A Conversation With My Nutritionist

Next month marks the sixth month anniversary of my having a sleeve gastrectomy and with that anniversary comes a couple of very important follow up visits for me.  One of them is my follow up with my surgeon, in which blood work will be done, along with certain measurements taken.  The other follow up happened today.  That follow up was with the nutritionist who works with the surgeons at the hospital I was sleeved at, Forrest Park Medical Center in Dallas, TX.

I had several questions for her that I needed answered.  Questions such as:

1. Do I need to count net carbohydrates or gross?
2. Am I eating too much?
3. What should my ideal weight be; what should I be aiming for?
4. How should I nutritionally balance my meals?
5. How should I nutritionally prepare for race days?
6. Is it okay to use fuel gels during an endurance race?
7. How should I eat to recover after a race is finished?

After going over my weight loss so far and my exercise habits, Sarah (the nutritionist) was very complimentary over what I had accomplished so far.  She told me that it normally took most sleeved patients a year or more to lose 130 pounds and that I was doing quite well for the time I had been sleeved.  She was also complementary on my running and circuit training that I do.

But onto the questions and her answers.

Q:  Do I count net calories or gross calories?  (For those who may not know the difference, Net calories are calories burned during exercise (not BMR/Sedentary burn), minus calories eaten)
A:  I need to count net calories, especially when I am on my exercise or run days.  My net calories need to be between 950 and 1200, which could put my gross calories for those days at anywhere from 1800 to 2500.

Q:  Am I eating too much?  (Please understand that my current caloric intake right now averages about 1000 to 1100 calories, and there are times when the calorie count can reach upwards of 1800 or more, even though my daily goal is 950.)
A:  No I am not.  Right now my caloric intake should be between 950 to 1200 calories on the days in which I don't run or exercise, and up to double that on the days I do run and/or exercise.

Q:  What should my ideal weight be; what weight should I actually be aiming for?
A:  According to the nutritionist, the ideal body weight for my height and body structure should be 178.  However, because I am old and decrepit, well, old enough that my skin really no longer has the elasticity it used to have, the body weight I need to shoot for would be 210.  That would also be with approximately 20 pounds of excess skin hanging on my body.
(It will be nice when I am able to have plastic surgery to have that excess skin removed, but that surgery will not happen for at least another year.)

Q:  How should I nutritionally balance my meals?
A:  Right now my nutritional balance for my meals should be be as follows:
      On days that I do not exercise:

• 80 to 100 grams of protein

• 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrates

• 30% of calories dedicated to be fat grams

      On days that I do exercise:

• 160 to 200 grams of protein

• 160 to 200 grams of protein

• 30% of calories dedicated to fat grams

Q:  How should I nutritionally prepare for race days?
A:  To nutritionally prepare for the days in which I race, whether it is a 5K, 10K, 8M, Half Marathon or Marathon, the nutritionist informed me that I need to start fueling up about three days before the race.  To fuel up properly I will need to start eating as if I had run or completed my circuit training that day, doubling up on both carbohydrates and protein and increasing my caloric intake as well, to 1800 to 2000 calories for those three days.  She also told me that it didn't matter what foods I ate for the carbohydrate count as long as it had carbohydrates.  (So I don't just have to eat pasta.)

Q:  Is it okay to use to use fuel gels during an endurance race?
A:  Absolutely.  If I am going to do endurance races longer than 10K I was encouraged by the nutritionist to make sure I use them to ensure I have the fuel to complete the race.

Q:  How should I eat to recover after a race is finished?
A:  The nutritionist told me that I needed to eat a balanced carbohydrate/protein "meal" as soon after the race as possible.  This could be anything from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to a commercially prepared protein shake.  Usually the meal needs to be eaten within 30 minutes after the finish of the race.

So after my talk with the nutritionist, I feel confident that I have been doing and eating the right things and the right way.  I was concerned that I might have stretched out my sleeved stomach, but that is not the case.  As I continue on this journey of weight loss and healthy living, I can honestly say, so far, so good.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great rest of the day!

My Current Perception of Me is a Lie

     My current perception of me is wrong and it is a very hard thing to admit to.  If fact, it has taken my loving wife to bluntly, but lovingly put things into perspective for me on how I perceive myself.  You see, even though I have lost 122 pounds, and more than 12 inches off of my waist, even though I can see bones I have never seen before, like my clavical, ribs, and other things seen that people take for granted, I still see myself most of the time in only one way.  Fat.

