9 Month Post-Op (as of July 20 2012)

Current weight: 190
Weight lost in last month: 7 lbs
Total weight lost in 8 months: 130 lbs
Exercise: walking

 

It's been nine months and I feel great. I have recently seen old friends that have not seen me for years and most of them had no idea it was me when they saw me. My weight is one that I have not seen since I was about 12 years old.

 

In my walking I have even started doing a little jogging (down hills are easiest on my knees) and my endurance has really increased. I am walking 3 or 4 times a week and where I am living gives me a lot of good hills (like 8% grades) and beautiful scenery. My normal walk is just over 2 miles and very little of it is flat.

 

I am hoping that my weight loss is about done although when I fired up the blogger and realized I had lost another 7 pounds this month, I am not all together sure I am done yet and even now, (I am writing this on the 31st of July) I am down 2 more pounds.

 

There is not much more to tell you about the procedure or the results other than keeping you up to date on the weight numbers.

 

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask them in the comments and I will add the answers in the next blog.

 

I want to thank everyone for keeping up with this blog.

 

Life is a wild ride, enjoy it!

 

 

8 Months Post-Op

Current weight: 197
Weight lost in last month: 8 lbs
Total weight lost in 8 months: 123 lbs
Exercise: walking and golf

Well it has been eight months since the surgery and I am doing well. My loss has been off and on but I am still dropping weight. I reached my goal of 200# last week and started walking up the road to the restaurant where I work which is about 3/4 mile away but I have to walk up a nice big hill to get there. I am also back into playing golf and walking the course carrying my clubs.

I have become more of a grazer instead of eating meals since I can't eat more than a few bites at a time. I am trying to eat as much protein as I can but I tend to crave starches. I am actually able to eat most of a small 1/2 sandwich like egg or tuna salad but in all honesty I usually just don't feel like eating.

My excess skin issue does not seem to be too bad, at least not bad enough to pay thousands to remove it. and I have gone from a tight size 52 pants to a very comfortable and often loose size 38 and anything over a large shirt just hangs off of me. I will try to have some pics buy my next post.

Down side of the surgery is trying to remember my limits when something really tastes good and frequent diaria (sorry but it is what it is), and loosing some of the sensations of eating good tasting food, it just does not taste the same to me anymore.

The up side? Well it's hard to list all the benefits, clothes fitting, lots of energy and stamina, looking good, feeling good about how I look, increased flexibility, LOW food cost and  well, seeing a weight on the scale I have not seen since I was 13 years old.

I want to thank everyone for following my blog. I hope it has helped someone have the courage to do the same.

I have to go make some Clam Chowder for my friend and his family (I still love to cook) so until next month, take care and make each bite of your food count.

7 Months Post Op

Current Weight: 205lbs

Weight lost in the last month: 8lbs

Total Weight lost: 115lbs

Exercise: packing and moving to Northern  California

A lot has happened in the last month. After my trip to Lewiston CA last month I decided to make the move to work in a friends restaurant so I sold what I could and packed up mostly kitchen equipment to load what I could on a trailer that was too small to drag behind a Jeep that really had seen better days. The trip was a little over 800 miles and I managed to make it without incident other than some pain in my shoulder that just does not want to go away.

As for the weight, after being stable at 215 for nearly a month I started dropping weight again once I got back from vacation and managed to drop another 8 pounds this month. I am very happy with the progress and frankly don't want to lose much more weight  for fear of the excess skin being so bad I will have to have it removed. So far it is something I can live with.

The biggest draw back I have found so far is that what little ass I had before has completely been eliminated. I feel like I am sitting on two sharp posts. I had to run to Wally World again for another round of Jeans and shorts. This time I was down to a size 36 ( I miss typed in the last blog that I was down to a 32, I meant a 38) and I am solidly into a large shirt. I have donated or tossed enough clothes to cover a small 3rd world nation.

I am continuing to drink the protein shots mixed with a little 7-up or water and I am really trying to keep the meats (mostly chicken, fish and shrimp) as the majority of my intake. I can tell I have lost so much muscle it is ridiculous. I will surely have to start some kind of weight training to regain some of that.

