One year later....

 

Hard to believe that a year ago I was pulling into the parking lot of the surgery center for a procedure that would start me on my journey to today. 

How it started....

I know I have said this before, but I wanted to go back to where it started. In 1999, when my oldest daughter was born, I was in the best shape of my life. I was 180 lbs. I was playing basketball 3-4 days a week and working out every day. It was 9-9-1999 when I broke my foot and lost that shape. My weight shot to nearly 220. Then the long drive to work, buffet lunches, yada yada.

Fast forward to 2019. My terrible eating habits added on top of a very stressful divorce culminated with a 4 day stay in the hospital due to a pulmonary embolism. All good things.....not. I maxed out at a whopping 309 pounds during that stretch. Depression, sedentary lifestyle, snacks, stress, and general laziness landed me nearly dead. 

But in many conversations last year the idea of assistance came to mind. I ran it past my doctor and he immediately pushed through a referral. No discussion, it was something that was needed for my current and future health. Under the knife I went to start me on this new journey.

How it's going...

Well, I am alive...so that's good. It did start fairly rough. The night of the surgery I wanted to die. The pain in my shoulders was the worst. Imagine Hulk Hogan (may he rest in peace) grabbing you by the top of the shoulders and squeezing. But he doesn't let go....he just holds on for endless hours in a pain that you just can't get away from. Once that night was over things improved slowly. The infusion I got was the ultimate game changer. I wasn't drinking enough and I was dehydrated, so my body was not great. Once I got the fluids I felt so much better and things started to improve.

I got sick from one bite too many.

I got sick from eating too fast.

I got sick from a drink of water after dinner.

I started to learn.

I still get yucky feeling if I eat too much or too fast. 

I am still learning. 

At this point I am down nearly 87 pounds from my heaviest. For those that don't like math....I am sitting at 222. This is close to the weight that I was after I broke my foot in 1999. I feel better. I move better. I just had my yearly checkup and my doctor told me that my numbers were looking better. I am faster on the bike than I can ever remember. Things are going pretty good overall.

Still hard to believe that it has been a year. I am closing in on that 100 pound loss mark, which is mind blowing to me. At the 103 mark that will be 1/3 of my body that is no longer in existence. Crazy. Stay tuned for the "Striving for 100" series that I will be starting next week. It will be a combo of short videos and blogs covering the final push to losing 100 lbs. Only 13 to go! 

How it will end...

I know I have room for improvement. I want (and need) to be consistent with working out and my time spent on the bike. I have been managing my stress fairly well, and those levels should be smoothing out here in the next few months. My eating is pretty good overall, but I know I need to choose healthier snacks and even limit those. My ultimate goal is 185. I am still around 37 pounds to that number. My goal is to reach that number by my 50th birthday in June of 2026. Again....ULTIMATE GOAL.

Short term is the "Strive to 100". I know its not easy. I know it won't be easy. None of this has been easy. People that believe having surgery is 'taking the easy way out' should try it. Or maybe take the time to talk to the people that have been through it. There has been nothing easy about this process. Yes it looks dramatic to lose that amount of weight in a relatively short period of time. Yes the surgery was helpful. It was a tool to help me reach my goals. Nothing easy.

I will continue to work towards my Ultimate goal. Along the way I will pass the 100 pound mark. I will work to be stronger and healthier as I work through the rest of my journey.

Its been a wild ride so far. No reason to give up. Stay tuned to see what happens next.

Until then....

Keep moving forward.

Keep striving.