Chris P Bacon

Dr Dobruskin did my surgery in February. Don't worry your in good hands. I was nervous too but everything went really smooth. Good luck!

I'm not far from Edison and I had my operation at RWJ. Good luck to everyone it's absolutely worth it.

Im from NJ too. I was sleeved 2/5 at RWJ by Dr. Dobruskin. Everything was very smooth and I was able to get home the next day. Good luck to you

I have lost 55. My weight loss has almost went to a halt for 2 mos but that is my own fault. Just started the gym a week ago so these pics should get better and better.

Oh and if your getting one here's a pretty good tip. Your going to want to shower like really bad heh and you got to keep it dry. I suggest using glad press and seal ( it's like Saran Wrap but way better. It actually clings to things) and wrap the drain around your stomach. Worked great for me.

Oh and if your getting one here's a pretty good tip. Your going to want to shower like really bad heh and you got to keep it dry. I suggest using glad press and seal ( it's like Saran Wrap but way better. It actually clings to things) and wrap the drain around your stomach. Worked great for me.

At my largest
updated pic ohhhhh ahhhh
side by side current 213.5 and day after surgery 380
I have always been heavy. When I was a kid playing little league football I had to play with kids 3 to 4 years older than myself to "make weight" This was the start of my struggle with my weight. When I got to Jr High I started power lifting and did that for a few years. I quit while in high school to get a job. It was at that point I started to pack on weight. I was used to consuming a large amount of calories for my physical activity and never scaled it back down after i quit. I quickly balloon up to 300lbs after graduating and getting a desk job.

Fast forward to November of 2011. I was diagnosed with diabetes. I weight 442lbs at the appointment. I still remember that day vividly. Its funny how you can remember the details of major events like that. I was in denial. I left the Doctors office and went to a philly cheese steak place and consumed a meal that consisted of 3500 calories. the entire time thinking to myself, "thats bullshit, I don't have diabetes, my liver function can't be at 60 some odd percent.". It took me a day to process everything and come to terms with it. It was then that I decided to pursue the option of WLS. I made and appointment with a local surgeon.

I started the pre-surgery diet before I even meet with the nut. I did that with the help of the diabetic education system that the local hospital has. Leading up the the surgery the process was took 6 months because of insurance requirements. My surgery was August 17th. During my stay at the hospital all I can remember were the apologies for not having a bed long enough for my 6'3" frame. It was only about 2 days until I really wanted to get up and start doing stuff. I did not become very active due to the doctors warnings to take it easy. The only issues with the post surgery diet that I had were issues with food intolerances. No eggs or turkey, kind of saddening but lift goes on.

At my first check up on talked with the doctor about when I could start exercising. He gave me a date that I would be cleared to go. I called some of my buddies and we setup a time to go for a hike on the Appalachian trail. My first real exercise was an 8 mike hike on the trail. I was beat and went home and slept for like 12 hours. I didn't slow down there. We started hiking every Saturday. We have covered about 1/3 of the Trail in the state of PA, multiple times over. I set a goal to get down to 100lbs below what I started and I would buy a bike. When I hit that goal November of 2012 I went out and bought a nice mountain bike. When I started riding the bike I would park at a friends house about 4 miles, direct route to work, and ride in. I would get between 8 to 10 miles a day. This went on for about a week. As my friends put it I went a little crazy one saturday on my way home. My house is 14.6 miles from work I rode the entire way home after riding for a week. That was the start of my commuting via bike to and from work. I started out getting 30 miles a day. I kept going riding 4 to 5 times a week. When the weather started to get snowy and really cold that slowed down and I joined a gym.

I set another goal, Complete a 100 mile ride for charity with in a year of my surgery date. I registered for the JDRF Ride for a cure, sold my Mountain bike and picked up a road bike. Starting out I was only able to get up to a speed of about 8 to 12 mph through my rides. I started taking the long way to work getting an average of 28 to 32 miles one way. After weeks of working on my speed I have gotten up to a constant 15 to 17 mph peaking with sprints into the high 20's.