Lewiston is a beautiful place in the mountains of Northern California. Everything is green and the weather (to me) is still cold in the morning but warms up nicely in the afternoons. My new exercise will include some hiking I am sure and I don't know how much good fishing will do me but I am really looking forward to visiting some of the half dozen or so lakes around here.

I will try to post mew photos by next month.

Live-Love-Laugh, better words where never spoken.

6 months Post Op

Current weight: 215lbs
Weight lost in the last month: 7lbs
Total weight lost: 105lbs
Exercise: I am finally back on the treadmill
 

Well a lot has happened in the last month. Just after my last post I pulled an Arty Johnson (Laugh In comedy show on his tricycle) and laid a motorcycle on my foot breaking it in two places. This has made exercising very difficult but in the last few days I have been able to get back on the treadmill and get things moving again.

I also took a trip to Northern California to visit some friends where I was offered a lead chefs job in a summer resort town. It was 800 miles one way and I rode my motorcycle so the weight loss really seemed to help somehow. I was not fatigued and I seem to have less wind resistance.

The weight loss was quite a shock for my old friends. They had not seen me in a few years and since I was now down to below my weight at my high school graduation, recognizing me was actually a problem. Even my best friend Dave here in Vegas almost past me right by when he was picking me up at the airport when I returned.

Now that I have made the decision to make the move to CA I am trying to see as many of my friends here in Vegas as I can and many of them ask the same questions: Am I happy and how big have the physiological impacts been?

Yes, I am happy with my weight loss. I feel good, my stamina and energy is high and I can’t tell you how good it feels to have gone from a tight size 52 paints to buying size 32 pants off the rack at Wal-Mart. The physiological impacts have been very difficult at times but I anticipated. I knew that taking something away (like eating) would make me angry and feel frustrated at times. I used to LIVE for the food I would cook. I have really had to embrace my love for cooking for other people’s pleasure.

While the nausea issues have subsided a little, I am very limited on serving sizes and if my food contains rice or a filler product it is half again. The other night I enjoyed 3 pieces out of an 8 piece sushi roll and just had to stop eating.

Because my weight loss has slowed down I think I am close to my final weight and if this is it, I am happy. I don’t even think the loose skin is an issue. I will continue to walk and be as active as possible and we will just see where the weight loss stops. If I had to guess I would say my final weight will be just around 200lbs and that will be a total of 120lbs lost. But I also think it will take another 3 to 4 months to reach that point.

As a final note, I have been congratulated on doing such a great job. What I tell them is that I really have not done anything except just a little walking. The Gastric Sleeve is the true hero. It was the ultimate tool that really gave me NO choice in the weight loss. This particular procedure was the best option for me. There is NO maintenance, unlike the Gastric Band and because I still have a functional (although much smaller) stomach the by-pass was not even an option for me.

I want to thank everyone for their support throughout this life changing process. I hope you know who you are and know that I love each and every one of you. You will always be an important part of my life.

5 months post op

5 months post op.
Current Weight: 222lbs
Total Weight Lost: 98lbs.
Exercise: I have just joined Las Vegas Health Club and planning on going 4 to 6 times a week.
Calorie Intake: still around 500 – 700 a day supplementing with protein drinks

I have gotten to the point of trying to update the blog monthly now and I have reached the 5 month mark. I am so close to making a major goal but I could not put off posting any longer. I am down 98 pounds, only 2 pounds from my 100 pound goal.

I am only 20 pounds from my final goal. I have joined a local health club in hopes of toning up some of the loss skin and regaining a little of the muscle lost in the last 5 months.

I still don’t like eating. I continue to feel nauseous after eating just a couple of bites of nearly anything. It sure keeps me from over eating. Thank God my love for cooking is satisfied by cooking for others.

I am celebrating the weight loss by buying some nice clothes from The Men’s Warehouse. I have to admit, the change is shocking!