     For some people that might seem hard to believe, but it's true.  I look at myself and I see a person who is still heavy, still has fat, and still isn't at a healthy weight.  I am not totally sure why I see myself like this, but it is a hard image to shake.

     From the time I hit puberty until I started losing my weight four months ago, with the exception of a nine month period  in 1999, I have always been fat.  I was well over 400 pounds in high school and most of my adult life I have been well over 350.  I have worn sizes as large as a 58 pant, 5XLT shirt and size 16 tennis shoe and buying clothing for me was another nightmare in itself.  It is never easy being fat.  People look at you in a certain, mocking way, wondering why you don't get off you fat butt and do something about it.  Others look at you in a pitying sort of way, feeling sorry about the poor slob who obviously is lazy and must not do anything at all in life.  And don't even get me started on trying to date or try to have a social life before I met my loving wife and was married!  That was another story altogether.

    Then earlier this year, my wife convinced me that weight loss surgery was something I needed to look at, which I did.  And in June of this year, I had the procedure done.  And I haven't looked back.

     The results are there and mentally I know they are there and show.  People compliment me all the time on my weight loss and how great I look.  People notice me on the street now and smile and say hi.  But still I look in the mirror and all I can see is fat.

     Yes, I no longer wear the size 54 pants I started off in; instead I am in a size 38 now.  My shirt size has gone from a 4XLT to an XL, as have t-shirts and shorts.  Even my shoe size has gone down to a normal width from the extra wide width I had to have.  You can read my blog and see how I am running four to five times a week, sometimes 3.1 miles, sometimes as much as over six miles at a time, without stopping!  I lift weights, I have stamina I didn't know I possessed, but I do not like the way I look.  The reflection I see is still fat.

     My wife feels I am obsessed on numbers.  We have talked about goal weights, and I have actually put my goal weight here on my blog of 180, but secretly, I want to weigh less.  I think I would like to weigh around 160 or so, but is that a healthy weight, or is that the inner fear of my thinking I am still too fat?  Speaking of weight, I have been in a stall now for two weeks, maintaining the same weight over that period of time.  My secret fear?  Never going below it now.  Staying at 248.  Staying fat.

     I know some of you reading this may not understand and that is okay.  Many of you will not.  I'm not even sure if I understand this.  In fact, I know I don't.  I want to be healthy, not only for myself, but for my family.  But the obsession over my weight now is one that I have to tackle.  My wife said it sounded similar to someone dealing with anorexia.  I simply don't know.  But what I do know is that I don't want to ever be where I was when I started this journey.  I don't ever want to be fat again.

     Maybe that is where the fear lies.  Perhaps that is where my wrong perception lies.  My perception is a lie and mentally I know it.  I think I just have to accept it.  Medically I am no longer classified as morbidly obese, but just obese.  In layman's terms, I am no longer grossly fat, I am just fat.  Eventually I will not be classified as obese/fat, as I have 11 BMI points to go before I am medically considered normal.

      In some peoples minds I am already normal.  I just have to believe it myself.

     It's not going to be easy.

Current Progress In Losing Weight

My wife and I were looking over old photographs of us from the last few years, and we both were amazed at the changes in our appearances from then until now.  I promised my wife that I would not upload any images of her, even though I personally think that she is smoking hot, but I will upload a progression image of me, from right before surgery, until today, spanning four months progress so far.  I also am uploading an image of me at my all time heaviest, which was about 380 pounds, to give you an idea of what I looked like and the amount of weight I carried.

First the image of me, taken at about my heaviest weight, Christmas 2009:

Christmas 2009.  I am about 380 in this picture.

The next picture is a montage of me in three stages of weight loss: the far left was taken in April 2012, before I started losing weight and before my surgery.  The middle picture was taken two weeks after my surgery, on July 6 and the final picture on the right was taken in August (not sure of the date).  I apologize for the quality, but these were taken by my iPhone.

The next picture is the picture my wife took of me yesterday after my running of the Lost Dog 5K (October 7, 2012). 

October 7, 2012.  256.8 pounds.

And that is my progression so far in my weight loss.  The next two pictures show it all.

I still have a long way to go until I reach my goal of 180 or so and even that can be changed down some, but I look forward to that day.  I will say that I would never be where I am today in any fashion without the assistance and help, and pushing from my wife.  She is one of the guiding forces that has helped me come to this point in my life.  The other?  My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Without Him I would not be able to accomplish anything.

