Loser!

Haha, I'm a loser. Down to 348.2 now. I'm under 350 lbs for the first time in probably a decade. Maybe not quite a decade, but close.

I've been working out every other day, alternating between cardio and weights as I have probably mentioned in previous posts and it seems to be working out rather well. I plan to start adding a day or two a week to this rotation. Probably just a day at first. I'm not feeling exhausted the next day and I would like to see what it would be like if I did cardio-weight-cardio or weight-cardio-weight 3 days in a row. If I do that, and I'm not tired, then I don't know what to do.

My blood sugar numbers are also excellent. Around 110 in the mornings before I eat. Given that when I started I was around or above 150 in the mornings before I ate, this is a huge improvement. I get my A1C checked around mid-october and hopefully the number will be as excellent.

Not much else to report. Still no job, still taking care of my son. He's almost one now (less than a month away). He can still be a handful, and given that I am still having problems sleeping at night, when the wife leaves for work before 11am (which is pretty much a given anymore) I have to fight him to keep him resting with me (or at least stay passive while I do it). I've tried getting up earlier, but it doesn't help me fall asleep. I currently take the sleeping agent in Tylenol PM (without the tylenol of course). It helps, but it still takes a while to work, which is kinda sad given that I was under the impression that medications, in addition to alcohol and sugars and similar, would have a very quick effect on my body as they would enter my small intestine quickly. Hopefully I can resume my old sleeping medication (trazadone) when I go in for my checkup when I get my A1C checked. That stuff would work much more quickly, and it was much more effective as well (of course, it is prescription). We shall see though, maybe there is another drug out there that isn't trazadone as I stopped it last time because of nightmares.

At any rate - weight report below!

Last weight: 350.2
Current weight: 348.2
Weight Lost: 2.0 lbs
Total Weight Lost Since Coming Home: 33.8 lbs
Total Weight Lost Since August 3rd: 53.8 lbs

Back Pain

I suffer from a degenerative and herniated disk in L4 and L5 of my lower back. I also tend to (somehow) strengthen one leg over the other to a point that it pulls my lower back slightly out of alignment (at least this was the case years ago when they diagnosed me). All of this means that at some points in time, I suffer from pretty extreme back pain. Sometimes it is mild though. Right now I have back pain, and my chest pain is flaring up a little bit. So, I'm at a loss. I think the chest pain is due to inflammation of some sort (or perhaps from heartburn?). And my lower back pain is definitely due to that. So it should be easy to correct for me. I used to be on naproxen 500mg twice a day. Only problem is that it is a NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug) and NSAIDs can wreak havoc on your stomach. As I already have a pretty sensitive stomach due to the recent remodeling down there I have been told that NSAIDs are not allowed.

So what to do? The tylenol doesn't do anything but dull the pain a little, so I've taken one of my stronger pain killers to help, but I decided not to work out today. I've been good about it, but I'll go tomorrow evening, and we'll see if my wife and son can't come with me (as family night is always fun). I never get quite the exercise in the pool that I get in the gym because I'm self conscious about my swimming and I'm not 100% comfortable with the exercises they've given me yet. Perhaps I should go to the clinic they're having for swimming and kick turning. That way I can do really well in either place and give my back a break from time to time.

I think it is the running, it is really hard on my back. But, I don't care. It is important to me to be able to see the progress in both my stamina and my speed, as while it is not a measurement of my physical condition on its own, it is a point that I can use to determine if I am improving or staying the same. I was also always so slow when I was younger. After being in sports until around 4th grade (and then not having any sports to play as my parents couldn't afford it) I lost my ability quite a bit. In junior high I remember struggling to run a mile. In high school it would kill me to do the "10 minute runs" and all that for wrestling. I remember in junior high we had to run a ways to the field and I just couldn't do it and had to quit, which really killed my desire to be in football for years to come. But no matter the case, being able to run a decent distance - and at a decent speed - is very important. It is something that I want to regain no matter what. So even if I have some pain from it, and need to take pain killers to deal with that pain - I would rather that than no progress in speed and stamina. Right now I can run at 6.5 mph and get a mile in (as I said in previous posts) in about 16:45. I want to improve that. I want to be able to do a mile in 10 minutes or less.

On a side note, I ate Steak N Shake last night. The wife had a huge craving (has had one for a while I guess) and I've really been dying for their chili. Well, let me tell you - the chili is a bad idea >.< The fat content that I could find was rather high, actually VERY high. But it was pretty high in protein. I'm glad that I had baked beans to fall back on as well. I ate those first, and while pretty high in calories - only 1 gram of fat and a lot of protein (and not much in the way of sugars). So that was good. In addition, I was looking up nutritional information, and the chili from Wendy's is actually pretty decent. It isn't a "eat all the time" thing - but it is definitely better than a lot of other options. And I found out that you can actually "build your meal" on www.wendys.com - so you know (about) what you are eating when you go and order something, rather than having to add it all up yourself. It even lets you personalize some of it. While Wendy's isn't a "healthy place to eat" it seems that they are taking strides to help people make better choices - which I fully support.