Some of the misleading information I got before surgery or at least the things that affected me differently are as follows:

1) “Can’t drink carbonated drinks”. Well, high carbonation is definitely can’t be tolerated but a fountain diet coke or sprite seem to be fine and if you dilute a can of coke with some rum I have no problem with it.

2) “Hunger pains no longer exist”. no, I still get hungry occasionally but just a couple of bites of anything or even some water knocks it right out.

3) “The feel of Nausea will go away in 2 or 3 months”. It’s been 5 and I still feel like crap when I eat but at least that is the only time I feel that way.

Some of the expected things that have happened:

1) “The weight loss will make you feel better”. Yeap, I am feeling good.

2) “It will change your life”. That is for sure, I feel much better about myself.

3) “it will take care of some medical problems”. I am off all my meds for blood pressure and cholesterol
The true love of food is to eat to live, not live to eat and cook to please others.

4 months post op

Current weight: 239
Total weight lost: 81lb
Calories: no idea, somewhere around 600 to 700/day
Exercise: tread mill and kitchen work

Wow, where does the time go? Here is just a little update. The week before last I spent at the King of the Hammers Race in So. California. I managed to hike my ass off but the drinking I did made up for any weight I would have lost so that was a "0" week.

This week however I seem to be back on track and down to a weight I have not seen in about 24 years. I still have issues with the nausea as soon as I have ANYTHING to eat but it sure works to loose weight. I also am looking more like a wrinkly dog day by day. Small price to pay though.

I am able to play at least a couple hours of tennis without massive coronary pain and I managed to hike this dessert and trails without much problem at all last week.

Clothes are still an issue as well. I just bought a pair of jean a couple of weeks ago and worn them 4 times now and they seem too big. I am easily down to an XL from a 3X size and still dropping.

I plan on having blood work done soon to make sure all my numbers are ok and I will post results.

Working the kitchen is definitely a problem in that I can hardly stand to taste some of the food and I am already full by the time the food is finished. It is very frustrating when you manage to make a great meal and you are literally done in 2 bites.

Here is to eating off of other people's plate.

14 Weeks Post Op

Weight 246
Average calorie intake still around 5 – 600 per day
Exercise: now working the bar 4 to 5 days a week and occasionally walking and tennis
Weight loss in the last 2 ½ weeks: 12lbs
Total weight loss: 74lbs in 14 ½ weeks

Sorry for missing out on the last two weeks of posting. A lot has been happening. Week 12 was a bust, I lost nothing and caught a cold. The following week I got back on track and I still seem to be dropping the weight.

I am doing a lot more working at the bar as of last week and that comes in handy as I was
laid off from my drafting job last Friday. The bar keeps me hopping and it is a pretty good 8 hour workout.

I am still having the sick to my stomach feeling when I eat and I really hate it but it sure does keep me from over eating. I also find myself unable to drink the protein drinks anymore. The taste just turns my stomach. Fish seems to be the protein I tolerate best, and fruit smoothies go down easy and I will likely try to add some protein to those instead of the drinks.

Note of interest, I have dropped from a pants size 52 to a 44in. I am really looking forward to shopping anywhere right off the rack. In most cases I am down to an XL size in shirts and sweats.

Other than living on 2 or 3 bites of food at a time, I really have not had much in the way of limitations. The Doctors office said I would not be able to drink any carbonated drinks but I found that when mixed with rum or vodka the carbonation has little effect. They also recommended not having alcohol but I still seem to be dropping weight at a satisfying rate so I think I am ok with it.

I do seem to be experiencing some of the baggy skin issues but I don’t look like a Sharpe dog yet but another 40lbs might change that. Wow, another 40lbs and I will be knocking on a door I have not seen since I was 14 years old.

I will be off doing a lot of hiking next week during a photo shoot so I will post up when
I get back in a week or so. Until then, “Eat to live, don’t live to Eat”.

12 weeks post op

Weight: 258
Average
calorie intake: below 600 per day
Average
exercise: treadmill 15 to 30 min per day and a general workout 20 min 3 times a
week or tennis
Weight loss
in the last week: 0 lbs
Total weight
lost: 62lbs in 12 weeks

Nothing lost
this week folks; I have held a pound either side of 258 for the whole week. I
have started playing tennis again and still using the treadmill so I am
guessing my body is just getting used to the increased activity.