Thanks for reading and have a great rest of the day!

Revisiting My Fitness Goals

Yesterday I started playing catch-up with my blog and let you know how I have done on my weight loss since I last posted (which was simply way too long).  Today I wanted to catch you up on how I am doing with my fitness goals.

When I posted back in July, I had not yet started a fitness program to speak of; I was simply riding my bike on the local trails and at times walking those same trails as well as the roads in and around my neighborhood.  Now granted, I was doing fairly well, averaging about five to six miles per bike ride, and between three and five miles on my walks.  However, I wanted more, as I show below (taken from my goals back on July 31, 2012).  Because I had so many goals, I am going to break them down individually at first.

• To start and finish the Couch to 5K program and run my first 5K race.

 When I first wrote down this goal, I hated running, but I knew I needed to do it.  I have never been a runner in my life and when I was forced to do it, I ran, but did not like it.  Fast forward to today and I am passionate about running!  I really like it!  Not only did I start the Couch to 5K training program, I am four daily sessions from finishing it!  I am currently on week seven day three and will start the final week, week eight on Monday.

Apart from starting the C25K training program and about to finish it, I actually ran my first 5K race back on September 23, 2012!  My stats from the race is shown below:

Results from my very first 5K - 9/23/2012

Crossing the finish line in my very first 5K!

The next goal I had listed was to run a 5K race with my family, specifically the Turkey Trot in November.  That goal is still on, but we'll have to see how it goes.  I'm hoping to at least be able to run it with my wife.  Not sure if the kids will be able to or not.

• To run a 5K race with my family.
• Turkey Trot is the first one I want to do. 

The goal after that I have actually met.  I am now running on average 5 times a week at 4 to 4.5 miles with a pace of 11:20 per mile.  That's 5.2 miles per hour.  Some days I am faster, some I am slower, but I enjoy it!

• To be able to jog a minimum of 3.5 miles 4 times a week.

 The rest of the goals below still remain future goals that I will work on.  I realize that this journey I am on is a slow one, and as Rome wasn't built in a day, neither will my healthy life be built quickly.  These goals will be met though.  Just six months ago who would have thought that I would be running on an almost daily basis, and drop over a hundred pounds?  If I can do that, anything is possible.

• To be able to bike a minimum of 10 miles 3 times a week.
• To be able to swim a minimum of 1 mile 3 times a week.
• After achieving this goal I want to start increasing that distance every month until I can swim 2 to 3 miles at a time.
•  To be able to start training for my first Sprint Triathlon.
• To compete in my first Triathlon.
• Sprint first
• Olympic second
• Ironman eventually

So that's it so far for fitness.  I have another race to prepare for and I will post more on that tomorrow!

Until then, have a great rest of the day!

Catching Up Is SO Hard To Do! Weight Loss Goals Revisited

I have a really bad habit of forgetting to blog, as you can no doubt tell from the date of my last blog entry!  I have to admit that I am very embarrassed about this, but things happen, and you move on.  I thought with this current post, I would play a little catch up and let you know how I have done on my goals so far.

When I posted back in July, I wrote down the following goals:

Weight Loss Goals:

• To lose enough weight to be at or under 300 pounds.
• I have achieved this goal already!
• To lose 100 pounds and become a member of the Century Club.
• To lose enough weight to be at or under 250 pounds.
• To lose enough weight to be at or under 200 pounds
• To achieve my goal weight of 180 pounds.

So here is how I have done so far with my weight loss:

1. I met my first goal of being at or under 300 pounds when I wrote my last post back in July..
2. I achieved my goal of losing 100 pounds and joining the Century Club!  I accomplished this on September 13, 2012. 

                   

100 Pounds Gone!

My next big goal is to be at or under 250 pounds.  Currently I am at 262, so I have a few pounds to get rid of.  I am hoping to achieve this goal sometime around December 15th of this year.  To be honest, I was hoping to actually be at this goal, but the weight loss has slowed down so I am being patient.

For anyone who is interested, I am eating anywhere between 950 to 1200 calories a day, depending on how active I am that day.  My break down for nutritional goals per day is as follows:

• Protein: 107 grams per day
• Carbohydrates: 83 grams per day
• Fat: 21 grams per day

I am also doing my best to keep my Sodium to at or below 2500 milligrams per day.
I am using MyFitnessPal.com to keep track of all of my nutrition. 