Finally, I lost a little more weight. Which is great! I only have .2 more pounds till I drop below 350!

Last weight: 351.4
Current weight: 350.2
Weight Lost: 1.2 lbs
Total Weight Lost Since Coming Home: 31.8 lbs

Fun times with weights

I did weight lifting last night and then sat in the steam room. It was very nice. I also did some cardio. When I got on the scale last night (not an official weight, but whatever) it was 350.something - this morning it was 351.4 - which is great. I'm definitely seeing some tone come back to me, but not a whole lot. But whatever. I did two sets last night and feel pretty okay today. Nothing like the first workout.

Also, with the wight loss for today, I have broken 30 lbs lost since coming home. I have lost a total of about 51 lbs since my starting weight of about 402 on August 3rd.

Last weight: 353.2
Current weight: 351.4
Weight Lost: 1.8 lbs
Total Weight Lost Since Coming Home: 30.6 lbs

16:45

When I first aimed for a mile, it was under 20 min (which I barely got) the next time was just to push myself. Got it around 18 min. Now I'm down to 16:45. I was able to run at 6mph on a treadmill. Again, not a feat of strength for any normal person - but for me, and for someone still weighing over 350 lbs, I'd say it is pretty impressive. Granted, I can only sustain that speed for about a minute, and my heart rate skyrockets, but I can do it.

I haven't weighted myself yet today, but I'll try and do that and get a report in. I can tell I'm losing weight and toning up - other than the numbers - because clothes that were tighter even when I got home are now starting to fit loosely. One thing I don't like is I'm getting some folds in my skin where now that my skin isn't being fully stretched it has room to fold and whatnot. Kinda annoying, but hopefully over time it'll go away. Another way I can tell that I've lost weight is that I can see my toes. No, I don't mean over my belly, I have always been able to look down and see my toes. I mean my toes used to be pretty much sraight. Now there is definition between part of my toe and the area around the nail (the pad). It probably sounds really confusing, but my toes are losing weight too, lol.

And I mentioned greek yogurt the other day, I've found that Yoplait greek (blueberry and honey vanilla, I don't like the strawberry) are pretty good, but for people used to regular yogurt (such as myself) it needs about a half a tbs of splenda to make it close to what you're used to. The Dannon vanilla yogurt (not vanilla honey) is actually a little sweeter than other brands I've tried and again, with a 1/2 tsb of splenda it is really good. One thing I would like to mention is that Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt. The major difference (and why it has so much more protein) is that they strain out just the "yogurt" and separate the watery milk out. Many people compare it to a sour cream consistency. My son likes it (surprisingly) and I do as well, but if you try it be prepared for a different consistency. I also recommend going with a fat free version simply because it is healthier for you. And as always, regular yogurt isn't a bad choice - it is still a good one. Greek yogurt just has more protein, and for people like me who need to work hard to get all of their daily protein it is a big help to double the protein in breakfast.

Last weight: 354.4
Current weight: 353.2
Weight Lost: 1.2 lbs
Total Weight Lost Since Coming Home: 28.8 lbs

A quarter of the way there

My mother-in-law talked to me briefly the other day, and brought up a good point. I am a quarter of the way there. Well, technically 20%ish. But no matter the case, I'm quite on my way. My goal (personally) is to get to a healthy BMI and basically not have any risk factors or out of the normal range numbers when taking blood tests. This would put me around 180-200 lbs (well, maybe a little less). But no matter the case, I'm well on my way there. Oh, and only 10 more days and i can start eating food again. Like, REAL food. Well, sorta, still needs to be soft, but it is better than the "full liquids" I was on before, and better than having to puree everything and anything I want to eat.

Last weight: 355.0
Current weight: 354.4
Weight Lost: .6 lbs
Total Weight Lost Since Coming Home: 27.6 lbs

One month later

It has been exactly 1 month since the surgery. Pain is almost completely gone (a few things here and there) the chest pain has pretty much gone away, and I have lost a significant amount of weight. My blood sugars are much, much lower than they were a month ago, my diet has progressed very well (only a few problems here and there) and overall I am very pleased I went through the surgery. It isn't easy, by any means, but it is definitely something I do not regret doing.

