I'm that guy. I've always been the big loud jovial life of the party guy. 6' 3" and currently 336 and in good health save for high cholesterol. That said, life changed 18 months ago when my wife and I adopted a son. Now it's not just me I have to worry about. Now I have to keep up w an awesome kid and prep for being a little league dad at 50. So, as my doc said, now is the time to get this under control before your health takes a real hit. So I've completed my 90 days of insurance required medically supervised weight loss. I'm down about 10 lbs but it's like dumping a bottle of water in the ocean... Not much of a difference. I've done my psych eval, my dietician visit, and all but one of my pre-op requirements. Shooting for mid-June for surgery and looking forward to what lies ahead. Nervous about what life is like without me and honey buns after a night of drinking w the boys. But I know I'm going to be happier and healthier and that's a damn good thing. Wanted to share since not a lot of the guys seem to share. Looking forward to ideas and support. So... What say you real self community? What's the biggest fallacy? What's the best thing that happened afterwards that you never expected? Updated on 3 May 2016: Couple of lingering items on the "to do" list were handled today. Got my chest x-ray, final blood work, and "letter of support" from my wife all handled and in the hands of my surgery coordinator. I have to make a visit to the local bariatric support group next Wednesday to close out the final insurance requirements before we can meet w/ the surgeon and get the surgery scheduled. Still looking like everything is in line for a mid June surgery. I'm getting more and more excited by the day. Doing more testing and trialing with bariatric nutritional recipes. Will my taste buds really change a bunch after surgery? Should I even be worried about this stuff now? Thanks in advance for any advice. Thinking I'm about 45 days out... and have one last big eating, drinking blowout trip planned for Memorial Day weekend, then its time to get on dry island with some protein shakes and a shelf full of vitamins. Again, any advice is greatly appreciated. Updated on 12 May 2016: Surgery is scheduled for 6/13. So, 2 weeks to get thru a few "last suppers" w friends and then it's liquid diet right after Memorial Day. Stocking up on protein shakes and getting all my post surgery items set. Any advice for dealing w what I'm sure will be cravings and such during the 2 week pre-op liquid phase is appreciated. Excited y'all! Updated on 24 May 2016: So had final appointment w my surgeon today. Everything is clear for a 6/13 sleeve. Got my pre-op diet marching orders. 2 weeks of liquids and protein. Gonna be tough but I got myself into this situation, time to put in the hard work. Good news is I'm fully ready I think. Vitamins, check. Protein, check. Positive attitude, check. Nerves, check. Let's do this. Ready to see these pounds drop off... Ok... Maybe one last weekend of debauchery. I've got a steak and a bourbon w my name on them for the holiday weekend. Then... Then it's time to get serious. Updated on 30 May 2016: Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend. My last blowout and "funeral meal" are complete. Tomorrow morning starts the liquid diet. I have my decaf tea, my protein shakes, my zero cal Powerade, and the support of my friends and family. Hoping to drop 15 before surgery. I'll be taking my last "before" picture in the morning. Looking forward to a life time of after pics. Updated on 31 May 2016: I'm embarrassed to be this big. I'm nervous that I'm going to fail. I'm scared that I'll disappointment myself and my support team. There. I said it. It's out in the open. Now to go face this and kick its ass. I'm not going to lose. Not again. Not this time. 13 days until surgery. Time to share the dreaded before pics. Enjoy me in all my glory. This is the last time I'll ever be this size again. Updated on 12 Jun 2016: Like many before me, I survived the dreaded 2 week liquid diet in prep for surgery. Not gonna lie, there were times I would have done inappropriate things for a double cheeseburger, but I lived. Premier Protein and Egg Drop Soup were my saviors. By this time tomorrow, I will be sleeved and hopefully walking and farting and on my way to a healthier me. The best news of all, the prep diet resulted in a big weight loss for me. HW: 342 Post prep diet weight: 318 Loss: 24 lbs Talk with everyone after surgery! Updated on 13 Jun 2016: Things went really well today. My nurses are excellent and the surgeon