Jack Fabulous

Last month, I went to a professional conference in Dallas and met a lot of the same colleagues I meet every year. Many of them could not believe my dramatic weight loss. People kept telling me how good I looked. In fact, they were overflowing with comments over how good I looked. Over the last two weeks, I went out to lunch with two different friends of mine; people who I’ve known through work that have not seen me in a while. They were also gushing over how good I looked and how much weight I had lost. The bottom line that I took away from all of these comments was that I’ve lost a lot of weight. The reaction of all of these people scares me. The thing that it leaves me wondering is, “My God, how fat must I have been for these people to have such a reaction to my weight loss?” I never really thought that I was that fat. In fact, I know the numbers say differently, but I feel about as fat as I did when I had an extra eighty pounds on me. In fact, I even feel like I look as if I have another eighty pounds on me. So really, how fat was I? This is partly a very embarrassing question because I really must have let myself go. All of these comments from other people make me quite nervous. While I appreciate it, they feed into my insecurities. On some level, my weight loss is a private matter, and I would like to keep it as such. However, that’s not possible when everybody around you can physically see the changes in your body. People are bound to comment. I asked one friend with whom I can speak frankly with, “Everybody has told me how wonderful I look and how much weight I’ve lost. Everyone has been gushing over me, which leads me to wonder exactly how fat I was.” He just looked at me and said, “Jack, you were really fat. You were so fat that I was really worried about you. When I stood next to you, I could hear you having trouble breathing and I was scared for you. You’ve had trouble walking and getting around. You look a lot better and a lot healthier now.” I was partly in shock. I did not realize that was the image I had been portraying for so long. Now, I am just embarrassed about my weight. I’m embarrassed that I let myself go to such a level. I’m embarrassed to even discuss it. It’s almost as if I feel like I owe the world an apology for being so fat. I feel like saying to everyone, I’m sorry that I let myself go and became as fat as I did. Please forgive me. Please, for God’s sakes, love me now for the new me. Did I feel loved when I weighed 325 pounds? I knew that there were people out there who loved me, but no, I didn’t feel loved. Do I feel loved now? No, I don’t, but I do feel that I am capable of being loved, whereas I didn’t before. I think partly it was because I didn’t love myself, and now, very slowly, I am learning to love myself.

Well, if you lose more than you want you can always get butt implants. I hear a certain type of men get them to give them a "rounder" look. LOL

It has been five months since my surgery. I have lost eighty pounds. That’s about sixteen pounds per month, or about four pounds per week. I would say on average, I am very pleased with my progress, even though I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. I’ve had two major stalls, which had more to do with my depression and food addiction than actual physical changes within my body. During those times, I was terrified that I would never be able to lose another pound again – or, even worse – I would gain some weight. Fortunately, I didn’t end up gaining weight, and I feel like I am back on track to losing some more. I still need to incorporate exercise into my everyday routine, but overall, I think I’m doing okay. As I look back over the last five months, I can’t believe how far I’ve come. This much weight loss would never have been possible without the surgery, regardless of how much time I took to try to lose it. I still want to lose another seventy-five to eighty pounds. My doctor would be happy if I just lost another fifty. If I lose another eighty pounds, in the next five months, I’ll be at my goal weight by Christmas. Clearly, the biggest struggle has been the addiction. If it wasn’t for that, I think I would have been able to lose a lot more weight, faster.

Each day you will feel better than you did the day before. Let me know if you have any questions. Here is a link to my blog from the month I got surgery: http://jfabulous43.w...ss.com/2012/02/. It will tell you what I experienced and hopefully let you know what to expect in the coming weeks. Let me know if you have any questions. The only way I got through this in the beginning was by talking to someone who I met online who had already gone through it. He was a real life saver and talked me through all my hard and anxious moments.

I bought all my foods from www.blossomfoods.com. They have 5 oz frozen meals that are puréed. The size is perfect for my stomach. In fact I still use them because they are just so convenient and really help keep me on track. The foods are high in protein and between 100 - 200 calories each.

I've over eaten a few times and ended up throwing up. But I can't say there is anything I "can't" eat. I've tried every kind of food and I've been fine.

By Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E., Lifescript Nutrition Expert Published January 25, 2012 You’ve been cutting down on fat, controlling carbs and exercising five days a week. So why aren’t you losing weight? From physical factors (age and genetics) to self-sabotage (eating mindlessly), here are 10 things that will derail your Quest for a slimmer body... You’re no slacker when it comes to your health: You exercise, watch what you eat, use Portion Control, and can resist Ben & Jerry’s without a problem. Yet the scale needle still won’t budge. Why are so many dieters destined to regain lost weight or never lose anything at all? Here are 10 reasons your body isn’t behaving: Physical Factors 1. You don’t have enough muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Fat and muscle tissues consume calories all day long whether you’re running, reading or sleeping. No matter what you’re doing, muscle rips through more calories than fat. That's why men burn calories a lot faster than women; they have more muscle. What to do: Lift weights. You don’t have to get huge, but building and maintaining muscle week after week, year after year makes a difference in the long run. Registered dietitian and certified personal trainer Marci Anderson has her clients alternate between strength exercises and heart rate-raising cardio in each session. “That way, their strength training includes the calorie-burning effect of cardio.” 2. Genetics: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. If both parents are obese, you are much more likely to be obese, says Jill Comess, M.S., R.D., food science and nutrition program director at Norfolk State University in Virginia. “Researchers estimate that your genes account for at least 50% - and as much as 90% - of your stored body fat,” she says. What to do: You’re not doomed. Your weight-loss challenge is just 10%-50% greater. “Losing even just a few pounds makes you healthier and less likely to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer,” Comess says. “So you don’t have to be super-slim to improve your health.” If an overweight woman loses even 5%-10% of her total body weight, she has a greater chance of reducing or getting off her high blood pressure or other meds, she adds. 3. You’re getting older. A sluggish metabolism is a common aging problem. And we encourage it by sitting in traffic, long hours at the office and in front of computers. All this inactivity means we gradually lose muscle and increase body fat, resulting in a metabolic slump. But it’s not unbeatable. What to do: First, lift weights. But don’t underestimate the power of just moving. You faithfully walk the treadmill for an hour each day or go to yoga class, but what are you doing the other 23 hours? It’s a no-brainer: Folding laundry, walking to a co-worker’s desk and cooking dinner burn more calories than just watching TV, emailing your co-worker or driving to the pizza joint. Thin people fidget and move (called non-exercise activity) more than obese people, research shows. In fact, such antsy behavior might burn as much as 350 more calories per day – the equivalent of two doughnuts. 4. Your body can’t keep up. To survive in the days before supermarkets, your body evolved some complex starvation-coping strategies. Now that food isn’t scarce, these processes can work against us, explains Jim Anderson, M.D., Professor Emeritus, Medicine and Clinical Nutrition at the University of Kentucky. “The intestines make about two dozen hormones – some that stimulate eating and others that decrease the need to eat,” he says. The sophisticated hormonal response can’t cope with our sedentary lifestyle and all those tempting Twinkies, potato chips and frozen dinners we gobble, he says. So it’s harder to maintain ideal body weight. What to do: You can’t fight evolution, so you have to focus extra-hard on those things you can. Be active every day and fill up on low-calorie foods, such as broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, green Beans and other non-starchy vegetables. 5. Your medicine cabinet is to blame. A host of drugs that treat diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, inflammatory disease and more affect weight regulation. Some will make you hungrier and others stimulate your body to store fat. And if a drug affects the brain, there’s a good chance it affects weight, Anderson says. What to do: Ask your health care provider if an alternate drug or a lower dose could work, but don’t change your medications without discussing it first. Self-Sabotage Are you your own worst diet enemy? It’s easy to let everyday life get in the way of making smart food choices. The drive-thru instead of a home-cooked meal is an obvious mistake. But you could be sabotaging yourself in some not-so-apparent ways too. 6. You underestimate portions and calories. Even dietitians underestimate calories – and by huge amounts! One study found that women and overweight people miscalculate more than others. Other studies suggest that the greatest underestimating occurs when the meals are the largest, and that it doesn’t have anything to do with how fat someone is. What to do: Follow the portion guidelines at mypyramid.gov for several days. Use measuring spoons, measuring cups and a food scale to guide you. Then plug in your food choices on that site or another reputable one to calculate your calorie intake. And read every food label for serving size and calories. Need more help? Visit eatright.org to find a registered dietitian in your area. 7. You eat mindlessly or when distracted. Do you eat dinner in front of the TV? Do you stop eating when you’re full or when the show is over? All too often, such distraction leads to more and more mouthfuls of Pasta or potatoes. If you’re munching from a bag of chips or a box of crackers, you can’t keep track of how much you’ve eaten. And plenty of dieters report they didn’t even realize they had snacked from the candy bowl or nibbled from a child’s plate until it was too late. What to do: Make it a house rule to eat from a dish. Always. No bags, cartons or fistfuls. Put it in a dish, sit down and savor the taste as you eat – without distraction. That means that if you’re going to grab the crust of your daughter’s grilled cheese sandwich, you have to put it on a plate first. 8. You deprive yourself. Your list of can’t-have foods is so long, it rivals the nation’s tally of foreclosed homes. In fact, you’ve been so strict with yourself, you can’t remember the last time you ate a doughnut, candy bar or slice of pizza. Then - like so many times before - you give in, scarf down something taboo, and now you’re mad at yourself. So what the heck, you think: You’ll just eat everything on your forbidden list to get it out of your system. You’ll start your diet over again tomorrow – or next week. Problem is, you can’t get it out of your system. It just doesn’t work that way. What to do: No more setting yourself up for feeling deprived. In fact, no more dieting. Take the focus away from that list of bad foods and emphasize those that are good for you. If 90% of the time you eat a wholesome diet of ample fruits and vegetables, some whole grains, lean meats or other sources of Protein, then the other 10% doesn’t really matter. So enjoy that glazed doughnut – but just one. If you want another, it will still be there tomorrow. After all, doughnuts or candy bars or pizza or whatever won’t drop off the face of the earth. 9. You’re usually good, but… You always watch your portions. You start every morning with a healthful Breakfast and eat only baked chicken, not fried. Always that is, unless you’re on vacation or dining out. Or celebrating a birthday. Or sharing an anniversary. Or honoring your son’s first home run. Consistency is key to dropping pounds. Researchers involved with the National Weight Control Registry found that those who eat similarly day after day are more likely to maintain weight loss than others. One splurge meal in a restaurant can easily undo all the small calorie-saving tricks you employed the whole week before. Derail yourself every week and you’ll never get anywhere. What to do: Again, stop dieting and start making small changes you can live with. Find ways to Celebrate that don’t involve high-calorie eating (like a manicure) or take half of that restaurant meal home to celebrate again tomorrow. 10. You overestimate your calorie burn. Gym machines are notorious for overestimating the calories burned by exercisers, and dieters can easily out-eat their workouts. Your 30-minute power walk might burn 200 calories, but that won’t make up for your after-exercise power smoothie. What to do: Exercise is an important tool in controlling your weight and maintaining good health, but stop rewarding your good work with food. If you’re tempted to follow a sweat session with a smoothie or muffin, consider these numbers first: Food/Calories Activity/Time to Burn Calories Medium nonfat latte and blueberry muffin (605 calories) Walking 3.0 mph (20-minute mile), 2 hours, 14 minutes Walking 4.0 mph (15-minute mile), 1 hour, 29 minutes Large bagel with cream cheese (430 calories) Jogging 5.2 mph (11.5-minute mile), 35 minutes Aerobic dancing, low impact, 63 minutes 22-ounce strawberry smoothie with artificial sweetener (250 calories) Weight training, light, 61 minutes Circuit training (includes aerobic activity), 23 minutes Fast food sausage and egg biscuit (500 calories) Gardening, 92 minutes House cleaning, heavy, 2 hours, 2 minutes * based on average 180-pound person

