PaPaBob

Get yourself one of the large wheeled jogging strollers and make walking your daily exercise routine.

UPDATE: Should have posted last week: Well guys, I haven't posted in a while because I have just be out here living life to it's fullest. Grandkids, hunting, chasing the love of my life around(my dearest Lisa) and catching her every once in a while . . LOL, new temp job. . Yes, back in the working stiff arena getting some extra cash for all the hunting licenses I have to buy . . . Colorado Archery, Elk, Illinois Archer, Firearms, and Muzzleloader, Michigan Archery and Firearms/Muzzleloader, . . . etc. etc. . etc. . . see what I mean. I kinda like the work as it is challenging and pays pretty well. Back to the subject here . . . my WL has been going really well. . . down to 226(from a LB surgery high of 366) now and feeling pretty darned good and healthy. Exercise couldn't be better. As you probably already know I have become a fanatical Race/Walker with my buddy Jolly. We have now covered 392 miles since last August just prior to my LB to Sleeve conversion. We walked an 8K(5mi) event here in lansing 10 days after that surgery which was awesome. But, I am ready for another one. We have entered the half-marathon here in Lansing, MI. This is the inaugural event . . . Marathon(26 mi), Half-Marathon(13.1 mi), 5k, and 1k(kids race). You can find the details for this event at www.lansingmarathon.com . . Since I am going to be kicking off this race at about 9-9:15 am on Sunday April 22nd I thought you all just might like to watch the event from whereever you are. Well at least follow my progress on the computer. I have a GPS program that runs on my smartphone that tracks me and gives me my split times so I can keep up to a expected pace. If you are so inclined to peek in on my progress just follow this link: http://runkeeper.com...ndJolly/profile . . .. Then click on the Activities tab. Select the top activity and you should be able to follow my progress as I walk this route. You can point to the spots on the route to see my distance, pace, speed, etc. . . during the race. Hope you have a little fun with this. I will post pics from the pre-race, during the race, and after. . . This exercise is part of the reason that I have done so well after surgery. For any of you guys that are having trouble getting that exercise started. . . believe me it was difficult in the beginning. I just started with small walks and charted distance and times. Always either tried to go farther or faster and sometimes both. . . it hasn't stopped yet. Say a little prayer for me that I can suck it all up and finish this race. My cardio is awesome and my times on distances up to 8 miles are really good. Today I did an 8 mile walk with an average of 12:26 mi/mile. I am hoping to finish this race with about a 13 min/mi average. This would surely have me coming in under 3 hours. This is my best WOW moment . . . can you believe this 64 year old "former fat guy" is even going to try to finish this race. . . and now with such good times. I am feeling so good about this . . . Thank you Barix staff for everything you have done for me. And to all the folks here that give the great support to each other . . . "Hats off to you!!!". . keep up the good work and those that are just starting be sure to stick around and give aide and comfort to those just getting started down the line someday. That's all for now. See you on Sunday night when I post some new pics. UPDATE Last Sunday: Well guys . . this is the day . . . half-marathon starts at 9:30 am. I will be trying to update pics throughout the race from a new app on my Android phone so you can see the race route and what it looks like to me. Should take me about 2:50 hrs/mins to finish the race. That is my goal. About 13 min/mile. Check out the pics on my Facebook page . . . https://www.facebook.../#!/bob.scriver Couldn't have done this without Dr. Taylor and the Barix staff. . . . Thank you. Current Posting: Check out the FB page link above. . I FINISHED Lansing's 1st half-marathon. I have posted pics and Run keeper links to the race details. Pinch me. . I still can't believe it. My time was 2:50:06 for the 13.1 miles. . . My RunKeeper program calculated my average race time at 12:50 min/mile average. Not bad for a 64 year old former fat guy . . . LOL I have now lost a total of 140 lbs credited to both my surgeries(LB and VGS) along with a total of over 600 miles walking over the past 2.5 years.

