A tale from 2008 to now
I had this posted to an older blog I had, which I not longer have. I save this one article because it meant something to me at the time.
Losing a small person
December 17, 2008
So here is my tale of my weight loss and eating habits / lifestyle changes.
So here goes. Back in June I went to the doctors because I was really sick, hacking up a lung and couldn’t breathe. This is usually the only time you’ll see me at the doctor’s is when i’m this sick. So they have me step on the scale, not something I relly was looking forward to, weighing in at whopping 350 pounds. Yikes to say the least. So the good news continued to roll when they took my blood pressure, 176/132 – nearly stroke level. Damn. So even though I could drop dead just walking out the door, they do let me leave but with some meds in tow and a follow-up two weeks later.
Two weeks later my blood pressure didn’t really move too much and two of the doctors have a conversation with me about my weight and really start pushing the gastric bypass surgery. At one point during the conversation, one of the doctors said that I had the real possibility of not making past 40. The hits just keep coming. While I was there we readjusted my bp meds. As a follow-up, I went to a class about the surgery. What an experience.
Now I realize that at that weight, I’m not a small guy, but just walking in, I felt like a little person in a land of giants. There was so many fat people in the room (including me) that I’m surprised the building didn’t suffer structural damage, seriously. Beth and I both sat through the whole two hour class and actually watched the surgery, kinda gross. The whole event was really eye opening with lots of interesting facts, both good and bad.
After stewing about the meeting for a few days, I came to realize that I could do this on my own, even though the numbers say otherwise. Only 5% of people who try and lose their excess weight actually do. While I realize that I’ll never be skinny, I can make every effort to be healthier.
I made a choice to be a healthier eater, watch my portions, eliminate sugar, and generally stop eating crap. So here I am, six months later at 289 pounds, which means I’ve lost an official 61 pounds. Very cool. I’ve dropped 4 pants sizes and two shirt sizes but what’s better is how much better I feel. I ride our stationary bike as much as I can, at least 6 miles with varying levels of tension. My bp has dropped butI’m probably not going to be off the meds for a bit. The more I lose, the better chance I have of getting off of them, only time will tell.
In the end, I’m still going to eat what I want (mostly – can’t do anything super sweet anymore) just not nearly as much as I did before. At this point, if I don’t lose another pound I’ll still be happy. Beth and the kids have been great during this whole thing and couldn’t have done this without them (thanks guys).
Later (from the not so Big daddy anymore)
———————-
I ended up losing 80 pounds in that endeavor. thing is, I set myself up. I ate the same crap all the time, and did the same exercises all the time. The monotony of it all weighed heavy and it really wasn’t sustainable. Over the next 2+ years, I gained back 60 pounds. I ended up in the 5% - #$@&.
I was back to where I started, and I continued with every excuse in the book not to start back up again. It finally hit me (again) that this has to change when we were in Florida in December. I really hated that I have to worry about my size. When we got back I started again, but I made some changes. I started tracking what I’m eating. The iPhone and website makes it easier for me to understand what is in the food I’m eating. I can concentrate on not just what I ate, but how much.
Without much real exercise, I lost 12 pounds (with Christmas and new years in between). This week I started with a personal trainer, someone to motivate and push me, because there are times I need it. I’m not going crazy, only going twice a week.
Now more than ever realize what everything is moderation means. Today in my office is cake day - one day every month we get cake and ice cream to celebrate birthdays that month. Last year, cake day meant a mammoth piece of cake and a 9oz cup of ice cream (tightly packed). Today means a very small piece of cake - no frosting - and a small amount of ice cream (so 270 calories versus 1000). I’m not going to deny myself, but I can limit myself.
Food is and will always be my achilles heal, a battle I will always have to fight.