For my next post, I'll catch you up to date on how my fitness goals are coming along.  Until then, have a great rest of the day!

Listening to Your Body After Being Sleeved

I have several things I "love" to do in life and fishing is one of those, so when I had the chance to go fishing July 4th and then again yesterday, I jumped at the chance.  Having my daughters and Father-in-Law going made the days even better.

Now normally I can fish all day long, in the heat or cold, in rain or sun, but that was when I had a complete stomach and not a sleeve.  I am learning that this is making a huge difference now and is a difference I need to pay attention to and quickly!

July 4th this year in Texas was hot, humid and for those not in the shade, downright miserable.  But for the four of us walking the mile from the truck to the creek bank, climbing down the rocky bank, wading an additional miles up and down the creek bank, it was heaven.  The water is crystal clear and you can see down to the bottom, and the fish are always eager to respond to a well placed lure or worm.  

My Daughters trying to catch a monster white Koi

My Father-in-Law readying a hook

We were all having a great time and then my body decided it was time to start speaking to me.

Speaking to me came in the form of occasionally becoming light headed, becoming very fatigued, and to be very honest I wasn't sure if I would make it back to the truck or not.

After we all got to our respective homes, I decided to weigh myself before I showered and found out I lost over two pounds since my weigh in that morning!

Now, fast forward to yesterday, which was Sunday, July 8th.  Once again, we were out in the heat and humidity, this time with very limited shade, but with a nice breeze and occasional cloudiness.  The other Godsend I had with me was my wife, who does recognize the signals coming from my body better than I do.

We fished out at Lake Texoma for a little over five hours yesterday and at several times I felt worse than drained.  I was to the point that several times I had to sit down as I was light headed, I was fatigued and simply drained.  My wife was the one who bought me the apple juice and Gatorade to help replace the sugars and electrolytes I was losing and then made me sit and eat.  It took a long while after we got home for me to recover.

Once again I weighed when I got home and once again, I had dropped weight.  This time I had dropped almost three pounds!  All of it, I believe, to be water weight.

So right now the moral of the story, and the lesson learned is that I cannot take in what my body is loosing during these times and I am going to have to plan more accordingly. 

My advice to you is to do the same.

Have a great rest of the day!

Eric

The Biggest Non Scale Victory So Far

Yesterday marked my first day back at the office since I left for my surgery back on June 18th and I have to say it was very pleasant.  Several co-workers said I looked great and couldn't believe the transformation that had occurred so far with me.  That in itself feels like a NSV (which stands for Non Sleeve Victory) for me, but what followed was the best NSV for me so far!

There were two people who actually did not recognize me!  One I can understand as I worked with her for a while before she moved to another department, but the other person is the CTO and I work with him or see him and speak with him on a daily basis.  He came up to me yesterday adn informed me that he had seen me speaking with a co-worker but didn't know who I was.  It took him three separate times as he looked at me that he finally realized who I was!  He had actually thought I was a new hire, or a consultant.

This very much made my day.

Hope everyone has a great remainder of the day!

Eric

Checking in: Day 10 Post Operation

Yesterday marked 10 days since my Gastric Sleeve Operation and it has been a pretty easy ride so far.
 
I was able to work from home the Friday after surgery and continued all last week working from home.  Being a software engineer with a very understanding company and manager helps. 

As far as weight loss, well, the pounds seem to be melting off the body.  I am currently down almost 58 pounds and have dropped a full pants size and almost two shirt sizes!  It has been an interesting ride so far and can't wait to see how things progress.

I leave you with my picture of before surgery and one week after surgery.   Have a great week!

Front View.  Before on the Left, After on the Right.  One week after surgery.

Side View. Before on the Left and After on the Right.  One Week after surgery.

Officially on the Loser's Bench Part 2

This is my third day after surgery and my second day at home.  So far it hasn't been too bad for me as I compare my situation with what I know others have gone through.  Mostly I'm going stir crazy to be quite honest.   

I have my own little corner of my bedroom where I sit and sleep in our leather recliner.  The TV is within sight and I have my remote, so mindless entertainment is taken care of.  I have my laptops near me and easily accessible so I can, and have started working from home: answering emails, starting to work on projects that need my attention and the like.

My fill up station with the flowers sent to me by the company I work for.

But it does get tedious.  And boring.  I do not like to be kept in a corner for very long, so I have been walking every hour or so which is nice.

