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I'm four months out post-op and things are still going swimmingly.

Since surgery day on March 27th, I've lost 77 lbs. I lost 15 lbs. in the three weeks pre-op, so it could be said that I've lost 92 lbs. My 18-month loss goal is 75% of my excess body weight (EBW) or 153 lbs. This means that at four months, I've already achieved 50% of my 1.5-year target. How about that? FYI: on surgery day I weighed 367. I'm at 290 now. My target is 214.

I still have no actual hunger, although I now occasionally experience some "head hunger" in the evenings. I sometimes think it through and ignore it and sometimes I have a nutritious snack of 100 calories or less. I'm finishing up a 1.5-year career sabbatical. I think that the stress of re-entering the workforce contributes to the night hunger pangs.
I'm consistently consuming 60g+ protein, 700-800 calories, and 1.5L of H20 per day. It's still pretty easy to do.

I've started to experience hair loss a couple of weeks ago in the male-pattern baldness areas. It was an odd experience. One morning, I was standing before the bathroom mirror and ran my hand through my hair. An alarming amount of hair came away with my hand. The roots of those hairs were so small that I could not see them, but I could feel them between my fingers. Vigorous toweling also dislodges a lot of hair. I was warned that this would probably happen and that it would be temporary. Is it worth it? You betcha it is.

The Future
I think a lot about the future. How wonderful to stop my daily meds. How fantastic to resolve my Type-2 diabetes. To experience so much more in life so easily. To be more social. And especially, to get freakin' Southwest Airlines to drop the requirement that I purchase two seats when I fly!

My Recent Wows Are...
...Getting and staying below 300 lbs.
...Wearing clothing sizes that I last wore about ten years ago
...A noticeable reduction in sleep apnea symptoms
...Fitting much more comfortably into those tiny-ass Starbucks outside chairs
...Having to take in my favorite business suit
...Effortlessly rolling over in my sleep
...Strolling farther, experiencing more outdoors

Ever Wonder...
Why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor and dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?

Dr. Asbun was pretty pleased when I went in today for my 3-month post-op. All of my blood work was normal. He was very happy with my losses and stated that he had nothing else to say except that my attitude was a big part of my success.
I told him that I wasn't always eating until full, but I was instead following my protein and calorie quotas. With no appetite, I don't trust "fullness" to govern my eating. He stated that I'm probably training my stomach to be happy with less. I hope that this will be the case when/if my appetite returns.
I've lost 62 lbs. My hemoglobin A1C is 6.0! I'm getting near the halfway mark of my 18-month goal. I am so in control. It's helping me to solidify control over aspects of my life too. It's really interesting.

Ever Wonder...
Why the time of day with the slowest traffic is called rush hour?

Something hilarious happened to me early the other morning.
I awoke from a deep sleep due to a noise in my room. It sounded like somebody was mumbling loudly. It was my stomach.

I, like other VSG patients, have a stomach the often audibly growls. It has never growled so loudly and for a prolonged time (about half a minute).
I found this to be amusing, although I was half asleep. I could almost make out actual words. It sounded like a confused Pokemon:
"Myrtle-myrtle-myrtle-myrtle-myrtle-myrtle-myrtle-myrtle...gargle-gargle-gargle-gargle-gargle-gargle-gargle...-----...MYRTLE-gargle-gargle...", and so on.

I thought that this was really funny; however, nobody else thought so. People just stared at me quizzically as if trying to decide whether to run away or if I am really stupid. Therefore, I no longer tell this amusing story.

I'm down about 56 lbs.

Ever Wonder...
Why do we park in driveways, but drive in parkways?
(Okay, maybe that was not particularly profound...whattaya want? The High Dalai Lama?)

Hiyooo!

50 lbs. lost as of today after 10 weeks. A personal milestone!
Only 103 lbs. to go. That will be a recommended 75% loss of EBW.

Still feelin' good, feelin' strong. What's to worry about?

Ever Wonder...
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouths closed?
(Please don't send me angry messages about this)

Anne T., Nurse Manager at my surgeon's office, helped me set a realistic goal for weight-loss. I was so focused on losing as much as I can that I had neglected to ask for a recommendation.

New Goal
My 18-month goal is a total loss of 155 lbs. with a BMI of 32.5. I'm down 47 lbs. as of today so that means I'm almost 1/3 of the way there after two months! Yay!

CPAP Adjusted
My respiratory doc reduced my cm/H2O setting from 16 to 13. He wants me to check back when I lose 40 lbs. more.

Ever Wonder...
Why you never see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

On day 55 post-op, I'm down 40 lbs-BN. I'll be 1/4 of the way to my goal when I hit 50 lbs. lost.

Progress to Date
For some reason, I lost 7 lbs. this week and I don't know why. I've had two plateaus. I haven't exercised in about five days. My PCP Hot Doctor wailed on me about my sodium intake. Perhaps I've been too diligent and my body needed a break? Who knows? I'm not complaining.