A little background. Started out at 366 lbs at 6' at age 61. Lapband was my choice at that time and had LP surgery in July 2009. Did pretty well although the larger lapband that was used was a 15 cc and we never could get it tight enough to give me restriction. Lost 83 lbs. Had left hip surgery in May 2010. Rehab from that was to start a walking routine. Gained back about 35 lbs thru July 2011. Lapband just wasn't working as it never was tight enough to restrict my intake. Scheduled VGS conversion for mid-Aug. 2011 and surgeon wanted me to lose as much of the 35 that I gained before surgery. I had seriously begun Power Walking to lose the weight. 3-6 miles per day at about a 16 min/mile avg. Morning of surgery at clinic I got on the scale and had lost it all. VGS surgery went really smoothly and my recovery had started. 2.5 weeks Post-Op I participated in an 8k/5mi Run/Walk with my walking buddy Jolly and finished it in a personal record avg/mi time. 15:16 min/mile. Hoooray!!! Have kept up my walking routine thru the Fall along with rigorous hunting actvities. Here's the WOW moment. Since July 17th 2011 I have now covered 208 miles. I use a GPS program on my smartphone to track and monitor my activities.(RunKeeper). My avg times have continued to drop and now I am walking at about 14 min miles and have actually done a couple of walks at under 14 mi/mile. I feel so good and healthy right now. All my health indicators are fantastic. Weight has dropped to 235 for a total loss of 131. Blood workup has me in the normal range of everything. BP is actually a bit low now and they are taking me off my BP meds. I couldn't feel better. I still have 35 lbs to go but with my walking and exercise routine I am sure I can attain that goal also. I plan on participating in a half dozen or more Run/Walk event this summer. I just wanted to let all of you know that it can be done and you can get an exercise routine to work for you. Start small and slow and it will naturally increase with time and weight loss. Good luck in your journey.

How about a little update. . Haven't walked since last weekend. Papa Bob has "Runners knee" . . or basically an inflamed ligaments of the left knee. The ones that run up under the kneecap from the lower leg. Comes from strenuous running or in my case walking where you are training for long races and have over done it a bit. Prognosis. . Will heal itself if you ice the knee, stay of as much as possible, DON'T TRAIN for couple of weeks, take LEVEL to help with pain and try not to flex the knee until it heals. I am 1 week into healing and almost pain free. Will stay off of it til next Sat before I think of walking/training again. I guess I am not 25anymore . . LOL

Well folks I have just rolled over the 280 mile marker with my power walking. I attended a meeting last Monday for registration in the Lansing, MI Half-Marathon. I will be walking this race so don't look for me in the top 5 finishers. But, I will be leading the pack in the walking group. There will be about 12-1500 participants so this will be a new one for me. I am so looking forward to the challenge. My training regiment must be modified to get me ready to participate. I have walked 10,5,5, 8, 3 and 5 miles in my latest walks. My times have been on the low end 12:11 min/mile average and the highest in the 10 mile . . 14:11 min/mile average. But, basically my 5-8 mile walks have been hanging right around 13 min/mile. If I can continue to walk at this pace from now until April 21st I will feel very confident in completing the 13 mile course in approx 13 min/mile average. This would be great. For those of you just starting out "Get Moving" . . slow and short distances at first and then increase one or the other as you get stronger and "lighter". I am still a bit nervouse about setting such a high goal for myself but shooting "LOW" guarantees you of failure and I will not accept that. I will compete in this race and my training for the race will help me lose the last 30 lbs that needs to come off. That is my goal also. . . . lose an additional 30 lbs in two months before the race. Here's the results of my latest 8 mile outing . . Here's the route for the 13 mile race(RED) and my recent 10 mile outing((green) I will keep you posted on my times.

Hi there Diva, Just an update . . . just passed another milestone goal in my power/fitness walking. Just topped the 250 mile mark since July 17th, 2011. My speed in the beginning was in the 17-18 min/mile range and now I have been breaking into the 12 min/mile range with my best being a 5 miler just a couple days ago averaging 12:17. My best time so far. My weight loss continues to go down but not as fast as I would like to see. Must be building up a bunch of muscle in my buttocks and things while the fat cells keep pealing off. I don't have much more to lose as my upper body, legs, and buttocks has never been my problem. Stored all my extra weight in the stomach area. That is almost all gone with just a lot of extra skin to deal with. Going in for my 6 month post op checkup in a few weeks and will be talking to Dr. about options for tummy tuck and skin removal. Maybe an estimate as to weight I will lose with that will give me a new goal weight to obain prior to surgery. We shall see.

WOW!!! The scale is moving . . . 6 lbs in 4 days. Did the full protein shakes for 2 days, soup for a day with shake in the am, and then bumped it up to some fish and chicken along with the morning shake. Also, pushed the exercise . . . power walked 3.25 miles today with an average pace of 12:50 min./mile. My Best Time ever. .

I started walking 1/2 mile 3 days postoperative and increased distance and speed each day. Did an 8k run/ walk event at 2.5 weeks with my best walking AV time at that time. .15:16 per mile. I have continued power walking since then (8/17) and have continued walking regularly and have now walked 223 miles. Last walk was 2 days ago and covered 10.2 miles. . Avignon. 14:17 min/mile. Exercise is important to my weight loss. Started upper body at about 2 months.