Physically I am doing really well.  I am still at a higher weight than when I went into surgery, but that is not bothering me too much as I know once the gas and fluids they pumped into me go away, the pounds will start to shed.  Trust me when I say I am really looking forward to when I can ride my bike again, or even do my four to five mile walks!  Now that I had just started to become active, I really miss the exercising!

I seem to be more bloated today than I was yesterday.  I was told that is normal and has happened to others after surgery, so I am not worried about that.  I am taking in fluids quite well, perhaps too well.  I have been told that I need to slow down even more and sip more.  To me I am sipping (coming from a gulping perspective) but I am doing my best to follow orders and slow down.  I really think the chewing aspect is going to be harder for me.  This whole slowing down will be a challenge, but one that I have chosen to embrace as a lover for the new physical life I want to share with my God, family and friends.

I do feel that I have been  productive today as I went out to our garden and watered with miracle grow.  No, I did not, nor could I bend down to turn on the water.  That is what my youngest daughter was there for,  to help me turn on and off the water.  I love my Morgan.  She was very concerned that I was overdoing it and wanted to make sure that I wasn't hurting myself or anything.  She's a very compassionate nine year old.  So she made sure the water was on and made sure the hose didn't kink and I had lots of slack.

The one thing that is bugging me is the gas I am experiencing.  That is the one thing I wish would go away more quickly than it currently is.  Somehow the Gas-X strips just don't seem to be doing the job very well.

So there you have it.  I am home, with very manageable pain, to the point that my hydrocodone sits by its lonesome like some forgotten relic of my past in the corner of my little world right now.  The liquid Tylenol has taken a hiatus and is nowhere to be found and although I am not looking for it my wife has left for the store to make sure I have some.  Just in case.

Overall I am in really good shape, as my limited knowledge of recovering from this surgery and my body can tell me.

I'll keep posting my results on this journey.  I hope you enjoy the ride with me.

Have a great rest of the day!

Eric

Officially on the Loser's Bench Part 1.

Tuesday was my surgery date and I'll be honest, I wasn't really nervous at all. I think what I was, was simply ready to get it over with.

Waiting for the IV to be put in.

I checked into the hospital at 6:00 AM and the waiting game began.  About 45 minutes later I was called into the admission area and my hospital bands were placed on my wrist.  Very soon after I was weighed, and placed in my holding area where I was told to get into the hospital gown and yes, wait some more.

My throat was sore and I was very thirsty at this point.  Part of my prep for this surgery is that I could not have anything to eat or drink after 10 PM the prior night.  It would turn out that I would not, could not have anything at all until the following day (Wednesday the 20th of June).  That was not fun, believe me.

Eventually the RN came in and put my IV in my left arm.  After that it was only a matter of minutes.

The IV is in!

Within a few minutes the anesthesiologist arrived and had me start inhaling a gas.  After that I didn't wake up again until I was in my room.

I was operated on at Forrest Park Medical Center in Dallas, TX which has to be one of the nicest facilities I have ever seen.  Every patient has a private room with WiFi, flat screen TV,  and room.  Lots of room actually.  When you called for the nurses for whatever reason, they responded very quickly with whatever you had asked for.

After the surgery, which lasted about an hour, the surgeon, Dr. Nick Nicholson, came out to talk to my wife and one of my fears was relieved quickly.  I was very concerned that my liver would not be up to par for the surgery.  You see, you need as small and healthy a liver you can get to have a good shot at a successful surgery.  I know of some patients who have been in the operating room and had the surgeon call off the surgery because the liver wasn't ready.  So that was a very nice bright spot for me.

Except for the numerous times I was awakened for the various normal functions the nurses had to take care of, I slept.  And slept.  And slept a lot more.  There were times when I thought the nurses were growing concerned over my sleeping all the time.  Oh, and those normal functions I needed to do?  That consisted of having my vitals checked, breathing through an airlife spirometer and walking.  Not to mention having my blood sugar checked due to the steroid shot I received before surgery.

In My room after surgery.  Sleep was my best friend!

The dreaded spirometer!

It took me a while to start drinking liquids again, but when I did I felt like I was in heaven!  Finally cool liquid goodness running down my parched throat!  I just had to do it in sips.  SIPS!  One of the items a newly sleeved patient absolutely has to learn how to do.  If I didn't sip, I had the hiccups.  Trust me in that I learned that lesson very quickly!

