Finally an Update

Well, I am finally making an update to this blog about how my Lap Band weight loss is going. Every once in a while you just need to write things down for others to see.

I was stuck at a range of 270-275 for almost 2 months. I couldn't figure it out. I wasn't eating more food or large quantities, or so I thought. I started back to keeping track of everything again at www.fitday.com just to see what was going on. It is amazing how honest you keep yourself when you write down everything you eat. Anyway, I realized that I had been eating too much sugar and high carb foods.

I took in the previous 5 days of eating into the doctors office last Monday. The nurse, Jackie, looked everything over and started laughing when she saw the whiskey entry. I told her that they didn't have single malt scotch as a choice. Actually she was pleased to see the honesty. She told me I shouldn't be eating more than 50 grams of carbs per day, and I had many days close to or over 100.

We decided I needed a new fill on my lap band, just to help restrict the intake. So we added another .8 cc's to the band and on liquids for 48 hours. I thought to myself, no big deal. I of course was wrong. Eating soup was a challenge, as only 1/2 cup of soup was more than enough to satisfy me. Since then, I am really down on quantity, and my cards are staying low. I am focusing on making sure that I am getting high quality proteins.

As it normally goes after a fill, I am losing weight again. Yesterday morning I was down to 265. Only about 30 pounds to go to meet my goal weight.

Making progress

Life is moving along pretty good. I am losing wiehgt steadily again. Down to 277 this morning. Another few pounds and I will be at the weight that I was on the day that I was lucky enough to marry my lovely bride.

It's been a while.

It has been a while since I posted. It has been a very busy summer with kids activities and everything else happening.

I stopped losing weight for a while. I did some evaluation of my diet and decided that I have probably not been very vigilant on my protein intake. I have made an effor to increase protein, which in turn has decreased the carbs.

I went in this past Monday for a new band fill. We had a discussion on my food intake, and they think I might not be taking in enough food. Anyway, the band fill went well, and I am losing a little bit again.

My weight is down to 286 this morning. This is down from a high of 355 in January when I had my first visit with Dr. T, my surgeon. I was 345 on surgery day. The total loss is pretty significant, and I am really looking forward to reaching my goal weight.

The biggest issue with all this weight loss is that my clothes are too big now.

New Milestone!

I reached a new milestone this week. I am under 300 pounds!

Things have been going fairly well since my last visit. We have learned that steak and other dense meats do not go down very well. It seems that the piece needs to be cut extremely small and then chewed like it is the last piece of meat I will ever eat. Otherwise it is extremely painful. I am not sure it is worth it right now.

All else is going very well. We have even forgotten to eat a meal or two along the way. That is something I never thought possible.

Stop freaking out, and listen to your body. Respect the rules of Lap Band.

Well I was so worried about getting sick last week that I scheduled an appointment to get my lap band loosened up. I was afraid it was too tight and that was causing me to get sick.

When I called and talked to the nurse, Jackie, she quizzed me on what I had been eating and doing. I made a strong case to get in and get it released a bit. It turns out that all those questions got me to doing a very serious evaluation of everything that had happened. I realized that I wasn't following the rules.

I learned that if you don't completely chew your food, you are in trouble. If you eat too fast you will miss the ever important warning sign that you have had enough. You don't want to miss that sign. Trust me on this one.

On a bright note, my lovely bride had her band adjusted for the first time this week. She seems to be doing well after the fill.

Well it seems that weight keeps coming off and that is the goal to help me gain control.

What a week!

It has been a tough week since the band fill. Yep, a really tight lap band will make you really respect the rules. I have found that morning is not a good time to eat solid food this week. I have gotten sick a few times this week after just a couple of bites of food that previously didn't give me any problem. I am hoping this is temporary.

To top this all off, I am not home this weekend. I left home on Thursday for the Nebraska Fire School to teach. This has really presendted some challenges while staying in a hotel trying to figure out how to get some nutrition. Chocolate milk is nutrition right?

Life after Lap Band fill.

Howdy!
Life after the latest Lap Band fill has been good. I really can't eat much at all. It is a new challenge to learn just how little to eat before making myself sick. It doesn't take much, about 1/2 cup of food to get very full.

Amyway, exercising more regularly. My oldest two kids are challenging each other to complete workouts and become more fit.

Another Lap Band Fill

I went to the doctors office today to get my lap band filled again. The decision came when I noticed that I wasn't full after the usual 1/2 cup of meat and 1/2 cup of veggies. I also noticed that I maintain the full feeling for at least 3 hours. Anyway, I am making progress on the weight loss, which is the point isn't it.

I have been getting more exercise. Most of it has been on the Wii using Fit Plus and Wii Active. I know both are kinda lame, but I get a decent workout and get a good sweat. It seems that it is helping with the weight loss.

We started trying some recipes from the Lap Band cookbooks. There are some really good things in the book. The kids even like them.