It has been a while since I last wrote here notwithstanding my most recent post. Somehow, it seems longer than that. I think because overall I have not been blogging very much for the last couple of months. Furthermore, it upsets me to admit that I have not been reading my dear friends. I guess you could accuse me of being a bit self-absorbed and you would be not far from the mark. If my blog is a place I come to document my life, emotions and actions then where can I go to escape my life and my emotions? Yes my friends, I have been on a crusade to escape my reality. In that respect, this entry is no different than the one I posted three weeks ago except to say I fell deeper into my addictions. In last month, I have fallen back into my old addictive behaviors of overeating, making poor food choices, and surfing the Internet. I’ve been staying up past my bedtime on the Internet. Without an adequate amount of sleep, I can’t wake up to exercise. Also, I’m groggy and sleepy for the day so I also tend to eat more and have a very hard time concentrating. The thing that is scary is that my thoughts and rationalizations about my behavior reverted back to the same as they were before surgery. There are times, in fact, that I forget I’ve even had the surgery. This pattern of behavior is quite frustrating. I really wish that I could be at a point where I make good choices because that is the right thing to do. I make healthy choices because I am a healthy person. I wish it was more black and white than it is. For the year before having surgery, I was highly motivated and focused on the goal of having surgery. I did not allow anything to get in the way of me being approved for, and having, the surgery. I had even decided that if I was not approved by the insurance company that I’d take a loan out and do it myself. Once I had the surgery, my goal was to survive the first few months and I lose a significant amount of weight. As I get farther away from the shock and awe of the surgery, I’m settling into a bad routine. Lately, with my old behaviors coming back, it seems that I have lost my direction. I should create a new goal and tell myself not to let anything get in the way of getting to that goal. One good thing about all my self-destructive behavior is that while I haven’t lost any weight, I haven’t gained any either. I haven’t taken any backward steps, but I haven’t moved forward. It’s time to start moving forward again. A lot of my poor eating habits coming back, and my food and Internet addictions rearing their ugly heads, have had to do with all the stress I am under at work. I’ve come to the conclusion that being stressed at work is a perpetual state of affairs, and I need to figure out a better way to deal with it. Adding fuel to this fire has been the fact that my wife was not around for two weeks. She went to California to see her friends and I was left alone and to my own devices. Now that she is back, I’ve tried to straighten up a bit. I’m trying to make better choices. I’ve decided to go back onto my pureed diet. I was able to lose about a pound a day on that. So, time to get back into the swing of things.

