jamesgonnagetfit

[jamesgonnagetfit]

One Week Post Surgery

Alright, people. I'm one week post surgery. I'm loving it! Still have the constipation thing going but that will pass (no pun intended...or is it?)

My stomach is smaller and I get full much faster, which makes my eating and drinking goals a bit tricky. I have to follow a bit of a schedule to get everything in that I need, which is a max of 600 calories, a full 60g of protein, and a full 64oz of water.

Protein shakes are my friend and I need to get unflavored protein powder to add to soups so I can get a boost from those.

But I'm no longer on the broth and celery diet! I can now have yogurts, puddings, Popsicles, and some recipes for smoothies and shakes that are in my handbook from my Bariatric clinic.

Next Monday, I move to pureed foods which significantly opens up my menu. I also went back to work today and that made me happy.

[jamesgonnagetfit]

Surgery

It happened. It went well. I'll be released from the hospital today. I'm excited for what the future holds!

[jamesgonnagetfit]

Liver Shrinking Diet, From Start to Almost Finish

This is NOT something I recommend ANYONE do, EVER, UNLESS A DOCTOR IS INVOLVED!

This has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. I've never been offered so many free sweets and junk food in all my life as I've turned away these past ~ two weeks.

From donuts several times at work to a free sundae at McDonald's when I was DoorDashing, I've turned down everything that was not on the diet.

You might be asking yourself....

The answer?

Because it would have compromised my surgery for one.

More importantly, though, it's because the way I'm going to feel being in better shape, and knowing it's going to last will be so much better than any quick dopamine fix I get from a sweet treat.

I've lost 17 lbs since I started the diet and that felt good to see on the scale.

Im currently at 461.3 lbs. That's the lowest I've been in at least 15 years, and it's only going to get lower.

I've got plans for this. Roller coasters and even just playing in the yard with my son to horseback riding (a first for my family), to going on long runs in the mornings. A lot of plans are forming in my mind.

Bye for now.

[jamesgonnagetfit]

Liver Shrinking Diet: Days 2-5

This...is not fun.

I'm making it work and my wife is helping me by making sure to pack me the right choices for lunch, but it's not fun. I did lose some more weight though, which means it's working.

I started a new job which is also going well. I love doing what I do, which I'll be keeping to myself due to privacy.

Bye for now!

[jamesgonnagetfit]

Liver Shrinking Diet: Day 1 Blending into Day 2

I'm exhausted. DoorDashing is taking it out of me pretty hard. Also starting a new job in about 13 hours. I Dashed last night and I'm Dashing right now. My whole body is exhausted.

I'm hangry, but not as bad as I thought I'd be...still early, though. I definitely need to up my water intake. It's a lot harder to drink 64+ Oz when you're aware that you're doing it than when it's absent minded and on autopilot.

At least I like the broth.

[jamesgonnagetfit]

Saturday Weigh-In

Today's weight: 476.7

I can do better. I will do better. More gym time, more walking, more being active, plus I start the liver shrinking diet Monday, which will certainly help.

Bye for now!

[jamesgonnagetfit]

I just unfollowed over 500 inactive blogs.

If you post:

-workouts

-healthy recipes

-your own weightloss journey

-or if you are a fitness blog

please reblog this! I need fresh posts. 

[jamesgonnagetfit]

The Walk of Shame And Other Humilations

When I say the "walk of shame", I'm not talking about walking home from a drunken one night stand like they depict in movies and on TV.

I'm talking about the dreaded moment on an amusement park ride when one or two ride attendants walk up to me and attempt to help me force the lap bar or shoulder harness in place, only to find that they are as far on me as they are going to go and they will not buckle. That means I'm ejected from the ride. The long walk down to the exit and down it off the ride is called the walk of shame. It's dreadful, sad, and embarrassing. Everyone watches me, some with pity, some with curiosity, some with amusement but most with impatience as I'm delaying their ride. I'm jeered, booed, and receive sarcastic applause as I walk slowly, trying not to cry. The only relief is when it's a ride where the exit is close to my seat.