I have been spending a lot of time working in the yard and garden. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can get more planted.

Anyway, it has been challenging adapting to the new life. We are still learning some of the do's and don'ts of the lap band.

A little depressing

It has been a little hard lately. I had my first lap band fill a week and a half ago, and it seems that I have stopped losing weight. I can't believe it. I have been tracking my food intake fairly close. I just don't understand how I can not lose weight when only eating between 900 and 1500 calories per day.

On top of all of this I have this nasty cough that won't go away. I thought it might be allergies so I took some allergy meds and it didn't help. I guess I will need to get checked out by the doctor.

This is getting depressing.

First Lap Band Fill

Just finished my first lap band fill with Dr. T. It was amazingly painless and simple.
The doctor used the flouroscope to locate the fill port and then inserted the needle. Did I say needle? This thing was at least 4 inches long. Truthfully, I didn't anything since he numbed up the area.
After locating the fill port with the needle, I stood up infront of the flouroscope so that I could drink some barrium and watch it enter the stomach. It was pretty cool to see. The doctor removed a little of the saline that he had put in, and I had to drink another sip of the barium and got to watch it flow through. It was really cool to see.
Anyway, the first fill is done.

Today my lovely bride also had the Lap Band placed in her. We are doing this as a team. I love her.

First follow up appointment done!

Just got home from the surgeons office. You know, my Lap Band surgeon of course.

Everything is looking good. My wieght is down a bunch in just 3 weeks. My incisions have healed almost completely now. I don't need to food processor everything.

Scheduled my first fill appointment for next Monday. Looking forward to see how things change with a band fill.

Anyway, it has been a very interesting 3 weeks. I never imagined that only eating between 800 and 1500 calories a day would be satisfying. I never would have believed that my weight would slide off as easily as it has. Pretty soon I will need to buy new uniform pants and belt. Good thing it is getting to be shorts season, so I won't need to buy new jeans for a little while.

Feeling better and finally something with real texture.

I decided to try some blenderized chicken breast yesterday. So when I was grocery shopping I picked up some skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

So yesterday afternoon I put them in a pot with some chicken broth and boiled away. Threw them into the food processor and ground away. I know too many details.

So at supper time, I had about 1/3 of a cup of delicious chicken and 1/2 cup of baked mashed yam. It was delicious. I ate all of the chicken and only half of the yam, and I couldn't have eaten any more. All I can say is it sure fell good to actually chew some food and it took me about a half hour to eat.

I forgot to weigh myself this morning so I don't know how much if any I lost.

Don't break the rules!!!!!!!

Well today I did it. I broke one the important rules of the Lap Band. As soon as I did it, I knew it, but it was too late.

Our oldest daughter made some Amish cinnamon bread last night. It was sitting on the counter calling my name. Anyone who as ever had a weight issue knows that food will call your name. It had been doing it all morning, and I had been doing a pretty good job of ignoring it. Well, I got busy and let myself get hungry, so I took a very small bite (and I mean like a 1/4 teaspoon size). It went down well do I thought I would do it again with a slightly larger size. Stuck it in, didn't chew enough and wham pain in the stomach. I was afraid I would throw up, which is one of the worst things a band patient can do, especially in the beginning.

So much for Amish cinnamon bread. None of that for a very, very long time.

The good news is that my wife told me that I need to start wearing my suspenders because she is tired of seeing me "hitch" my pants all the time.

First day back to work.

It has been a crazy few days since my Lap Band surgery. I hope to have the picture of “Al” scanned in the next few days so I can post it on the blog.

Today is my first day back to work. It is nice to get back to work. Trying not to put myself in a position that I will strain myself. Straining could cause the Lap Band to slip, and nothing good comes from band slippage.

I am learning a lot about my new life every day. “Al” lets me know when I am not doing things right. I have learned what it really means to sip water. Al has taught me that it is OK not to eat the entire individual serving of Jello.

Easter dinner over at Mom’s was really difficult. It was nauseating sitting at the table smelling the food. It got worse after the meal.

Ever since the surgery, I have taken a lot of naps. I have never taken so many naps. I think I really like naps.

All in know right now is the pounds are melting away. I know that at some point the weight loss will slow down, but right now I am enjoying the loss. Goodbye weight. I bought a scale that measures body fat, water hydration along with weight. My hydration is staying high while the weight and body fat is dropping.

72 Hour update

It has been 72 hours since the Lap Band surgery. I feel real strong part of the time and not so strong others.
My wife and I split the troops and tackled different tasks today. She took care of the laundry up in Wahoo, because our fancy front loading washer went "tango uniform" last Monday. I took the oldest son and went to Lincoln for groceries.

You know it really sucks doing grocery shopping with 99% of the items in the basket will not be feeding you. I know that I am doing what is right for my family, but I really didn't enjoy shopping. Especially for those that know how much I love to cook.