Congratulations!! Welcome. This is a great community.

Congratulations on your surgery date! This is a very exciting time for you and we are all here to support you in your success! I agree with the list of foods above and would also add sugar free popcicles and werthers caramel candy. As for protein shakes, I really like Premier Protein Chocolate - it sort of tastes like chocolate milk. During your soft/pureed foods stage, I recommend getting some food from www.blossomfoods.com. They make 5 oz containers of frozen pureed foods that have a good amount of protein and only 150 - 180 calories. They are the perfect size for your smaller stomach. Even though I can eat anything I want, I still eat the shakes and blossom foods because they are easy and convenient. Later as you graduate to solid foods, Zone Perfect makes a pretty good protein bar in strawberry. I write a lot about my journey and emotions in my blog so please feel free to stop by and read it. You will realize that the feelings you are having are normal and we all go through them. In a nutshell here is what happens: You are excited about the surgery You are scared and worried You think you shouldn't have the surgery because you know you can lose all this weight all by yourself even though you haven't done it yet A day or two before surgery you are anxious and worried about complications and things going wrong After surgery you are in pain and can't eat much at all and you wonder if you made the wrong decision You discover that the pain from the surgery is nothing compared to the gas pain (who knew?) The pain gets better each day and you feel better than the day before each day. A month after surgery you have lost some weight and are excited about your new life Then the stall hits and lasts a while and you wonder if you will ever lose another pound Once you get over your stall you are relieved Sorry to ramble on but I know that the one thing that got me through the surgery was knowing what to expect and knowing how I was going to feel before I felt it

I want to see it. I wish I had a video of my surgery.

I’ve come to the conclusion that work is stressful and will be for the foreseeable future. My boss and I do not see eye to eye on how the department should be run and we have been having a few … Continue reading →

Blood clots was a fear of mine as well. My dr prescribed blood thinners for 1 month after surgery. Thankfully, I had no issues. I think you should discuss your concerns with your doctor and see what he says.