A couple of things about my stay and then I'll save the rest for my next post.

The first is that apparently there was a new doctor making rounds at the hospital who had never worked with bariatric patients.  All I can say is thank God I was asleep when he came in.  My wife informed me that he lifted my gown, and started pressing in and poking my stomach!  He actually thought I had just gone through a hernia surgery and my wife had to explain to this young doctor what I had surgery for,  why I had a drain installed, and why I had a pain pump installed.  My wife told me the young doctor was lucky I was asleep and I believe she was right.  I don't think I would have hit him, but I would have told him a few things he would not have wanted to hear!

The other item before I sign off this post was when the nurse took the drain tube out of my body.  My wife said it was an uncomfortable feeling when I asked her about her's being taken out.

She lied.

I have never had such an excruciating pain in my life!  I actually was crying and hyper-ventilating from the pain it was so intense!  I actually asked her, begged her to stop for a couple of minutes just so I could start breathing normally.  It finally came out, but holy cow!  That was actually worse than anything I had ever gone through before.

A little while after that I walked out of the hospital, got into our minivan and watched the world go by as my wife drove us home.

In part two, I will go over how things are going at home for me.

I hope you have a great rest of the day!

Eric

Less Than 24 Hours to Go Now

It's almost time.

Time for me to do some reflections on what has brought me to this point now in my life.

Time for me to realize that I have more to live for than just a good tasting meal.

Time for me to realize that food is not my comforter.

Time for me to realize that food does not rule my life.

Time for me to realize that exercise is my friend, my lifelong friend.

Time for me to realize that my daughters need a dad who'll be alive to spoil their kids.

Time for me to realize that life is more than  sitting on my ass in front of the TV and computer doing nothing.

Time for me to realize that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and HE does not deserve a fat, run down, no energy having tenement; HE deserves much better.

So does my wife.

So do my kids.

So do I.

My surgery is tomorrow.

My new life starts tomorrow.

It's a long time coming.

Eric

T Minus 7 Days and Counting

Today marked the last item on my list of things to do to be ready for my weight loss surgery.  I say the nutritionist this past Saturday, and today I took care of all of my paperwork for preadmission and the last blood draws for the tests to be complete before the surgery.

I have seven days left until the surgery.  I've dropped over 25 pounds since I started this journey, and I am ready to lose a lot more.  I'm ready to be a "normal" size.  I'm ready to live.

T minus seven days and counting.

I can't wait.

The Pre Op Diet Plan

I started my pre-op diet plan this past Tuesday.  1200 calories a day, with 120 grams of carbohydrates, 90 grams of protein and 40 grams of fat.  What that translates into food wise is the following:

• Two protein shakes daily; one for the breakfast and one for lunch.
• Three protein bars daily for snacks.  I am eating mine roughly at 10:00 AM, 3:00 PM and 7:30 to 8:00 PM.
• One regular dinner, which consists of 5 ounces of a lean meat and two cups of non-starchy vegetables.  
• LOTS of water.  I mean lots of water, in whatever variety I can stand.

So far it hasn't been too bad for me.  I'm not starving and any hunger pains I have experienced have been overcome.  And the good news is that I have dropped another four pounds since starting the diet!

Here is what I am using in my diet:

• Muscle Milk, both the Chocolate and Vanilla flavors.

• EAS Myoplex Lite, Vanilla Flavor

• EAS Whey Protein Powder, Mixed with Skim Milk (8 ounces)

•  Kraft South Beach Cereal Bars (Peanut Butter Flavored)

and finally,

• Pure Protein Protein Bars (Peanut Butter Flavor)

So there you have it.  My pre-op diet plan.  If you are curious as to how I am doing, you can find me on MyFitnessPal and track my progress.

I do have to say that I thought this would be extremely hard for me, but it hasn't been at all.  There are times when I do get hungry, but drink a flavored water and I am good.  I am really looking forward to continuing this and losing more weight.

Until next time, have a great rest of the day!

Eric

VO2 Testing

This past Thursday I had another medical test for my upcoming gastric sleeve surgery.  This was the VO2 Max test and was ordered to make sure I was cleared of any unknown or hidden cardiac issues that might be there due to my family's history of cardiac troubles.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew that I'd be riding a stationary bike.  Other than that, I had to do my research online.

