rdnielsen
My fatness began in earnest in my early twenties. I got married and complacent and put on weight. I went back and forth for years dieting, exercising, losing and gaining. I tried it all, and I do mean ALL. Low Fat, Low Carb, Low Cal, NON fat, carb, and cal. Every known supplement, pill, snake oil or fad, I was a student of the industry. I spent tons of money and lost hundreds of pounds and found them all again. They always brought friends with them. As my marriage ended in my early thirties, I was unhappy and stressed and peaked at 425. After my divorce, I tried the "Rob Nielsen Grief Diet". I didn't eat for 18 days. I lost 75 pounds, became anemic, and my family threatened to have me committed. Pretty fun. I may write a book and go on tour. I decided eating something was better than men in white coats, so I stabilized pretty quick at 350.
After I moved to South Carolina I began working out twice a day as anger management over my divorce. It worked great. I wanted to show my ex she was an idiot, and of course attract a new female of the species. It worked. I dropped to 290 +/- and reached my goal of bench pressing 400 pounds. I felt great and had so much fun playing with my kids in ways I hadn't been able to in years. I met my lovely bride Annie and got married. AAAANNNNNNDDDD the old habits showed up again. The workouts stopped in favor of time with Annie and family, sex, work, and life in general. This time I ate for fun and love and entertainment instead of stress and loneliness and anger. Life was good and we lived the good life. Lots of fun, food, and family. It took me a couple of years to get back to 350. It only took another couple to get back to the 400 range. I jumped on the roller coaster again. I had a bunch of fun this time around too. I got down to 300 or so for a trip to Disney World and the beach for Spring Break in 2004. I shot up and down more than the space shuttle.
During the time frame from 2004 to 2007 I started feeling my fatness for the first time in my life. I had to get a CPAP machine. I got meds for High Blood Pressure and Triglycerides. I was pre-diabetic. My lower back hurt all the time but tightened up so SO bad when I walked for any distance over a few hundred yards. My knees hurt from time to time mostly going up and down stairs. I got yeast infections and boils and my skin just wasn't healthy. In short, my fatness caught up to me. My wife and I talked at some length about the possibilities of the procedure. We began researching ad nauseum. Since she is a nurse, I had a great resource to help with the informational side of the decision. She was NOT excited at first. I came upon this website during my search, and it led me to Dr. Eric Bour's website. We attended an informational session in February or March of 07. Life threw us some challenges and I didn't do anything with the info but sit on it.
I started a new job in August of 07. Lo and behold, the insurance covered medically necessary WLS. OH JOY! I signed up for Dr. Bour's program in January of 08 and had surgery on September 10th 08. I lost 25 pounds on his 30 days pre-surgery diet, and have steadily declined in weight. My whole relationship with food has changed for the better. I feel so much more in control with the tool I have been given. Old habits are not only uncomfortable now, but impossible. My brain now loses the arguments with my stomach. It is wonderful. Life is new.
I no longer have my CPAP, Triglyceride meds, or ANY sign of diabetes. My knees and back feel great and I walk regularly for a mile or more. I can play with my kids easier and move and bend and stretch. I will leave my BP meds behind within a month or so. I will blog about my progress, but would tell anyone who struggles with food issues that there is hope if you are willing to change your lifestyle.
