6 Weeks can change a lot of things......
One thing that hasn't changed is the level of support that I am getting. Everyone is encouraging me and pushing me to reach my goal. Christine is proud of me and is my biggest cheer leader. Her support alone through all of this I will be continually grateful for. I am thankful for all of my friends and the support they send as well. You have no idea how much it helps.
Six weeks ago I was nervous about what was happening. Then I was regretting my decision. Literally was wishing I had not made this decision. I was in pain, I was struggling. After getting some fluids it was better, but I was still mentally struggling with the decision.
Four weeks ago I was able to eat smooth foods. Soup, cottage cheese, applesauce, and a pureed combo of chicken and veggies was my diet. These weeks went by quicker than I imagined they would, but I had good days and bad days.
About three weeks ago I was so irritated with humanity that I felt unsafe to be in public. I literally felt like I could hurt someone. Unreal what food detox can do to you.
A week ago was better, knowing that the end of the baby food was coming. I mustered through, and I made it to my six week follow up. I had three appointments on Friday. Follow up with Physicians Assistant, a meeting with the nutritionist, and the last one with the Sport physiologist. Here is how each of them went.
Nutritionist
The food was first on the list. A group of 4 of us were called into a conference room and we found our seats. The Dietician started by having us introduce ourselves and then asking us how things were going. Of the four of us.....most were doing pretty good overall. One was still having a hard time getting protein. One was ready for tacos. Another was tired of pinto beans. I was just tired of smooth foods in general. I did a decent job of mixing things up so I didn't get tired of anything. Just the smooth foods...ugh...I want to EAT something. Not just eat...but chew specifically. We got a handout and had some further instructions on the rest of our diet. Still no caffeine. No breads or pastas. But really, anything else is on the table. Clearly this has to be healthy choices. We can't swing to McDonalds and get fries on the way home from this meeting. Healthy options, and I am more than ready. I don't feel like I will struggle too much, just have to stay away from junk. We have plenty of healthy options in the house. A range from Greek yogurt to almonds, to hummus can be added to the chicken and whatever other protein I can eat. Just keep the sugar low and stay away from high carbs. Limit the starches. Basic stuff....that I have always struggled to follow in the past....but this time is different.
Physicians Assistant
I will skip ahead to this appointment, saving the sports physiologist for last. I got called back and right away they walked me to the scale. I stepped on and was happy with the result. Around 28 pounds down since surgery. Not bad clip of 4.7 pounds a week. She asked how things were going and then went into what I should expect. She said that adding in food will accelerate the weight loss, which was kind of interesting to me. How can I eat more and lose more....this seems counterintuitive. The explanation was that food is fuel. For the body to burn fat, it needs fuel. Makes sense I guess. So I am curious to see how the next few months go. She said at this point my weight loss is well ahead of the curve. This is also shocking to me, because I initially had a rapid loss followed by a small gain and then small losses. So to be ahead of the curve at this point is exciting to me. I know that a 2 pound a week loss is generally considered healthy. I asked her if that is what I should expect to see. Her response caught me off guard a bit. She said "you should expect to see and average more than that per week now that you are on real food again". So.....as odd as it sounds.....these next 2 months will see more rapid loss than my first month. I am down with that. So stay tuned.
Sports Physiologist
I hear "Sean!" followed by a "there you are!" from Jeff. He is an avid cyclist and was looking forward to our appointment, as was I. He goes says "I knew it was you....USA cycling jacket, Canyon hat, and a gravel race shirt...it had to be you". lol. Funny. I was looking forward to picking his brain and he was looking forward to hearing about my story. I told him about my Lumberjack experiences and how there was failure last year, when I was still 285 pounds. He was impressed at what I have achieved at my mass and gave me a lot of insight on moving forward. I explained that I have been doing the weights three days a week, because I don't want to lose any muscle. He loved that, and went into how he knows I am strong...I have just been hauling a lot of mass. So we don't want to lose the muscle, we want to maintain. We don't even really need to build any more. If I can keep my current muscle, my watts per kilogram will steadily climb. Same engine, lighter body. Think about a race car, they strip away the extra weight and only need to tune the engines. This is what we will do. Drop the weight, keep the muscle....and things will change for the better. He gave me a few exercises to do and then gave me is contact info. He wants me keep him informed of my progress. Pretty exciting to have so many people in my corner!
So overall, it was a good day at the doctors. Knowing I would be in GR, I brought Mudhorn with me and headed to Luton Park. It was a gorgeous day, and I headed out for a lap or 2. I ended up with just over 10 miles. I did all of the outer loops and then the inner loop to get my mileage. Mountain biking really takes the energy out of me, so I figured a safe 10 instead of bonking out in one of the trails. I took Saturday off. Tom and I headed to Kal-Haven on Sunday morning for another ride. This time my goal was 20 miles at whatever pace I could hold. Again, another great day. We rode out from 10th street and when we hit the 10 mile mark we turned back. Pace was solid for me and I was feeling pretty good. Towards the end, where the trail kicks up from the river I started to feel it. I pushed my limit and now I know its about 20 miles. Still, good weekend on the bike.
Here are my current metrics (as of today).
Weight loss since surgery: 29.2 pounds
Weight to go for Ultimate Goal: 77.4
Strava Fitness Level: 15
When I started riding again, my fitness level was a literal 1. Now its up to 15 in just a few weeks. I will continue to ride and tone and that will climb even higher.
Stick with me friends, the journey isn't even close to being over. I have taken the reigns of my life back.
Keep moving forward.
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