goblue9280

Much appreciated! Keep at it, everything will eventually become 2nd nature and the time will start to fly by!

Congrats
Sent from my SM-N920T using the BariatricPal App

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Went into my original consultation wanting the sleeve, Doc quickly set me down the RNY path. The main reasons (as others have mentioned) was because of my BMI, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
The surgery went well. I had it done around noon on a Thursday, and was discharged around noon the next day so I was only in the hospital around 30 hours when you include pre-surgery time. I went home with some pain meds took a couple each of the first two days and then was fine. Slept a ton over those first few days, but by about day 4 post-op I had more energy than I had in months. Went back to work 6 days post-op (desk job.)
I have had zero issues with any foods. I never was nauseous or vomited. I have yet to experience dumping, but stay away from sweets and carbs as I'm too afraid to try them right now. I'm 6 weeks post-op today and am in my regular food phase, but have been sticking to mostly foods from the pureed and soft food phases. As of today, I'm down 46 pounds from the morning of surgery (67 lbs down when you include pre-op loss), so an average of almost 8 pounds per week which I know will slow soon. I'm able to eat 1/2 cup of food with no issues at mealtime. 2 to 2.5 ounces of meat (tuna, chicken or turkey) don't cause me any issues. I'm working cooked veggies into my meals now... have been sauteing zucchini the past few days with a little olive oil and some garlic.
Experiencing foods again post surgery is an awesome event. I don't know that my tastes for different foods have been altered greatly as I still crave many of the same things. However, being on the pre-op liquid diet, and the blandness of those first few weeks has greatly enhanced my taste buds. Vegetables I ate and barely tasted before are now full of complex flavors. Like the zucchini for example, I use a little fresh garlic so I pick up that flavor, but I also now pick up the underlying sweet flavor of the zucchini itself. Tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, green Beans... they all have these great flavor profiles I never experienced before. I haven't had much fruit yet, but the little bit of fresh cantaloupe and banana I had was amazing. The sweetness hit me like a ton of bricks. For me, that's probably the coolest part of this journey so far... finding out (and embracing) how full of flavor real food is.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

awesome results......what an amazing feeling
I think we have all been on the funk of "this is just my life" ..and felt we had to live unhappy
I am looking forward to a fresh start.....this was very inspiring!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

Congratulations you look great!!!
Sent from my SM-G900T1 using the BariatricPal App

Amazing!! Congrats!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congrats did u have a lot of loose skin after loosing I haven't had my surgery yet but hopefully with in a month or so
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congrats you look fantastic and must feel the same
Sent from my L9 using the BariatricPal App

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.