Other than
the queasiness is still around there is not much more to report for this week.

Have a great
week everyone. I will try to give you more next week.

11 weeks post op

Weight: 258
Average calorie intake: below 600 per day
Average exercise: treadmill 15 to 30 min per day and a general workout 20 min 3 times a week
Weight loss in the last week: 5lbs
Total weight lost: 62lbs in 11 weeks

The holidays are behind us and I hope everyone had a great New Year’s Eve. Mine was spend working the bar Saturday night till midnight and then back at 8am Sunday morning so I stayed busy but still had a good time.

I did take the time to clean out the refrigerator from the holidays, wow there was a lot of food left over. Unfortunately, I have been feeling queasy again, yesterday was the worst in a long time. EVERYTHING I ate made me feel bad and I just stayed feeling bad. During these times slushy drinks tend to be the best thing I can take in, and melted cheese and starchy things seem to be the worst.

I have been doing some reflection and find myself just not liking food much anymore. Yes I can have anything I want in small quantities I just find myself NOT wanting anything except maybe coffee and ice water. This is really taking a tool on my desire to cook. I really have to focus on my desire to please others with my food instead of any gratification the food itself would bring me personally.

I can really feel the weight though, I already feel skinny although I know I am not even close to that yet. My clothing options are now limited to newly purchased sweat pants and t-shirts. Even my jackets that were once on the tight side are just hanging bags over my shoulders. Luckily, my beautiful daughters (who have just turned 21 TODAY) bought me a hoody and had “Big Sexy” printed on it for Christmas and it was smaller than anything else I had so it still (for now) fits.

I have kicked up my exercising in the last week and it really feels good. I am hoping to minimize the skin bagginess and tone those old muscles. I am using the treadmill at a minimum of 3mph and 3% slope and going to a 4mph jog or increasing to 7% slope for heart rate and I am usually doing 20 to 30 minutes now daily. I have also started using the gym at the apartments. I am using the universal gym trying to work mostly upper body with reps instead of heavier weights. All I want to do is tone not build mass. I am also using the sauna, it may not be doing much but it feels great.

Playing sports is next. A friend of mine wants to start playing tennis and I am already itching to get back on the golf course. My plan is to do one or the other at least each Saturday.

It is time for me to get serious about this people. My new year’s resolution is to become fit not just lose weight.

Thanks for following my progress.

10 weeks post op

Weight: 263
Average calorie intake: Still not keeping track
Average exercise: using the treadmill from 15 to 30 minutes a day (3 to 3.5mph and 2 to 7% incline)
Weight loss in last 2 weeks: 7lbs
Total weight loss: 57lbs in 10 weeks

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I had family in town and my present to them was 4 days of the best food I could prepare. Rack of lamb, a shrimp boil, duck, a chicken wrapped pork wellington and even biscuits and gravy.

Through all of it I was able to have my couple of bites and stop. I did finally reach the point of disappointment though, having all that great food on the table and totally unable to enjoy more made me just a little envious but knowing I was half way to my goal made things a LOT easier.

I don’t feel that sick to my stomach feeling as much these days and I have really learned to just have a couple of bites of something and not always try to eat my 4 ounces. I found that stringy meats are not good to eat, I made a beef brisket that just did not feel good after eating it but the rack of lamb was easy to eat. It helps to take small bites of medium rare meat and chew well.

I have also noticed that ice cream and sorbet goes down well. I made a cinnamon pumpkin pie ice cream to go with an apple crisp and it was a great treat. Fruit smoothies are easy to eat as well and God knows I can use the fiber. I also found that I can eat FiberPlus cereal for breakfast every day to get more fiber and even having milk with it does not hurt my stomach.

I have stepped up the exercise and started using the treadmill every day now and I can really feel the difference the weight loss has made. I am doing 15 to 30 minutes a day and even did some jogging. I usually do about 3.5mph and 3% incline but I get up to 7% and even make 5mph in a fast jog. I am confident that continued use will help get over these no loss days I tend to hit.

