3 Years Out

When it comes to publishing pictures of yourself on the internet you naturally want to only include those that make you look your best. If you have read this blog for any length of time or if you go back through the last 4 years of posts you'll see that some of the pictures I've posted of myself may not be considered by some as me at my best. The pictures in this post could be considered in that category but I say "nay nay". 

Three years ago today I had my gastric bypass surgery. On that day I weighed 395 pounds. As of today I have lost a total of 120 pounds. In the spirit of full disclosure at one point I'd actually lost 170 pounds but have regained 50 pounds over the last 2 years. More on that issue later. 

In this post I want to go back and reflect on what has happened in my personal "war on weight" since that milestone day in my life. 

Before Surgery: May 2009

This is a picture of me several months before my weight loss surgery. It's typical of how I spent most of my time at home. I  really wasn't physically able to do much of anything else. Notice the handle of the cane to my left. I had to use that just to walk. 

In The Hospital-July 8, 2009

The only picture of me after my surgery. This was taken 2 days after the procedure. I was still in a bit of pain and would stay in the hospital for a 3rd say due to some incidental complications. It was nothing serious.
Over the next 6 months I would eat much smaller portions of food with an emphasis on protein and begin to exercise again. Biologically, I was a very different person. For more than a year I learned how get along with my new smaller fist-sized stomach that I nicknamed "Mickey Pouch." 

It's a Smaller World

This is one of my favorite post-surgery pictures. It shows me at my lowest weight since gastric bypass. It was taken on September 8, 2010. We were in Walt Disney World to celebrate our weight loss success and my 50th Birthday. 

June 2012:Better But Not Yet The Best

Finally, here's a shot of me from about a week ago. As you can see compared to my "before" picture above I'm much healthier than I was prior to surgery. But I've still got more work to do.
I have about 100 more pounds to lose before I reach the goal I set for myself 3 years ago. 


Ironically, I must admit I have drifted back into nearly all the bad habits I had prior to surgery. Some of them I would even label as "addictions". I find myself, once again, mentally and to some extent physically hooked on carbs and sugar, as well as diet soda. 


To break those habits and get back to losing weight the way I was that first year post surgery, I must return to the weight loss surgery patient lifestyle. It's a daily battle. 


Now for those of you who may be saying "well you had the surgery it just didn't work for you." I answer with this. Gastric bypass, or any type of weight loss surgery is initially the answer for those who need to lose weight. You get amazing and drastic results that first year. Because of the limitations surgery puts on you biologically and nutritionally you almost "automatically" lose weight those first 12 months. 


After that time things begin to change and the effects from weight loss surgery shift from being a driving force in losing weight to being a tool. 


Just like the Weight Watchers points system or the Jenny Craig food plan, the WLS patient's lifestyle is a guide that must be followed to be successful. 


If you stray from it, like I have for most of the last 2 years, you will not be successful. It's not that the surgery didn't work. The changes in my digestive system are permanent. It's how I "use them" that has changed.


But just like any other weight loss plan, there are ways to "cheat." The lifestyle must be your guide in your daily "battle of the bulge."


So at this milestone in my life I have reunited physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually with the things that motivated me for the few months before and the year after my surgery. 


Reconnecting with those motivational aspects of my life will set me back on track. My goal is to lose 100 pounds and to do it over the next 14 months in time for my 53rd birthday. 


My walk with God and being the man He wants me to be was the main reason I decided on weight loss surgery in the first place. It must become that again. 


It was only with His help that I have come as far as I have and only with His help will I finish my weight loss race. Post surgery year #4 will be the best ever.