It is almost unreal. I can't even tell (other than the quantity I can handle, and the pain I sometimes get) that my body has been rearranged. I can't tell that my stomach has been cut and reattached to my intestine. I feel better than I have in years, and I probably owe that to the fact that my sugars are starting to fall in line, I'm taking my vitamins to prevent severe deficiencies and in general, my body is getting in better shape. It is also incredibly nice to see pound after pound come off my body. Never before in my life could I have had success like this. I would have either reverted to my old ways by now or I would have simply hit snag in the weight loss. Even as a wrestler in high school I couldn't lose weight when I wanted to. I would eat less, work out harder and try my best to lose weight. I remember one season I actually gained maybe 10 lbs, and yet I watched what I ate each day in an attempt to make weight.

I am able to wear clothes that I could not. I'm currently in a pair of khaki shorts that I don't even remember where I got them, but they are mine - and they fit. My shirts that used to need to be stretched as I put them on so they would fit reasonably now - without any stretching - fit loosely. My shorts that I had basically worn day in and day out for years (they were the only ones that fit comfortably) now are my gym shorts (as they should have been in the first place). They're loose and I can't have much in my pockets for fear of them falling down.

My appetite is so different I can barely explain it. About the only times I seem to get hungry are when my sugars are going out of whack. Other than that I basically don't get hungry. I have to remind myself to eat, otherwise I won't. My only real drive to eat is to make sure that I get my 75 grams of protein in a day. Before the surgery I'd want to eat and eat and eat. Sometimes to the point that I felt stupidly full. Now not only can I not do that, but I have no drive to do that.

My diet improves (beyond the puree stage) in just a couple weeks (October 1st). With the introduction of soft foods I'll be able to get more protein and calories, but that will also present the challenge of continuing to lose weight. Either way, though, I'll enjoy being able to eat things again rather than having to spend an hour every couple of days preparing beans, tuna and other things for me to eat. Which has probably been one of the biggest annoyances (other than the texture). We shall see starting Oct 1st how my body does with the soft foods. Even now sometimes the pureed foods make my stomach hurt something fierce, and is usually a sign that I didn't eat slowly enough or that I needed to mush it around with more saliva (eat slower). Still no chewing, but hey - at least I get to enjoy my food, right?

Medications interact differently as well. They tend to go into effect quicker and have more of an oomph, but to some degree do not last as long. I'm sure this is due mostly to the fact that as soon as they hit my intestine they are rapidly absorbed, though I have no idea if this is the case. It could also be my low calorie diet. Either way, it is certainly something that takes getting used to.

Looking forward, I am happy to think that within a year I'll probably be close to where I want to be. I do have some worries - such as how much hanging skin I'll have, will I lose too much weight, and will there be any future complications that are not apparent now. But, I know that all of those things can be dealt with. What I know couldn't have been dealt with was the complications that were going to soon start piling up due to my weight. I'll be 30 next year. Hopefully I'll be a healthy 30 year old looking at the next 30 years of my life to be better than the last (not that they haven't been good).

And my wife has been incredibly supportive of me this past month. Sometimes more than others, sure - but she has been supportive. She too has started to work out more and has taken an interest in losing weight. While her weight loss will be slower than mine (for obvious reasons) she is still interested in making sure that she supports me both with helping me with my struggles and trying to take part in what I do as well.

Oh, and if anyone wants to pay 78 bucks a month so she can work out with me, let me know, lol. Otherwise she's stuck with the Wii fit and our apartment complex's "fitness center". Too bad the pool is so damn cold right now, otherwise she could really use that. Nice thing is Sunday is "family day" and she can get in for 5 bucks, we can put our son in the day care, work out, and then take him swimming for a while!

At any rate, that is about all, other than a short rant about my muscles below, which are not part of the 1 month "review" of myself.

As far as my muscles, I still can't stretch them out. I still have an unbelievable amount of pain in fully extending my arms (this makes taking care of my son, who got home yesterday, very hard). I'm trying to use heat to help them relax, get the blood flowing and make them easier to stretch. So far, it makes it feel better, but only temporarily. I will likely go and do some cardio today either in the pool or in the gym, either way, I will (hopefully) help work some of this out. If not, then I don't know what to do, just wait it out I guess. This sort of post-exercise pain is not new to me (as a wrestler and football player I felt it many times). However, this sort of pain and having to deal with a kid is. Thankfully my wife will not have to work late tomorrow and she has Sunday off so that I can try and rest if need be.

Last weight: 356.4
Current weight: 350.0
Weight Lost: 1.4 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 27.0 lbs

Definitely feel it

I definitely feel it. The workout yesterday has made me sore, tired and slightly crabby. But no matter the case, I can tell for sure that it was a good workout. I look forward to working out more, as it has been a while since I have felt up to it. I've also lost some more weight which is good. Horray!

Last weight: 358.6
Current weight: 356.4
Weight Lost: 2.2 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 25.6 lbs