I also can see some of the saggy skin that I have been hoping would not show up. Under my arms, and around my chest and even my legs seem to be the worst places. I have bumped up my protein intake (I have been slacking there) and I hope it will help. Otherwise I may have to consider a frickin body lift after I lose another 50lbs.

To people considering the surgery, I can tell you that it is a great tool for me. I made the decision prior to my surgery that I would no longer live to eat and that food would just be something I USED to enjoy. I am very fortunate that I enjoy cooking for other reasons than eating. This is a life changing event: one that tests your patients as well as your will power. It often makes me feel like shit but I know I am headed in the right direction. The choice to have it done is your own and don’t do it for anyone else but yourself.

I hope to see everyone on the other side of 60lbs next week.

2 Months post-op

Weight 270
Average daily calorie intake: still no idea but not much
Average exercise: occasional walking and 4hrs of kitchen duty a day
Weight loss in last week: 5lbs
Total weight loss: 50lbs in 8 weeks

This has been an interesting week (and not in a good way). Last Saturday I spent the day with some type of intestinal bug that dehydrated me badly. Then over the first part of the week I hit a plateau and then dropped a little more yesterday but over all I am down 5 from last Friday and have reached the big 50# mark.

I don’t think I have seen this weight in 20 years and at this weight there are a few other things I have not seen in 20 years……. No, my feet get your mind out of the gutter! But you know things
always grow better when they are not kept in the shade.

Today also happens to be my LAST day at Le Cordon Bleu. I have finished my classes and now just have to do a 12 week externship (work and get graded for it) before they will have me a diploma. I have gotten the bar I used to work at to allow me to do it there. They are accommodating when it comes to working around my other full time work so this should work out at least for the next 12 weeks. I start Sunday morning back to making biscuits
and gravy for all my stripper friends.

I am looking forward to having some free time to be able to start some type of workout plan. I am starting to see a lot of areas that need toning to minimize the need for removing excess skin.
You know they always end up using cadaver skin for burn victims. Why don’t they work out something to use our (recent weight loss patients) skin instead? Just pay for the procedure and I will give you mine! I can see it now, “The National Bank of Excess Skin” I am not just
the president but I am a member too……

I still can’t eat anything without feeling like puking, small price to pay I guess. I just had a beer battered Tilapia and after 3 bites just could not handle any more. The best way to eat seems to be
ask a friend to lunch (Dave) by telling they you will buy them lunch if you can eat off their plate. At least I got value out of that meal. Ninety percent of the fish I just paid $10 for got trashed afterward.

Next week most of my family is headed to my place for Christmas. So far I am planning dinners like duck a l’orange and rack of lamb and I will eat my fill with a taste of this and a taste of that making sure everything is done just right. It sucks to be related to me. We never eat
anything good.

So until next week, here’s watching you eat.

Seven weeks Post Op

Weight 275
Average daily calorie intake: still no idea but not much
Average exercise: occasional walking and 4hrs of kitchen duty a day
Weight loss in last week: 3.6lbs
Total weight loss: 45lbs in 7 weeks

Well this week started out flat. I was not losing anything in
fact I gained a couple of pounds but by the end of the week I was back to
loosing.

I would have posted yesterday but I picked up some type of
intestinal bug that really laid me out for the day. I missed work and class but
today (Saturday) I am feeling much better.

This morning I tried something new for breakfast. In the past I had eaten Fiber Plus cereal to up my daily fiber intake but after the operation I was reluctant to try it because of the milk added to it but I had a half of a cup of cereal with milk and had no problems. This is great because that is the one thing you just don’t get is fiber.

My problem with over eating seem to be fading, I simply don’t eat more than a couple of bites of something. I also don’t seem to have the issues related to carbonated drinks as bad as I was told to expect. Root beer seems to be the worst one to drink. Ginger Ale, 7-up and even sparkling wine
seem to be ok in moderation.