At 9 months post op I am at 214 lbs a loss of 228 lbs total 174 in the 9months post surgery. I am no longer on diabetes meds and riding 60+ miles on the days I ride. I still hike and trail run. I have taken up yoga strength training and will be giving cross fit a try. The surgery has given me the tools to be as active as I wanted to be. I am not healthier than I have ever been. I have started running group rides for friends that want to get out and cycle to loose weight. I, for the first time ever, was called a role model.

the morning before surgery and few weeks ago(will take a new pick I have dropped 15 or 20 lbs since that was taken)[/font]

Good news, your marriage to healthy food was not registered with the clerk of courts so you were not officially married! However, mayor Bloomberg may employ the IRS to drag you to NYC, jail you, and feed you oatmeal and tiny slushies.
One binge does not a lifetime ruin. Mentally kick yourself in the butt and then resume your journey to Slim City.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give a quick update on my progress. Hopefully the picture I attached works, if not it can be seen on my profile.
I had surgery on 1/22/2013 with Dr. Garcia at MiDoctor Hospital. My post op recovery has been amazing and my overall experience just fantastic! I have lost 62 lbs as of Mothers Day and I only have 20 to go until I hit my goal weight of 138! On surgery day I weighed 219.8 and today I weighed 158.4. I track every single thing that goes into my mouth on MyFitnessPal and highly recommend that every surgery patient use a similar program as well. I've also lost 37 inches total...most from my stomach!
I hope everyone is doing well!

It's 100% normal to feel nervous or scared. I'm 6'5 and inside I was quivering like a toddler. I wrote the whole "something must have gone terribly wrong letter" and as soon as I got home from the hospital I realized how stupid and silly it was. Listen to your doctor, follow orders and of course listen to your body and you will all do fine. Good luck everyone!!

It's 100% normal to feel nervous or scared. I'm 6'5 and inside I was quivering like a toddler. I wrote the whole "something must have gone terribly wrong letter" and as soon as I got home from the hospital I realized how stupid and silly it was. Listen to your doctor, follow orders and of course listen to your body and you will all do fine. Good luck everyone!!

The scale is a disinterested observer. The friend or foe is in the head. The trick is taking in his data and concluding wisely. About 50% of the topics here are born of false assumption and hysteria. But..that's ok....we is what we is....human Beans.
Mmmmmmm.......beans!

Chin up OTR your knowledge and advice on this site is priceless and has helped me numerous times. You took a big step in acknowledging what you have been doing wrong and I have full faith in you that you can and will correct any slight misstep you may have taken. Best of luck to you man!!

There once was a boy, a huge ginormous boy who never really fit in. He would walk around slowly and breathlessly. Many would stare, kids would giggle and point. This boy was super content with his life but he knew something needed to change. So he became a women.... Wait no that's not right. He decided to have wls surgery, yes much better. So one night on Halloween a tummy fairy came along and tore out his stomach. And it was painful. He had to learn how to reeat. He followed the Fairys instructions to the T. He also found a site with people who had the same thing occur. Some of them who are nice, others who aren't. Six months later this boy loses 117 lbs and walks at a brisker pace. No one stares, his clothing is looser and he's much much healthier/happier. He doesn't regret his choice though it was the hardest thing to do in the world. He made the best choice and so will you.

i'm not having the hunger pains (i don't think) but i'm having severe nausea...my stomach has growled at times and then i have a shake and it tames it down (or ticks it off lol)...my pre op is 3-5 shakes a day and water...normally i would eat a cracker to help with the nausea but that's a no go for this. just trying to muster through it...5 days left!

I'm on day 6 of 14 ,,,,, the hunger pains go away after about day 4. Along with "most " of the mental hunger pains. Lol. I'm actually trying to take it one day at a time. I get kinda overwhelmed if I think about having 8 days to go. Lol. Then 4 weeks after surgery. Geeeze I'm hungery !!!!! Lol

* ...sneaks into forum very inconspicuously and high fives aroundhdk, runs away fast...*

OTR,
Let me first say I think you are doing awesome through this tough "journey".
I know there are a lot of us having the same struggles with food and our addictions to it.
I have really been trying to be more honest and open here and in "real" life. I'm glad that you feel safe enough at this point to talk about it.
We are here after all to help each other.

