder because concentration is difficult and the tiredness brings on a sense of loneliness that can only be cured by a trip home to see my girls.

My job has me spend a lot of time in research facilities, sitting in dark rooms watching people be interviewed through a one-way mirror. This week, I'm listening to diabetics talk about managing their disease. It's interesting that the emotional struggle here is no different than it is in the states. In fact, it's more difficult here because their access to good medicines is rather limited by the government.

I'll post some pictures when I get back from the trip. I hope all of you are doing well. Keep up the good work!

Tmac

__________________
Tmac
Surgeon: Dr. Trace Curry
surgery date: June 1, 2009

Tmac

My last post was in June and I can't believe it's already October. Sorry that I haven't posted in so long.

I have no idea what's on my ticker right now (and I don't think I ever really figured out how to post the ticker) but my total loss since surgery is a few pounds shy of 50lbs. So many of the changes that I've read about in other stories are things that I've been waiting to experience: most notably, the time to switch to smaller clothing. Well, that happened last week as my wife got a bit of a fashion show as I pulled things out of the hall closet that I haven't worn in 10 years or more. The good news is that several things fit very well. The bad news is that many of them are now out of fashion or just a style I don't want to wear.

Eating has been reinvented in my life and I never thought it was possible to be happy eating as little as I do. Of course, I've also learned how to cheat. Simple carbs go right through and are practically digested before they hit my stomach. So my salty snacks cravings are hard to surpress and I don't get full eating them. However, recently I've attempted to grab a few Triscuits before I fear that I'm in "chips seeking mode" and that normally satisfies my craving for salt/bread and that cracker makes me feel full. Not the healthiest, but I see it as a good defense from making bigger mistakes.

Today, I'm once again traveling and writing to you from Frankfurt. This city has undergone a complete transformation in the last 10 years. It used to be my #1 least favorite place to travel and now it's simply lovely. The city has invested so much into green-ways, cultural initiatives and cool design structures that it's become a really nice place to visit. It's still not my favorite, but it's so much nicer than it used to be.

I hope that all of you are doing well and for those of you who PM'ed me over the last few months, my sincere apologies for my tardiness in replying. Work swept me away as well as some difficult life events. However, I'm back and it's good to catch up with many of you. You're all such an inspiration. Thank you!

__________________
Tmac
Surgeon: Dr. Trace Curry
surgery date: June 1, 2009