This is why I've not gone to Kings Island in over 12 years. I did go to Disney World in 2014 with my ex-wife and, surprisingly, fit on a lot of the rides. That floored me. But that's the exception, not the rule, thanks to distance.

One of my many goals is to take my son to Kings Island and not have to endure the walk of shame. A secondary goal is to be able to go to the Waterpark side of it and not be ashamed of my body.

[jamesgonnagetfit]

Details of What/When/How

The last typed post already told you the why of it all. Now I'll tell you more about the what, the when and the how.

I'm having a gastric sleeve surgery done.

For those that don't know, the best way to describe it is this:

Your stomach, when full, is the size of a football (North American football for my international followers). After the surgery, which is completed with robotics, it will be the size of a banana. I will lose 60% of the stomach. I will be able to hold 1 cup (240g) of food at a time. This must be split evenly between proteins, veggies and carbs.

I have lost 41.7 lbs since starting the program back in November 2022. It doesn't seem like a lot but think of it like this: some old vacuum cleaners (the bag style ones) weigh ten pounds. I lost 4 vacuum cleaners worth of pounds.

That figure doesn't even mention how much I lost since I started dating my now-wife. She helped me drop from 600 down to 527, then the weight management team helped me drop from there down to where I last weighed in at 479. That is accounting also for weight gains because, let's face it, I'm not perfect and I messed up a bit here and there.

My insurance approved my surgery and my date is October 2nd, 2023.

I start what's known as a liver shrinking diet on Monday, September 18th. That means the following:

At LEAST 64 fl oz of water (flavored is okay under 10 kcals) per day

2-3 cups of low sodium broth per day (beef or chicken)

Cucumber and celery (as much as I can stand of either)

4x Protein shakes (over 15g of protein and under 200kcals) per day

Anything not listed is not permitted. I'm on that until surgery day. Oh, and no salt, even as a seasoning. My biggest issue will be the cucumber. I've never liked it. The celery I can do maybe in the broth? Will it lose any nutrients when cooked in the broth? I should research that.

Bye for now.

[jamesgonnagetfit]

[jamesgonnagetfit]

"It's Been A Long Road, Gettin' From There to Here...."

Okay, so I borrowed (and linked!) the title from the opening theme song to "Star Trek: Enterprise", but it fits. It really has been a long road full of disappointment, frustrations, and heartaches. But it's also had its triumphs, its victories, and it's epic wins, and none more so than recently.

I've been morbidly obese most of my life, starting from about the age of 8 or 9. I've tried almost every fad diet and exercise routine I can trying to lose the weight but for me, the will power was never quite there earlier in life. I was too busy having fun to notice I was too big to be having fun. My life was revolving around gaming, friends, fun, and most of all, very unhealthy food.

It wasn't uncommon for me to make 4 layer peanut butter sandwiches and chase it with a 32oz glass of whole milk. I could eat whole packs of both hot dogs and bologna (at the same time) in a single sitting. Little Debbie's? 2 boxes a night, easy. Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, and Pepsi were my soda pop addictions. I could drink a 24 can case in a couple of hours. At my worst, I could eat a whole large Meat Lovers, 8 Buffalo wings, down a 2 liter of Mountain Dew, 4 breadsticks, and still have dessert AND THEN eat AGAIN an hour later! It was completely ridiculous and out of hand. Family and friends all tried to tell me that I was out of control. I had my share of enablers, too, but I won't name them.

My parents tried to help me with Bariatric stuff at various times, but insurance would always fall through and I ended up giving up on it. I thought I'd die this way.

It was my current wife and son who really helped me push through things and see that I'm better than what I appear to be to myself. I credit them and God with saving me from eating myself to death. For keeping me active. And for pushing me onward to seek Bariatric help.

Purpose Of This Blog

This blog is my accountability and a progress tracker of sorts. I'll update it daily or semi-daily (or when I can remember).

Bye for now!