Wow, do I really not want to admit this. But, I did it, I had a relapse.
For a few weeks I was eating candy and ice cream on a daily basis. Somewhere in the area of 2000 calories a day worth of candy bars & ice cream. That's plus my salads and Proteins.
I'm really ashamed of myself, not because I had relapse, that's just part of life for an addict. We are really good at justifying our addictions and tripping ourselves up. My shame comes from the fact that I let my pride get I the way of my recovery. I should have come here and told my sleeve family when I realized it was a problem. I knew it was a problem less than 1 week into it, but I couldn't bring myself to admitting it to you.
About a week ago I got on the scale & had gained back 7-8lbs. I was so disappointed in myself. I am back on a very strict diet, let me assure you getting back on track is much harder when you don't have a fresh staple line to scare you into following the rules.
The total disgust I felt looking at that number on he scale was enough to put me back on the straight and narrow.
But let me tell you from experience, stay mindful of what you eat. There have always been 2 schools of thought on eating post VSG, the "what's best" & the "what's acceptable". This experience has assured me even more the I belong in the "what's best" crowd. I really need to focus on my health because "acceptable" for me quickly turns into overindulgence.
I feel I need to apologize to you, my sleeve family for not being open about this when it happened.

'Its All New'......I'll get back to you soon on the message and I'm really glad you've decided to do this, yet also know and understand about moderation (not doing anything too obsessive) and understanding that staying who you are and being feminine is really nice to hear! So many people in that industry take drastic and unhealthy steps (hormones, over-tanning, etc). I wouldn't call myself a bodybuilder and Ive never competed, but I have lifted a lot with my physique being one of the many benefits I get from lifting.
I would advise you first to have a reasonable expectation and approach toward adding lean muscle, and with your 1 year goal, I think you already have a good grasp on that. Muscle, especially for women, is added to the body at a very slow rate, much slower than adding the other type of body mass......fat. I speak from experience on that one. . But with the right workout, proper nutrition and patience, it's possible. Again, I'll reply soon to your message and will tell what I know and what works for me. 'I'm not a personal trainer....but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night'.

Just have to give kudos to my husband fiddleman who has been working out at crossfit for about 2 months or so now twice a week. He just came back from a workout and I touched his upper leg- it felt like it had no give in it whatsoever! I seriously couldn't believe his leg was that hard and had to keep touching it to be sure. He's got his college cycling legs back! Plus he getting nicely defined pecs- he's never had that! Crossfit really does get your body into shape and resculpted. :) . Happy wife! I can't wait to have my surgery and be able to do workouts like that!

I'm not far from Edison and I had my operation at RWJ. Good luck to everyone it's absolutely worth it.

First pic is from Christmas 2012 highest weight 340lbs. Had surgery March 28, 2013 I've lost 42lbs to date so almost 6 weeks. Can anyone see a difference? I can't really:/ need some uplifting words!!

Any one miss me?! Lol sorry been busy at school!! Any way. I've been loosing steadily now on to my 6 month and feeling good. Wearing smaller clothes and having even more sas!

Not being a 'big guy' was on my mind from the moment I started this process, yes. I totally get what you're saying.
I'm 6-6, and as you can see on the ticker, I peaked out at 362 (before and after shots in my profile). There was no "I'm just big-boned" about it...I was a big guy, and for a long time that was really how I identified myself, how others saw me, etc. I actually took a sense of pride in "Big Dog" shirts, etc. Men are supposed to be strong, tough, etc., right? It was part of my identity as much as being of a particular political persuasion, drinking my coffee black, the type of beer I drank, the meat I ate, and the kind of cars I drive. IT'S. WHO. YOU. ARE.
Now that I'm at (actually, below this AM...woot) my goals, 128 down, let me tell you, brother, you'll get past it. I'm still tall, so that hasn't changed, but let me tell you that I'm feeling like a stud right now, and the Big Guy is the old me. There was nothing wrong with him, other than the horrific health costs it carried, but that ain't me any more.
So it'll take some getting used to. But, at least if you're like me, you'll get used to fitting in pants you haven't worn in 20 year, you'll get used to not panting for breath climbing a hill, you'll get used to finding Mr. Happy is longer, harder and ready for more, and you'll get used to people saying every day how great you look, believe me. The adjustment has not been as difficult as I thought.
Now, for my wife...well, it's been an adjustment. I'm not the same person physically she married. Hell, I'm less than I was when we started DATING in 1991. So, it's been an adjustment. Some good, some bad.
Bottom line is, dude, we big guys are great, but not if we're dead. Take care of your body; it's the only one you get. Best of luck to you in your journey. Rock it hard, man.