Not much more to report this week. Finals for Le Cordon Bleu are next week and then I will be working at the old bar I used to work “The Hammer” on occasion for my externship. This should really free me up to start my exercising.

Have a good week

Six weeks Post Op

Weight 279.4
Average daily calorie intake: still no idea but not much
Average exercise: occasional walking and 4hrs of kitchen duty a day
Weight loss in last 2 weeks: 6.6lbs (out of town last week)
Total weight loss: 40.4lbs in 6 weeks

I managed to make it through thanksgiving without over eating. In fact I had two bites of
turkey, one bite of sweet potato and one green bean and I am NOT exaggerating.

I had my five week doctors follow up this week and he said things were looking good. I asked
about the nausea I seem to feel these days when it comes time to eat and he said it was not unusual and that patients who felt this usually got over the feeling in the first 4 to 5 months after surgery. He also said that the 2 or 3 ounces of food capacity I have will likely expand to 5 or so ounces in the future, He also said that my weight progress was good.

The best part is that I stopped taking my blood pressure meds a couple of weeks ago and when checked at the doctors I was 135/63, yippee!

The last couple of days I really have been feeling nauseous though. It is a pretty crappy feeling. It is kind of like being on the edge of being sick without really being sick; we’ll call it pre-puke sick….. and it just stays there on the edge. I say get sick or get over it damn it!

Interestingly, I do not feel a lack of energy. I am not getting tired at work (bored maybe) and I breeze right through class at night (2 more weeks of culinary classes people!). I have decided that because I will have a significant bock of time become free in two weeks I will start a daily regimen of exercise which will include 6 days of tread mill and 3 days in the apartment workout room. I am starting to see the excess skin and need to really concentrate on firming up. This should also
help drop a few more pounds the right way.

Have a good
week everyone.

1 Month Post Op

Weight 286 (as of last Friday)
Average daily calorie intake: no idea
Average exercise: Still waiting tables and walking at lunch
Weight loss this week: 6.4lbs
Total weight loss: 34lbs in 1 month

End of my first month…. I am feeling good about the weight loss. I am down 34lbs and I can really feel if just walking around and I lovethe way my clothes are starting to really get loose. I apologize for the late posting. Last Friday was a little hectic and I fly out tonight for Thanksgiving
weekend.

My only issues have been the feeling I get when I eat. It has become something I just don’t like to do really. The feeling many times is a little nausea at the thought of eating. I will get a few bits down and just can’t bring myself to eat more. I am trying to keep the protein up but I have been out and about all week as my company decided (for monetary reasons) to have everyone take the week off (unpaid). I am not sure what if anything I have accomplished during the last 2 days off but it has been a nice break.

I did go by the bar I used to work at and they said I could do my externship there for Le Cordon Bleu so I will be putting in a few hours a week there starting mid-December. My morning coffee still seems to be the one thing I really enjoy, although I have found that I can drink sparkling wine (slowly) without issue.

The holidays will be filled with cooking I am sure but I have no reason to think I will do much over eating. I’ll tell you what; this surgery is one hell of a tool for weight loss. I can deal with the side effects. I really don’t have much to add for the week.

I hope everyone has a great holiday.

End of week 3 Post Op

Weight 292.4
Average daily calorie intake: around 650
Average exercise: none (school has me waiting tables 5 hrs a night now no time except weekends)
Weight loss this week: 4.2lbsTotal
Total weight loss: 27.6lbs in 21 days

I am three weeks into my new eating lift style. I have learned that when they tell you NOT to drink ANYTHING 20minutes before eating, NO drinking with meal and NO drinking 30 minutes after meal it is not a joke.

The fluid that would normally go through seems to be stuck with the food and increases the volume exponentially. If I do it correctly, I can eat 1/2 of a fillet o fish sandwich. If I mess up and eat too soon after drinking anything, 2 oz. can top the tank and just want to make you .... well you get the idea.

