MG1776

I'm a finisher of a half marathon! Completed yesterday on a beautiful day to run. My hips and Knee are pretty angry with me today, but we finished at 2:19. Not bad for my first half. I was able to run with my wife, so that made it much nicer and easier to get through

Next Monday I go in for my 6 month post op appt. HW was 327, and as of this morning I am 201.2. I'm going to fight like hell to be in onederland for my appt. 1.4 lbs in a week. I'll be hitting the gym and eating very clean to make sure this happens!

This weekend I went shopping for clothes after yet another purge of the closet. I've gone from a 3XL shirt and 44 pants to a Large shirt and 34 pants! It still feels surreal. I'm 18 lbs from my goal weight and 4 lbs from moving from the obese category to "overweight." I'm down 70 lbs from my 10/16/17 surgery date, and 114 lbs down overall in a year. 

I'm a little over 12 weeks post op VSG. My starting weight was 283 (HW was 329 so I'm almost at 100 lbs lost) and this morning I'm at 229.6. Started with a 44 waist, 3XL shirt, and now in a 36 and in between a L or XL shirt. I find myself buying clothes more often now (probably more than I should), but something about being able to walk into any store and find clothes that I both like and fit well is something very foreign. Before surgery, I was limited on where I could shop and what I could buy. It's a very strange feeling still, but so very awesome. I'm hoping to get down another 40 lbs or so to 190 by summer. Every day is a new day, and still figuring out the ins and outs of my new stomach. Food intake remains very minimal, but can get liquids down with no problems. I've even had a couple of drinks over the Holidays, which I monitored closely. 

This weekend we had end of season football banquets. It was awesome to hear from people that hadn't seen me for a couple of weeks saying how great I looked, I've lost a lot of weight, what am I doing, etc. It was great to hear positive comments and know that everything I was wearing was much smaller than what I was wearing just 6 weeks ago. I'm .2 lbs away from 75 lbs total loss from my heaviest weight, 40lbs since the surgeon consult, and 25 lbs since my sleeve on 10/16. As I sat and relaxed with my wife, we were browsing some photos that were taken and she was shocked by some taken this weekend and how different I looked. She also commented about how different my forearms, hands, and legs looked. I'll take that! Every day is progress, whether the scale reflects it or not. I'm down to a 36-38 size pants from a 44, and a XL shirt from a 3XL. Still have 60lbs-ish to go (not sure what my "goal" is quite yet, just want to be in onederland) and will get there when I get there. No need to rush it. For now, I'm still learning, and becoming a better me with each day that passes.

Today marks 1 month since my VSG. I am 37 lbs down from my initial surgeon visit on 09/11/17, and 21.4 lbs down since surgery 10/16/17. I went from a size 44 pant to a 38, and those are now getting loose. My wardrobe has all been given to goodwill since my clothes were all way too big. I feel great, getting my liquids and protein each and every day, and walking or going to the gym 5 days per week at least. The scale has slowed down the last 10 days or so, but my body is constantly changing. The scale will move. It didn't all get put on overnight, and won't come off overnight. Slower may be better for skin reasons, right? Anyhow, I'm so thankful I did this. Not only do I feel 10 times better, I sleep better, move better, look better, and the constant comments from people isn't bad either! I'm going to bust my butt this next month to see what kind of progress I can make!

Today is my first day back at work since my surgery 10/16. I thought I had thought about everything and returning to work, meals, protein, water, etc. One major thing I didn't think about was me getting dressed for work this morning and putting on slacks that I wore pre-surgery...they looked ridiculous and were entirely too big. It was awesome and stressful at the same time. Luckily, as I rummaged through the closet I found a smaller size that I kept for some strange reason, and while still a bit baggy, they were much better. Guess I'll need to get a couple pairs of slacks tonight to get me through the next month or so, then swap those out. What an awesome feeling to get rid of clothes for being to big for a change.

I just got the call that the lab results and EKG are back. Scheduled an appointment for tomorrow to discuss surgery dates with the nurse and verify all classes and steps have been completed. I'm hoping and praying that the day I've waited so long for will actually be a reality and I can say "I'll be starting to get my life back on XXXX date." I just have to bring my binder/test, post op vitamins and two weeks of food logs with me. Fingers crossed that something is set.

I go in for my labs and EKG tomorrow. Should all go as planned, which I suspect it will, I'll be meeting with the nurse next week to discuss surgery dates. Started the journey 08/02/17 and hoping to get an early to Mid November surgery date for VSG.