Thanks for all the nice comments and encouragement. BUT. . all is not good news all the time. . LOL. Even with all the great exercise I have been in a STALL for 3+ weeks. This has to stop. So Jolly and I put on our Big boy pants and went for a long walk yesterday and doing the 5 day pouch meal program. We walked for a personal best 10.2 miles. . HOLY CRAP my feet were on fire when I got done. Jolly and I set a personal best of 14:17 min/mi. average. We were really covering some ground. Great day for walking. . Cool, light mist, and clear pavement. Put frozen veggie bags on my knees when I got home to keep the swelling down as they were a bit tight. BUT. . feeling pretty good this morning. Having coffee and Protein shake for Breakfast. Snowed last night so our walking will be limited today. Not going to get on scale for 5 days. . But will post results of progress then.

Hi folks, I had a lap lapband in July 2009. Lost 83 and then gained back 35 lbs. This past July I scheduled a lapband removal and VGS surgery for Aug. 17th. Started power walking in late July and walked 63 miles by surgery date and lost the extra 35 lbs before surgery. Surgery was successful and I began walking 4 days after surgery. Topped 104 miles last Saturday. On Sunday I did something I have always wanted to do . . . I registered and participated in an 8K run/walk for Women's Health sponsored by the Sparrow Hospital Women's Foundation . . . Sparrow Foundation W3 8k/6k/0k Run/Walk event My dog Jolly and I sucked it up and covered the 8k/5 mi course in 1:15:58 with an average pace of 15:16 per mile or just short of 4 mph. Not bad for 63 year old . . Yes? It was an awesome feeling to come in behind all the runners but in front of about 50 walkers. Since VGS on Aug. 17th I have dropped 19 lbs and feeling great. Love my sleeve. Here's a few pics . . Just prior to the start . . Color Guard on Sept. 11 . . Here we have the start . . 100 yds from the Finish Line . . Ran the last 50 . . And now the cool down . . . Jolly walks with me everyday and this was our farthest. . . Me and the winner of the event . . . he covered it in 33 minutes . . . something to shoot for . . . right? this is not the last of my run/walks for good causes. I like the personal challenges. BTW: Below are a few pics of me as I travel this journey . . prior to Lapband in '07 and progress before the VGS. I have now lost 102 since Lapband and have a goal of about 64 more lbs to get me under 200.

Just a little update as I haven't been on the boards lately. It is now almost Christmas and I have been deer hunting for the last 3 months or so. . . . very dedicated and spend a lot of time at it. My organized exercise has suffered but I am getting lots of exercise from the hunting activities. I am now down to 235 which is a total of 131 lbs since lapband surgery in July 2009 and subsequent VGS in Aug 2011. I haven't felt this well in a long time. People that haven't seen me for a while don't recognize me at the mall . . .they just walk right past me. . . . Love it. All my numbers are super and I plan on losing anther 30 lbs or so. We will see what feels and looks right as I get down there. Don't want to set a hard goal that isn't right for my body frame. Anyway just wanted to give you an update.

They all look great. . . they are so lucky to have you. You gotta love these animals as they love you no matter what you size, color, intelligence, etc. . . . . Unconditional love.

Not there. After you use the Full Editor and Browse to select your photo you must click the button "ATTACH". That is what attaches it to the posting.

Hello Coops, Thanks for those words of encouragement. Much appreciated. You also should be proud . . . . 11 stones . . . . LOL If you were a guy I could . . "Man do you have stones!!!" . . . . LOL and only 14 lbs to goal. Awesome. You can do that easily. Just keep to the program and work that sleeve. Yes, my Jolly is my inspiration. I had another golden retriever before him that was my shadow and buddy just like Jolly. He died suddently at 10 yrs and it just about sent me under. We did everything together. When I lost him I said I would never get another one like him. . . Chamois But a few years later I said we needed more young life in the family so we went back to the same kennel and got our Jolly. Jolly We have had 4 goldens over the years. We are addicted to the look and personality of these dogs. . . Riggins, Stanley, Chamois, and Jolly Anyway, keep working the sleeve and good luck on reading that goal.

Thanks Loou . . . This WL is feeling so good . . . I have lost a bunch in the past but I never new if it was going to stay off . . .but I really do feel that this weight will never come back. The Sleeve is the answer to my situation. Just have to keep on keep on going to my goal and then learn to "work the sleeve" to maintain my weight. And, Yes, Jolly is a great looking dog. He is also very useful as he makes my walking "Fun". He looks forward to it each and every day and when I don't he looks so damned dejected that I can't stand it. Went out in the rain the other night after dark which I hate to do because of the uneven sidewalks at times. Don't want to sprain an ankle. Let's see a pic of your "baby" . . . dog.