Last week I had 3 days of no weight loss; followed by a weekend of camping (and drinking) so I was afraid I would have a disappointing week but still managed to hit my 4lbs average. However, I did find that alcohol and it’s befits seem to be totally wasted on my now. The weight loss center warned that alcohol consumption might lead to faster intoxication as well as a stagnation of weight loss. I found neither to be true. In fact, the effects of the alcohol was nearly unnoticeable except for the fact that when I ate food I bloated like an over filled father’s day mylar balloon.

(NOTE TO SELF: self, don’t waste your money buying alcohol anymore).

The holidays are approaching and I feel confident that the will come and go without a mental collapse regarding food. I now seem to be able to eat anything I want as long as I follow the liquid rules and keep my portions to about ½ cup or less at a time and make most everything I eat a protein.

Confession: I had a tablespoon (literally) of ice cream last night, wow what a treat… but I was satisfied.

2 Week check in:

Here are my totals 2 weeks post-op:

Weight 296.6
Average daily calorie intake: around 800
Average exercise: 30 min walking (every couple of days)
Weight loss this week: 4.0lbs
Total weight loss: 23.4lbs in 14 days

Well I have had good days and not so good days trying to find out what constitutes a meal for me. Because I have pushed my rehab I have been eating soft foods for most of the last week and finding that some things a best left alone or at least limited to just a couple of bites.

I had Chinese shrimp dumplings (3 of a typical order of 10)and some broth last Friday night and really got a good lesson in what not to combine. The dumplings began to dissolve and expand in my MUCH smaller stomach due to the amount of broth I had consumed with the dumplings. The outcome was less than stellar. I felt like a diet cock bottle in to which someone had just put a Mentos candy. If you are unfamiliar with the reaction check it out on YouTube. I manage to keep a lid on this reaction (for the most part) but really paid the price.

The second time this happened was eating fish tacos (fish being breaded) and drinking water with it; again, not a good outcome. I also found that my 4oz stomach was quite a bit smaller in volume than expected. I am finding that 2 or 2 ½ oz at a time of solid food seems to do well. It could simply be from residual swelling but the fact remains that I am eating LESS than 4oz at a time. It is also important to note that drinking with or immediately after and meal is bad juju.

I was out of class on Monday, Tuesday the other half of the class did their practical, Wednesday I did my practical and Friday was end of block clean up and written final so I really only had to eat at school for one night. However, that one night I was given a rack of lamb and a cart full of starch and vegies and came up with: a roasted Rack of Lamb split on to 4 identical plates with a country style roasted potatoes, red and yellow bell peppers and mushrooms served with a mint infused apple juice glaze and garnished with a birds nest of fried onions all in an hour…… Damn I am good…..

YES, I ate 3 bites of lamb with sauce, no water and I did fine.

When I got home (an hour later) I even did a little desert which 2oz was orange jello I had made last week using Sunny Delight instead of water then froze into a sorbet because it would not jell well with just OJ.

Overall it has been a good week with a steep learning curve. Coffee and stool softeners are still my good friends and I have high hopes of breaking 290# by thanksgiving.

I am going camping for the weekend, wish me luck…

7 Days Post Op

The week has finally ended and I wanted to bring everyone up to date by adding to where I left off Monday at the creation of this Blog.

Weight 300.6
Average daily calorie intake: around 900
Average excersize: 30 min walking
Total weight loss: 19.4lbs in 7 days

I will spare you the tedious diet and sup it up by saying that I am living off of protien shakes and protien shots. My extravegances are my morning coffee and the occational pusing of the "pureed food" groups while trying to get enough liquids in me to stay off dehydration. I am also taking a multivitimin and a good old stool softener until I can get some fiber into my diet.

I had to make one pork and one beef dish the other night at school using grass feed products and of course I had to see if I could notice the difference in that and corn feed. I am not sure if the difference was the grass fed, the fact that I am a crazy good cook or that I had not had anything substancial for 5 days but damn it was good.

I had a cube of steak (grilled to a perfect medium rear with just salt and pepper) that was about 1/4" and about 5 of the same size bites of pork cutlet (standard breading with panko at the end and sauteed over a mushroom sauce) that was done to perfection. I made sure to chew the food until you could have sucked it through a cocktail straw and only had a little irritation with it. The 1 or 2 minutes after swallowing seem to be the most issue I have with anything and that is more of a discomfort than anything to worry about.

