I got myself a fitbit yesterday. A friend had a Nike product and i loved the idea that it would track my daily routines and I could see how much i was really exerting myself. with food we can count calories, carbs, whatever but with exercise it is harder to quantify. I researched it and these seem to be quite accurate, certainly consistent so I can compare day to day how active I really am. I am really good at fooling myself into thinking i ate less than I really did, or worked out more. Of the three products fitbit, jawbone and Nike/apple I like the nike best except that it did not monitor sleep. Since i have always had trouble with sleep i picked up the fitbit and besides it was $50 cheaper.

For those of you interested, it was dead easy to set up and gives me exactly the feedback i want. It syncs with an iphone easily. it is supposed to sync with MFP but i have not managed to figure than out yet.

I love to work out so i use it as motivation to do more, for those people that hate working out I could see this being a great tool to keep yourself honest.

I am two weeks away, actually minus 5 hours, but who is counting? Being a doctor I am mostly concerned about the complications, well actually just about leaks, the others I deal with on a regular basis and perhaps irrationally feel i can control. But a leak is such a difficult situation, particularly since I am self pay. the chances are slim, i know and the chances of a bad one are even slimmer. Nevertheless the path I am on is unsustainable, so no regrets, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. I a starting to tell the people closest to me. My daughters are supportive, my wife becoming indispensably so. I will tell a few coworkers this week, my mother (not ever?).

For some reason this past week has been easy food wise, i am not particularly attracted to it and have managed to stay well below my goals, with only some mild head hunger before bedtime. Of course now i head into the fast dangerous rapids of the preop liquid diet. I intend to follow directions even though my research does not support this (IMHO it is silly) liquid diet before the surgery. Sure people do well with a 5%-10% weight loss prior to surgery, irregardless of how it is accomplished. I have already lost over 12% and am still losing even prior to the liquid diet.

In my cynical days i wonder how much of a money maker it is for them and whether that colors their decision. But i do not want to think bad thoughts about the surgeon who will be operating on me, so i hush that cynic, probably until i am well past the recovery. Probably by then if successful i wont care so much.

By the way, did I mention my daughter is getting married this saturday? that I have to travel 1200 miles to get there? No matter, I plan to practice my new life, focus on the fun, the people, the activities, not on the food. Kind of like a dress rehearsal.