Different doctors have different diets but they all have the same goal -- shrink your liver so that the surgery is easier. My diet was similar to yours. I would recommend following your doctor's instructions and not worry about what others are doing.

I went on a month long last supper and ate at all the fancy restaurants in town before my surgery. I'm glad I did, because after that month of gluttony, I didn't want another 5 star 10 course meal again.

I set up private consultations with several surgeons. I also read their reviews online. I found one that I was most comfortable with, and went with him. Find one that not only answers all your questions but also addresses your fears.

GO! GO! GO! Read as much as you can about other people's experiences. I found that really helped me because nothing was a surprise. I felt like at every step of the journey I knew what to expect. Knowing that what you are experiencing is normal is half the battle.

GO! GO! GO! Read as much as you can about other people's experiences. I found that really helped me because nothing was a surprise. I felt like at every step of the journey I knew what to expect. Knowing that what you are experiencing is normal is half the battle.

My hospital gown was very comfortable. They gave me two which I thought was very forward thinking of them. They put one on the front and one on my back. It was perfect.

The fear of complications during surgery is very normal. I was afraid that either I would never wake up, have a heart attack during surgery, or that the doctor would accidental cut an artery and I would bleed out. But here's the thing. This surgery is "routine" and my doctor does 6 or 8 of them a week. Also, it is very similar to a gallbladder/spleen/appendix surgery. When you think of all the surgeries being performed every day with no complications, you need to have faith that yours will be just as smooth.

1. Imagine the new healthier you 2. Walk around the block 3. Call a friend 4. Make a list of your Top Ten Reasons to Lose Weight 5. Make a To Do list 6. Turn on music and dance 7. Jot a thank you note to someone 8. Go to bed early or take a nap 9. Read a book 10. Blog or journal 11. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure 12. Plan a healthy meal for your family 13. Surf the Internet 14. Finish an unfinished project 15. Walk your dog, pet your cat, feed your fish 16. Brush your teeth 17. Balance your checkbook 18. Say a prayer 19. Chop veggies to keep on hand 20. Give a massage 21. Clean out a junk drawer 22. Play a game with your kids 23. Try a new route on your walk 24. Drink a glass of water 25. Kiss someone 26. Try on some of your clothes 27. Look at old pictures 28. Rent a video 29. Wash your car 30. Take a hot, soothing bath 31. Update your calendar 32. Work in your yard 33. Start your holiday shopping list 34. Count your blessings 35. Write a letter 36. Fold some laundry 37. Check your e-mail 38. Give your dog a bath 39. Send a birthday card 40. Meditate 41. Hug someone 42. Rearrange some furniture 43. Light a fire or some candles 44. Put your pictures in an album 45. Plan a trip (real or imaginary) 46. Straighten a closet 47. Clean out files 48. Visit a friend 49. Clean out your trunk 50. Do something nice for someone

Most of these decisions will be made my your surgeon and not the hospital, so I'd recommend discussing this with him/her. My surgery was at Virginia Hospital Center (and they were awesome) and my doctor did not put me on any type of catheter for drainage or a tube down my throat. I was not given any pain medication after the day of surgery because of my sleep apnea, but the pain was manageable and got better each day. You may very likely have a morphine pump. I was not given a pump but was given small amounts of morphine that first day. After surgery, you will physically not be able to pee for the first two days because of the anesthesia, that is why some doctors use the drain. I'm glad my doctor didn't.

We all go through a rainbow of emotions before and after surgery. It is normal to have second thoughts. My surgery was much smoother and my recovery was quicker because I listened to my doctor and stuck to the protein shakes. Try Premier Protein Chocolate -- It almost tastes like chocolate milk. Also, feel free to check out my blog because I write a lot about how I survived all the fears, emotions, and one month of protein shakes. I'm 4 months out and looking back at it, that one month seems like a far away memory and I have no regrets.

You want to talk embarrassing? I used to eat the 12" sandwich with DOUBLE MEAT!