This is a follow up to my “Life Altering” post from October, 2017 – BR
You know that saying? That inside every fat person is a thin person screaming to get out? I used to be able to shut that guy up with a burrito. Or three.
If I live to see June 23 2018, I will turn 52 years old. I will also be around 100 pounds lighter than I was when I turned 51. I was about 33 pounds North of 300 pounds one year ago.
On November 17, 2017 I had gastric sleeve surgery to remove a good portion of my stomach.
People ask me if I had any regrets about having the surgery. The answer is yes, I do have one regret following the procedure: I wish I would have had it done 20 years ago.
I had no idea how bad I was feeling until I felt better. What you don’t really notice while gaining weight is how you are slowly putting yourself, and your family, in a prison. You limit your options and abilities. What you can wear, where you can go, where you can fit. It all slowly changes until you have realized you have eaten yourself into a corner and you cannot do things you used to do.
For those who think bariatric surgery is a magic pill for weight loss, let me just say that I have to be more purposeful and attentive to what I consume than ever before. Protein first, then some carbs. Always. Fried foods very rarely cross my plate, and when they do it is very little. I don’t drink while eating. I eat healthier than I ever have. My relationship with food has changed. I do my multi-vitamin, my vitamin B, vitamin D and calcium every morning. I have a routine and new habits.
I do want to lose down to about 199 lbs. Actually, around 200 lbs. is fine, but I want to be able to say I am under 200 lbs. When I am finished, I will have lost the equivalent to a horse jockey, a toddler and a small dog combined.
Here is a partial list of things I can do now or that have drastically improved for me since the surgery:
- Run a 5K. Not fast mind you, but yeah, I am running now. If you saw me running a year ago, I would have told you to run with me, because something big and bad was chasing me.
- Climb stairs without having to hire a Sherpa and set up base camp for anything over one flight.
- Buy cloths in the regular sized guy section.
- What asthma?
- My blood pressure is controlled without meds.
- I can sleep without a c-pap and not drive my wife insane from snoring.
- Tying my shoes or putting on socks is not preceded by a self-pep talk and deep breaths. “You can do this man…breath deep…and…<<GRUNNNNT>>”
- I am no longer nervous about the 300 lb. weight limit on my ladder.
- I will now bend over to pick up a penny off the floor. A year ago, it had to be at least a dime.
- Restaurant booths no longer cause a mild panic attack. You bigger folks will understand. Nothing like being led to a booth, then having to explain to some skinny little thing that you will need a table because of your size.
- I can fly without having to worry about having to ask for a seat belt extender.
I don’t know how many days God has given me on this earth. That is not for me to know. I have no idea if my surgery will add one more day to my life.
But I can say without reservation that losing this weight has added life to my days.