Had a follow-up with my Hot Doctor last week. My bad LDL cholesterol was too low, so she cut my Zocor med in half. Good HDL was up! Triglycerides were normal. Hemoglobin A1c was 6.8 and below target (down from 8.1 after surgery). Kidney function normal, but even better than last time. However, my blood pressure was a little high (130/80), and that's when she got on my case about sodium.

I have found that there is no food that I cannot tolerate as long as I eat it slowly. I'm averaging 75g protein and 800 calories daily with 1.5L of water. There is still no sign of my appetite. I think that it's in Las Vegas. I hope that it doesn't find its way back.

I don't have to visit my surgeon or Hot Doctor for another month (three month follow-up). The doc who gave me my pre-op pulmonary clearance wanted to see me back at the 40 lbs. mark to review CPAP settings, so I'll make the appointment this week.

Ever Wonder...
Why sheep don't shrink when it rains?

I went in for my 6-week check-up with the surgeon.

I had no problems to report and he was very happy with my progress. By his records, I've lost 32 lbs. By my records, I've lost 29.5 lbs-BN (Buck Naked). His accounting is official, but not accurate. He calculated from my pre-op clearance weight which was taken one week before surgery. I count from my weight the morning of surgery. Whatever makes him happy is fine with me. Still, 29.5 lbs-BN in six weeks is AWESOME! Goody for me.

I Recommend...
Jack Link's Beef Steak Nuggets! They're a tasty, albeit somewhat pricey high-protein (10 g), low-fat (1g) snack that's savory and chewy. The varieties of least sodium (490 mg) are Original and Teriyaki. Not to be mistaken for Jack Link's Jerky, Tender-Cuts, Beef Sticks, etc.

Warm Spell
We're having a week of warm weather (80's-90's) so I threw the solar blanket on the pool. If I'm lucky, I can get in a day or two of swimming before the weather cools off again. Swimming is exercise that I can really get into. Oh yeah!

Ever Wonder...

Why there isn't mouse-flavored cat food?

Since my last entry, I had four days of no loss; however, I regained enough energy to start exercising daily. Since then, the weight has continued to come off. So far, I'm down 27 lbs.  Not bad for one month. I'm doing 1/2 hour of exercise bike followed by upper-body strength training with resistance bands.

Sometimes, I think that my appetite is starting to come back, but other days, like today, my stomach feels like it doesn't care at all. I'm still crazy happy because I can still taste everything and everything still tastes delicious. I'm even happier because I don't give it a second thought after I finish my portion of whatever I eat.

I'm relying ever less on protein supplements. Eating whole meats makes it even easier to make protein quotas. H20 consumption: no problem. I'm consistently hitting 1.5L/day.

One of my five laparoscopic scars is almost completely healed. The others finished healing a couple of weeks ago.

I'm still learning how to eat slowly. If I don't, my stomach gives me strong reminders by causing unpleasant pressure under my sternum. If I ignore it, well, frankly I ralph. You know, "ralph"? Up-chuck? Spew? Blow chunks? Worship at the Porcelain Altar? It's a good feedback system.

Having written the above, my declared goal is still to beat the local Biggest Loser. The gentlemen holds the record at 130 lbs. lost in six months.

I must succeed!

I figured that I can lessen my dependency on expensive liquid protein supplements if I can start eating whole meats. We're talking approximately 25g protein per 3 oz. serving! Oh, the efficiency of it all.

I've been experimenting the last few days to see if my stomach will tolerate any. Here are the results:

I can eat roasted chicken!
I can eat roasted turkey!
I can eat roasted pork!
I can eat grilled beef!
Undetermined: jerky, veal, buffalo, ostrich, goat, alligator, seal, whale, and those canine bacon treats.

The tested meats go down well and stay down too! Awesome. I don't even need to lube it with sauce or gravy as long as I masticate (chew) thoroughly. In fact, I have become a black-belt at chewing all the time.

Need I say it? I have become a frequent masticator.

I crack myself up sometimes. Seriously.

Thenkyewverramuch.

I followed up with the gastroenterologist today about my liver.

He diagnosed "compensated cirrhosis of the liver". Apparently, that's the "not as bad" kind of cirrhosis. Uncompensated cirrhosis is the type that could be fatal.

Dr. Zamini stated that the scarring on my liver is untreatable (because it's scar tissue), but the liver itself functions and I must have annual screenings for liver cancer. He said that I am already doing the best thing to minimize the chances of future complications: lose weight. Doing so will mobilize the fat out of my "fatty liver" to other parts of the body. I don't have to visit the doc again for another year.

He said that the cirrhosis was caused by many years of morbid obesity.

So, in moving on, I can report that people are starting to notice a change in my facial contours. Nowhere else, though, because I wear a big flowery muumuu. Joke. That was a joke. This is how rumors start.

I still feel great. I'm glad to find out about all of the above. I'm still going on to do awesome stuff! 

So there.