From Stanford University's Sports Medicine Center:

VO2 Max testing measures how effectively the body
consumes oxygen during exercise. It is a measure of an
athlete’s maximum ability to pull oxygen from the air,
transport it into the blood, and deliver it to active muscles.
VO2 Max is dependant on several factors, including lung
capacity and function, cardiac output, oxygen delivery, and
the oxidative capacity of muscle cells. Theoretically, since
the greater the volume of oxygen consumed by the body
the greater the body’s ability to do aerobic work, VO2 Max
values can be used as a benchmark for individual’s level of
fitness.

When I arrived and I was ready to be tested, I was hooked up to an EKG machine, and asked to do several tests to determine how my lungs are.  I had my nose closed off to prevent me from breathing through it, and closed my mouth around a plastic tube.  I did a total of nine breathing tests this way.

Not me, but you get the idea!

 After that it was time for me to get on the bike.  This time instead of the nose clamps, I had a full mask fitted to my face which prevented me from breathing through my nose.  It's a good thing I breathe through my mouth anyway, so I was used to this as I had to once again breathe through my mouth into a tube.  After the technician placed an oxygen sensor on my finger, I was ready to start pedaling.

No, not me again, but this was close to the setup I was on.

I was told to keep my speed between 60 and 70 and the load on the bike would start to increase.  It took me a little over seven minutes to be told to stop, as I hit my maximum heart rate at that point.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing, but I am leaning towards good.

After the bike test I did two more breathing test to see if I may have sports asthma. 

I asked the technician that from her experience, was there anything she could see that would preclude me from having the surgery and she said no, not from what she saw.  I still have to wait to see what the actual doctor who reads this study says, but I honestly don't think anything from this test will preclude me.

So onward I go .  Up next for me is my upper endoscopy, set for June 4.

Have a great rest of the day!

Eric

My Surgery Date : June 19th, 2012

The date for my surgery is now set for June 19th, 2012 with Dr. Nick Nicholson.  I still have a couple of things left to do but I am not worried about them.  I have to have an Upper GI to make sure I have no obstructions so that the surgery can go without a hitch and I have to do a VO2 Max test to ensure I am healthy enough cardiac wise to do this.

If all goes well then the morning of June 19th I will have three quarters of my stomach cut out, a four to six ounce pouch sealed and left to live with until I die.

Radical?  Oh yes, very radical, but I am very tired of being fat.  I am tired of not being able to keep up with my kids when they romp and play and do athletic things.

My lifestyle will radically change when it comes to eating.  No longer will I be able to sit down to a sixteen ounce steak dinner.  After the surgery it will be more of two to four ounces of steak with a couple to a few more ounces of everything else.

Yes, very radical.

Am I ready?  I'm getting ready.  Am I nervous.  Oh heck yes I am nervous, but I am also excited.

You see I need to do this.  I won't say have to, but I need to.  I do this for my wife and kids, but I also do this first and foremost for myself.  And for me, my wife and my girls, I will succeed at this.

Less than a month now to go.

Have a great rest of the day.

Eric

The Psychological Evaluation

 I'm not crazy.  I'm not a sociopath.  Nor am I schizophrenic, bulimic, anorexic, nor have any other mental issues.  So says the psychologist I saw and the six hundred question psychological profile I took a few weeks back.

This psychological exam was the last item I had to go through to become eligible, according to my insurance company, for my choice of bariatric surgery.

The meeting with the doctor itself wasn't too bad.  She asked the normal questions I would have expected and I answered with the answers that were expected.  It was a quick and painless 15 minutes of my life that I am glad to give up to achieve my weigh loss goal.

The test on the other hand...wow!  Six hundred questions that took an hour and a half to answer! It was to the point that I was actually getting writer's cramp from filling in the little circles that corresponded with my answers.  The questions themselves were the typical questions I had encountered before.  Questions like:

• Do you hear voices in your head?
• Do people lie?
• Do people steal?
• Do you believe that if you jumped off a building that you could fly? 

No, I am not kidding about the questions.  These are a representative of some of the questions I encountered.

But the good news is that I am mentally healthy and okay for surgery and the post operation needs.

Eric

Learning to Sleep With My C-Pap Machine

As part of my Vertical Sleeve preparation, one of the tests I had to take was a sleep study.  These are normally ordered by the surgeon for a couple of reasons.