Those of you who already know me also know that I am not one for following recuperative orders very well. I have broken screws in my leg to prove that.

OK, so I am occasionally pushing the bonds of good judgment but I am doing it responsibly and having no problems with loosing (vomiting) my efforts. trying to stay with soups I took a pizza sauce that was made in class and made it into a cream of tomato soup that came out rather good.

I have also picked up a GREAT deal on a top of the line treadmill and walking about :30 a day. No, I did not lift it myself (doctors orders) I used my favorite exterior muscle power Dave and Judd, thanks guys.

I seem to find more and more people know others close to them who have had some type of gastric procedure. It is a wonderful tool that CAN (not will) help force you into a more healthy way of eating. I would say this would be very hard for people who crave certain foods. If you are addicted to daily doses of ice cream, this is going to be VERY hard on you.

Over the last couple of months I really tried to analyze how, what and how much I was eating. The conclusion was that I was eating much more than I really needed or even wanted. I ate it because in was there. Even if I made it myself; the question became; Well when will I have the chance to make this again? The first few bites where great but then I ate it mindlessly. I hope the way I raised my kids will help them; I allow them to eat when they where hungry, I tried to expose them to all types of food, I TRIED to minimize their fast food intake, and I tried to teach them something about cooking. I wish that I had know as much about cooking 15 years ago as I do now so I could have done better at that.

Bottom line for the week..... I am feeling pretty good, very few issues, I get hungry but when a 1/2 cup of jello can actually satisfy those hungers, I am learning my limits. Here is to another week of
soups and jello. This next week is finals week and will only have to cook a rack of lamb with a vegetable and starch in class, lamb is a puree, right?

From now on I will simply give you a week by week Blog entry on Fridays.

Happy Halloween everyone.

4 days post op

I tried to start this blog a couple of days ago with no luck but all you missed was liquid and 13lbs. Yes, since last Thursday I have lost 13 pounds. It feels really good to get into that shirt that has been hanging in the closet for the last 3 years just waiting for a sugnificant weight loss.

Back story:

Thursday, Ocober 20th, 2011 I went in for the Gastric Sleeve proceedure performed by Dr. James Akenson here in Las Vegas at North Vista Hospital. My out of pocket costs with good insurance was $550.00

Day of surgery (10/20/11):
Weight: 320 pounds
Height: 5'11"
BMI: 43


I was pretty drugged up until about 10pm Friday night but by then I was taking water and walking laps around the hosital wing. I did about 30 laps by the time I was checked out around noon on Friday and ended up going to a friends first opening with their food trailer. No, I did not get to eat but I was there for moral support.

Saturday (10/22/11)
Weight: 313 pounds

I kept mostly to liquids like Ensure Protein Shakes and I found ISOPure punch drinks at GNC that had 40g of protein.

I also tried making my Cream of Carrot soup and messed it up by adding Whey Protein while it was still too hot. I looked like scrambled eggs in cheese cauce and did not taste very good.

Sunday (10/23/11)
Weight: 309 pounds
Went to meet friends for breakfast and had a poached egg along with my Ensure. I had a Protein Energy Shot (2.5oz of punch flavored juice and 26g of Protein) for lunch and made Vegitarian French Onion Soup (vegitable broth instead of beef broth) for dinner.

Monday (10/24/11)
Weight: 307 pounds
I started filling out my Calory King program to really track this. By the time I got off from work and headed to my colinary classes I had had the following:
1 Ensure
2 cups of coffee with sweetner and coffeemate
1/2 bottle of ISOPure
1 Protein Shot
and walked for 15 minutes durng lunch time

By 5pm I was at 357 calories, 4.1g of fat, 3.0g of fiber, 424mg of sodium, 38.5g of carbs and 71.6g of protein.

My daily goals are:
90g of carbs, 105g of protein, 1,200 calories, 30g of fiber and 1,500mg of sodium