Anyway, Jake and I got started on the garden transplanting some of the cabbage and broccoli. Also planted some of the seeds that need planting this time of year. I was really aware that my abdomen is sore when doing some of the light work I was doing.

Well it is time for me to take a little nap.

24 hours Post Op

I am 24 hours post operative. Pretty sore on the abdomen, which is expected considering. Couldn't urinate last night and the bladder was very, very full. So, long story short, a catheter was used to drain over 900 cc's from the bladder. Thank goodness, I was able to go on my own overnight and this morning. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

This morning I went down to radiology for a swallow study, to make sure that the stoma is open and there are no problems. it is very important that the lap band is allowing food and drink to flow. Everything went well. Had about a cup of chicken broth, 1/2 cup apple juice and a little jello. Then a nice shower.

Still waiting for the doctor to come in to visit. We will be meeting with a dietitan again, and then with the bariatric coordinator. should be able to leave the hospital around 1:30 or 2.

I am looking forward to getting home this afternoon.

Thanks for all the support.

Todya is the day....

Yep, today I made the biggest change I could make to take control of my body. I had the Lap Band surgery this morning. I am felling pretty good, just sore. I will post a picture of my Lap Band once I get it scanned.

My weight will not be an issue for my ever again.

Another Day Closer

Here it is, March 25, 2010. Just a few more days until the surgery. I have been on the Lap Band pre-op liquid diet and it really isn't that much fun. I am sure that I am not following it correctly, as I don't think I am losing much weight.

I started liquid vitamins and liquid calcium supplements that were recommended by my surgeons office. They aren't bad tasting.

I have some time off from work scheduled for after the surgery. When I go back to work, I will need to take it easy for a few weeks, which might be hard considering I am a firefighter.

Pre-Op Surgery appointment yesterday

Yesterday we had our pre-op surgery appointment for the Lap Band with the doctor. He described how the surgery day would go, and the procedure again. I told him that I am excited and nervous at the same time. He let me know that he would be worried if I wasn't.

The before pictures were taken. A profile and front on shot. I will post some of these later.

I will be released the next day after a swallow study is completed in the morning, and then I prove that I can hold down liquids. Sometime around noon.

Anyway, he told me that I would be catheterized during the surgery and through the next morning. I asked why he couldn't remove it while I was still under anesthesia? He told me that they need to monitor my urine output for possible problems, and that it really isn't any big deal. I asked him if he was ever catheterized. He smiled and said no. I told him that I will pee in whatever container that he wants, that I want it removed before I wake up. I just smiled. I told him I'm serious, and that until he has a tube stuck in his junk not to tell me it's no big deal.

Anyway, today is the fourth day of the liquid diet. It got a little easier today, but being hungry pretty much sucks.

Until next time....

Pre-Op Physical

Tomorrow morning is my pre-op physical. Chest x-ray, EKG, Lab work, typical stuff for a physical. Just 16 days until the lap band surgery.

Tomorrow begins the Pre-op diet.

Changes

Well......
Monday I get my Pre-Op physical with my family doctor. Monday is also the day I start my two week liquid protien pre-op diet. I get to drink to protein drinks and eat one small meal per day until the surgery.
I have got to admit I'm getting nervous about what is to come. I pray that I can follow the plan.

If you are interested in keeping up with this blog which will chronical my life changes following the Lap Band surgery, become a follower of thes blog. Also, when ever you visit this or any blog, click on the Google ads. You don't have to buy anything, just click the adds.

First Step

Hello,
This is the first blog post of what will be many more as I log and follow my progress on changing my life forever. You are probably asking how is he changing his life? Well, on March 31, 2010, I will be undergoing surgery to have the Lap Band applied to my stomach.

After having spent most of my adult life overweight, I feel like it is time. I have tried just about every diet out there, with success. The problem is that I could never maintain the weight loss. At 48 years old, it is time.

I have spent the last year researching weightloss surgery, and decided that the lap band was the safest choice for me. The exciting part of all of this is that my lovely wife is also going to have the surgery also, just about a month after me.

I was not always over weight. When I was in high school I played several sports, including football and basketball. I worked two jobs at a time. I even mowed lawns around the neighborhood. I was the picture of fitness. I played football and basketball my first year of college also. I decided I would rather travel and make money so I joined the U.S. Air Force when I was 20 years old. Believe it or not, that is when I started gaining weight. After just 1 1/2 years in the Air Force, I actually gained 80 pounds. I lost 60 punds of that weight with hours of hard work and exercise. After my honorable discharge from the military, I slowly started to gain weight. That is when I started to "Yo-Yo" diet.

Anyway, last year I injured my knee and proceeded to gain 50 pounds. It took me less than a year to gain the weight, but it is here none the less. The pain in my knee following the surgery makes any form of exercise extrememly uncomfortable.

Anyway, March 31st is the magic day the change starts. I will be posting to keep others informed and hopefully provide inspiration.