Start here
Where are you in your journey?
Choose the path that fits today. We’ll take you to the most useful discussions.
- GLP-1 medication Zepbound, Wegovy, access, side effects, progress, and support.
- Before surgery Compare procedures, plan ahead, and get honest pre-op answers.
- Post-op Recovery, food stages, symptoms, and support.
- Long-term Regain, labs, habits, and life after the honeymoon.
- Revision Explore revision options, complications, and next steps.
The War - next battle getting sleeved December 1
- Replies 6
- Views 488
- Created
- Last Reply
Featured Replies
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.
Hello All - My name is Dave.
My story, will sound familiar to a lot of you. I really can't remember a time I have not been fighting the war against fat.
I can even remember struggling when I was 13-14, and I was simply a big boned farm boy. Then on to football and wrestling, I bulked up for football, played lineman then would "drop" down in wrestling season to wrestle into the 189# division. Keep going into my late teens, was told I needed to loose 40# to get into the Military. Lost it, and more in boot camp down to my "adult" lowest weight of 177 - which was according to the Military and common medical thought the my "ideal" weight - whatever the hell that meant. My mother upon seeing me straight out of boot camp asked the period appropriate question "Son, do you have AIDS?".
I continued to battle my weight while I was in the Military, always struggling to stay below the magic 201# which was my maximum allowed. I ran a 2-3 miles several times a week, alternated with weight lifting and what they would call "core" strengthening today. I was always on the "chunky chicken" program. Then I met my beautiful wife, 25 years ago.
I got out of the military and within a year started college, put on a college 20 give or take, mostly give. We didn't have the money and I sure didn't have the time to eat right. I commuted 64 miles one way every day to school, worked 4 jobs, and when I was home slept.
I started a high stress job, that I enjoy, have been required to keep my weight first below a 35 BMI which required losing about 55# at the time and then later on was asked to keep it below a 40 BMI, which required losing about 80# of which I have always lost the weight only to have it come back plus more.
Then I continued to age, funnily enough finding much harder after 40 to lose weight, simply could not burn off the calories as well. I had a life changing injury, complete rupture of my right Achilles tendon, by the time I was able to walk again the weight had creeped back on. Once again working 12-14 hour days on call 24/7, even on my days off I would get several phone calls, just no time to work out and I have been in pain all the time, I would get motivated start eating walking, etc and then I would hurt myself because I was so big. I have injured tendons in both knees, sprained ankles, and some of it is simply the abuses of my younger life coming back to me.
So that is my war, I have won some battles losing huge amounts of weight, I have lost some battles, the most recent win is battling with my insurance company for almost 2 years - have gotten my approval for a sleeve. I started my liquid diet 9 days ago, my surgery is scheduled for 1 December. I have lost about 19 pounds demonstrating to the insurance I can do it, and I have lost at least another 15 plus on my liquid diet. The next campaign....
I guess I am equal parts nervous and excited about this sleeve, not worried very much about the surgery itself. I am worried about the impact it it will have in changing my family relationships. I worry about my resolve to use this tool, to keep lose and keep my weight off for my life. I worry about my relationship with food, I am not a huge junk food eater, but I do like a cold beer or three, and I love home cooked meals and I am a pretty decent cook, but don't hold a candle the the meals my bride can put together.
I have a lot of things to motivate me, being alive is the biggest one, the path I have been on isn't looking pretty probably not make it to retirement. The love of my life and being able to enjoy our twilight together. I want to see my teenage daughters married. I want to see my Grandson graduate. I have 110 acres of rural farm land, that is our own piece of God's country that needs a lot of work and effort to raise some animals and such.
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it" - Margret Thatcher