was very pleased w how the procedure went. The pain is manageable but still waiting for this gas bubble to start to pass. It's like an elephant on my chest at times. Walking seems to help. Today is the first day of an exciting new journey. It only gets better from here. Hold on RS friends... This ride is about to get fun! Updated on 14 Jun 2016: The bar is open and my drinks have arrived. Feels so good to be able to drink. Taking them slow and easy. Feels a little heavy going down but as long as I take them slow seems to be good. Hoping to avoid the dreaded nausea. Stay tuned to this channel for more breaking news. ???????????? Updated on 18 Jun 2016: What a whirlwind week it has been. Felt good to get home and even better to get rid of those gas pains. In the end, walking and gas-x strips and patience are your saviors. It was day 4 after surgery before I finally felt like "me" again. I'm doing fairly well with my fluids. Getting in about 50 oz a day right now and getting close to 45 grams of protein so far. Hoping to be at 60 gr and 65 oz by Monday. Everyone who said "just listen to your body" was spot on. It's tough to understand until you live it, but the signals are definitely there and more prominent than before surgery. Got in 4000 steps on day 4 post surgery and the scale thanked me. HW 342 SW 318 CW 311 - 5 days post surgery Total loss to date: 31 dreaming pounds! Updated on 21 Jun 2016: And what a week it has been. Feeling nearly fully recovered. Incisions look great and no real pain since 4 days post op. I'm about tired of liquid diet though. Starting week 4 of nothing but liquids (including pre op diet) is getting a little old. But, would rather not risk anything and break the rules at this point. I've come too far. Post op doc appt is next week and then I can finally introduce some other foods... Hello hummus! Been fighting more of the mental hunger than anything. Have a few sips of protein shake and I'm full, but I need to do that consistently throughout the day. I'm meeting my protein and liquid requirements finally. It's not impossible but it takes some effort. I found egg drop soup w some unflavored protein powder and then the immulsion blender have been saviors. If anyone is going in for surgery soon and has questions feel free to shoot them my way. You will be feeling better before you know it. Updated on 30 Jun 2016: So... Had my 2 week post op appointment yesterday and things are going great. Doc released me to get back to exercise (besides walking), the gym, the pool, and everything! I'm moving on to puréed foods which is a blessing. Cottage cheese and hummus about to be my new best friends for two weeks. Still enjoying my egg drop soup and shakes but some variety is very welcomed. I've invested in some unflavored protein and it blends great w hummus. Not so much with cottage cheese as it causes a weird flavor. Next up is protein in pudding and give that a shot. Then oatmeal... I'm doing well getting my protein in. It's easy enough w two Premier Protein shakes per day at this point, morning and evening. I'm walking about 1 1/2 miles each evening and it feels good not to huff and puff up and down each hill. If you're debating whether surgery is the right step for you, all I can tell you is support and commitment is paramount. Outside of that, it's a tough year of your life to add 15 to the end. If anyone has any questions, let me know. I'm here to help. HW: June 1, 2016: 342.6 Op weight June 13, 2016: 318 CW: June 30, 2016: 302.1 Total loss to date 40.5 lbs!!! Updated on 17 Jul 2016: Wow... What a difference a month makes! I'm eating, drinking, exercising, and feeling amazing. You will have ups and downs, you will want to fight someone for a donut, and you will doubt yourself. It's all part of the process. But just know things will get better each and every day. So let's talk about the first month: take it easy and follow your docs orders. Walking is your friend. Food will come. Take it slow. Egg drop soup, premier protein, cottage cheese, and hummus are my best friends. I'm having a couple of pieces of sushi and ground turkey now too. My wife made my first batch of cloud bread and it's nice to eat like normal folks. In the end, it's all worth it. How worth it? 31 days post surgery and I'm officially down 50 lbs from where I started on June 1st and my preop diet. So, get ready. You're about to feel better. You're about to have more energy. You're about to work out harder than you have in years and you're in for in for the ride of your life. If I can help or offer any advice, give me a shout.