1. If you have sleep apnea, then you'll certainly need to know this for the surgery as you'll go under anesthesia.  It is sort of important for the anesthesiologist to know this fact and prepare for it.
2. If you have sleep apnea, then this fact helps in the determination of whether or not you will be eligible and have your insurance pay for the surgery.  In other words, the more issues you have due to excess weight, the easier it is to be approved for the bariatric surgery!

What is sleep apnea you ask?  Well, that is a good question.

Here is a the definition of Sleep Apnea, from the WebMD website:

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. This means the brain -- and the rest of the body -- may not get enough oxygen.
There are two types of sleep apnea:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): The more common of the two forms of apnea, it is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep.
• Central sleep apnea: Unlike OSA, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe due to instability in the respiratory control center.

The sleep study I took actually turned out to be two different studies.  The first was to see if I tested for and actually had sleep apnea and the second one was to have me use a C-Pap machine to see what machine settings I would need to help overcome sleep apnea.  My surgeon already surmised that I had sleep apnea and had ordered the second test along with the first.

So what does taking a sleep study feel like?   It feels something like this:

Frankensleep's Monster!

So I had the two sleep studies and after waiting four weeks with no word from the sleep study office, I finally called them and asked them what was going on.  After convincing the lady I was talking to that my primary doctor did not have the study results and that the studies were ordered for my upcoming surgery, she finally told me who to call to get the ball rolling to get my C-Pap machine.

Two weeks later....

I went to a second office and finally got my machine.  Here is what I now sleep with every night.  Or at least try to for now.

C-Pap Nasal Mask

C-Pap Machine with Hose

 






You may wonder why I said "try to" use every night.  To be honest, it's difficult for me to sleep with this on my face.  When you use this, you have a constant pressure of air blowing in your nose which is designed to keep your airwaves open so you don't snore.  The first week of use, I found myself taking the mask off after about four to five hours of use.  One night I actually realized I took it off and put it back on.  Another night the humidifier chamber ran out of water and I had moisture forming inside the tube and mask, dripping into my nose.  That was a night I took off the mask and did not put it back on .

So far I've had one night of continuous use.  I'm hoping to have better results this next week.

I'm also still waiting on the results I've read about.  Results like better sleep, no more tiredness during the day, so on and so forth.  From talking to others it may be a while before these results happen to me.  I am hoping that it's sooner than later!

Anyway, have a blessed rest of your day!

Eric

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy -- My Journey Starts

I have battled my weight since I hit puberty.  Once I turned 11, my weight started ballooning until I hit my peak weight in high school of 414 pounds.  I wasn't chunky, nor was I big boned.  I was FAT!  Only one time in my life have I ever been at what might be considered a normal weight and that was back in 1999 when I reached 240.  I looked very different then.

1999 My weight was 240

My Drivers License Picture from '99

So what do I look like now?  Take a look.

Me in 2011 standing next to well, you know who.

Me in 2012 standing next to my Father-in-Law

Currently I am up to 365 or so pounds and depending on the day and time I actually weigh in my weight can range from 362 to 368 pounds.

No, I am not in great shape physically.  

Yes, I do realize it.

I'm not writing this to throw myself a little pity party.  I'm writing this to start blogging about my journey to a healthier lifestyle.  I wouldn't be able to even contemplate starting up this journey had it not been for my wife.  She was the one who opened my eyes to the fact that I was killing myself and was going to deprive my kids and her of the guy who loved them if I did not do something and start doing it soon.  

So to my wife, thank you for your love and toughness in this.  

I actually started this journey (along with her) about a month and a half ago when I went to a weight loss surgery seminar given by a local doctor.  I decided to go ahead and start the process to change my life for good.

So what am I going to do?

It is called a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, or a gastric sleeve surgery.  Basically what it does is to surgically remove two thirds to three-quarter of your stomach and force you to eat small portions of food.  It is a radical surgery, but one that is safe and done thousands of times a day around the world.  If you want to see what they do with this, there's a video to watch at the end of this post.

This is not going to be a miracle cure, nor will this be an overnight magical experience.  There is risk and money involved, but after dozens of failed diets and being sick and tired of being fat, and wanting to have a long life with my wife and daughters, it is a journey I choose to make.  I will blog about the steps and what happens and how things happen as I go along in this journey.  I invite you to journey along with me as I take it.  

For now, I wish each of you well.

Have a great day!

Eric

Here's the video I promised.  WARNING!  This video contains graphic footage of an actual surgery and is NOT for those that cannot tolerate the sight of such activities!