17,520 hours later…

Seventeen thousand, five hundred and twenty hours ago, or there abouts, something major happened. Do you know what it is? If not, let’s look at it from a different perspective.

17,520 hours ago and 2960 ounces ago…

Have you figured it out yet? Well, let me share with you then. Two years and 180 pounds ago, I had gastric bypass surgery. My life went from being an over shaped, out of weight person who had trouble living, to who I am today!

Did a lot change? I don’t think so. Yes, I’m a lot lighter than I was then. I’m able to sleep through the night without having gastric reflux. I’m able to get around a lot easier without those extra pounds. I don’t have to buy my clothes in the “Big and Tall” department anymore. I don’t have to take those extra prescriptions for high blood pressure, arthritis, gastric reflux, or diabetes’s.

Yes my life has changed, that’s for sure. But I’m still me, and that’s all there is to that!

I’m a big numbers fan. No not the TV show, just numbers in general! To me, data is where it’s at. Here’s a breakdown of “my numbers”:

Pants size: 54 to 36

Shirt size: 4x to Med.

Weight: 375 to 190

BMI: 45.7 to 25.3

I’m still overweight, but only by a .5 point, according to the BMI guru’s!

This past week my wife had her plastic surgery. During some downtime at the hospital, I did a lot of thinking. Would I do this again? Yeah, I would. Would I do the same surgery? Yeah I probably would. Would I recommend weight loss surgery to people who have a problem? Yeah, I probably would. The only thing I would change is this…I would exercise more!

Where am I now? I’m at a point in my journey that things are still changing. I’ve found out recently that sugar does not bother me as much as it did before. I can eat most things, as long as I eat them in moderation. This in itself has caused a few bumps in the road. In the last 6 months, since our Florida vacation, I became aware that I had put on 23 unwanted pounds. I noticed my clothes were fitting a little tighter around the waist. My shirts were a little snug. So what did I do? Back to basics baby!

And it still works! I have lost 14 pounds in the last month, and am back down to below 200. Woo Hoo!

If someone asked me for advice on weight loss surgery, there are a few things I would tell them:

1) Research until you can’t research anymore. Educate yourself on all that is out there.

2) Find someone you trust and ask them questions. Don’t look for someone who is going to give you the answers you want. Look for someone who will challenge you to look for the solutions that are right for you.

3) Don’t ever say this won’t happen to me! Case in point – I’ll never gain back my weight,. Look at what happened to me!

4) Search out a support system that meets your needs. It can be a hospital related support group, or a peer related support. It does not matter as long as it fulfills your needs!

The benefits of my surgery go way beyond just losing weight! The relationships that have been forged in my journey have been an instrumental part of where I am today. I refuse to name names, but you ladies and gentlemen know exactly who you are, and I appreciate it very much!

I’m not a perfect weight loss surgery patient; I’m a human being who suffers from a food addiction. I’m not perfect!

May the upcoming year be filled with laughter, love, and a sense of who you were, who you are, and who you are becoming!

Seventeen thousand, five hundred and twenty hours ago my life changed…and it’s still changing every single second of the day!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! ♥

375 pounds

200 pounds

I also noticed how I went from holding a wine glass, to holding a coffee cup!

Changes still amaze me!