Just an update. Sleeve is working well. Food was tasting just awful for the first 4 weeks after surgery but it is starting to come around just a little. I am searching for soft foods that taste good. But, my walking is continuing and I have now dropped to 253 lbs. That's a total of 113 lbs since Lapband '09 and 30 lbs since VGS surgery 6 weeks post-op. I am amazed at how this sleeve keeps me from eating more than about 1/2-3/4 cup at a time. I make a small plate and can't eat 1/2 of it. Sure am going to save on food from now on. LOL

Hello All. I am new here and thought it's time to tell my story as I am about to start the second leg of my WL journey. I am 63 yrs and don't think it's too late to once again get healthy. I am a 2 years lapbander and can't wait to finally get a tool that I can begin working. Let me explain. I was banded July '07 and the Dr. was forced to use a much larger 15cc Lapband rather than the smaller Realize band as was expected. This was due to the size of my stomach and the fat growing on the stomach itself. Couldn't get the Realize Band around it properly so in the operating room he made the decision to use the larger band. Started out at 5cc's and took easily 6 months of fills to get it close to near full. Surprise . . . . Absolutely NO RESTRICTION. Eat anything and everything if I wanted to. It all just went right thru the band and into the stomach. No help whatsoever. It was completely the commitment to the change in lifestyle, diet, exercise, etc. that I was following that helped me lose 83 lbs. I went from a surgical weight of 363 to a low with lapband of 283. Then I went into a stall . . Just couldn't lose . . Reason for this mostly was I did get a chunk of food stuck for over 48 hrs . . . pain, foamies, upchucking, . . . tenderizer no help, couldn't sleep, . . . absolute misery. Had to drive 100 miles on a Sunday to see the surgen to have 5 cc's removed and swoosh it was cleared instantly. Thanks God!!! But, this was a setback now we had the slow process of trying to fill the band back up to capacity to see if we could get me some restriction. Never happened. Did a couple of the scan tests where you swallow the small cup of material and they can watch it pass thru the pouch and stoma. . Instantly passed . . no trickle at all. . . The Lapband NEVER gave me the restriction help that I was expecting. Well I was frustrated, started eating too much, starting eating the wrong things at times, and was on a slippery slope back up the scale. Gained back 35 lbs and finally I looked myself in the mirror and said what are you trying to do to yourself. Well back to the surgeon and after much discussion, research, and reading here to you all and your stories I felt that the sleeve could give me the support I need to beat this weight issue. A little history. I didn't gain my weight until after 40 yrs . . I am still very active physically traveling all over during the fall hunting from Sept. thru Jan. My body shape is normal legs, normal arms, with all my weight in my belly. I am told most men carry their weight this way. I have been thru the Optifast program with good success at first and then gained it all back. Physically I have diabetes( currently 100 - 110),hypothyroidism, slightly high BP(never over 140), no sleep Apnea, never smoked, and only drink at Weddings and New Years. . . . My eating falts are volume. Steak and Potatoes guy. Don't eat sweets, candy, cakes, or pies. . . well only occasionally. I do like soft drinks. But, haven't had sugared softdrinks for 5 years. Haven't had diet soft drinks for 2 years. I have a loving wife, 2 adult sons, and 2 wonderful granddaughters. Our first granddaughter is 16 and I have been her PaPa since birth. You ask why that is significant? Well she has inflected with cerebral palsey and my wife and I have been heavily involved in her care even to this day. We help out 2-3 days a week and some overnights. She is my mission in life and PaPa is the first words she could say and she only can speak about 10 words at this time. She is fairly high functioning but wheelchair bound due to left side impairment. What I am trying to say is. . . . I have to get this weight down to continue my care for her. It scares me to death thinking of how she will get along without me there. If you put 100 people in a room she would search me out and scream and point to me calling out . . . "PaPa". I must lose this weight so that I have a chance at a better longevity. I owe this to her. Don't want to forget our second granddaughter. She is a doll and very active in sports which I dearly love. A hockey player as a matter of fact. Plays against the boys and staying right with the boys her own age. Been playing for 4 years now and is 9 yrs old. She needs me also. Well back to me and my situation right now. Since my Dr.'s appoint 16 days ago when we decided to move on to the sleeve I have completed my Psych eval and I already had a clear chemical stress CT scan of my heart in past 30 days. Insurance forms and application was submitted and I got the phone call today that I was approved for the surgery. Will be waiting now for the call for pre-admission testing(PATs) and my surgery date. Hope to get this done very soon during the month of Aug as I need to get healthy quick as KLA(short for Kaylah) needs me. Only my son and I are strong enough to lift her in and out of her wheelchair and into bed or the cars. For the past 16 days I have been getting back on the program both mentally and physically. Got my diet straightened around and have again begun my exercise program. I am walking 2 - 4 miles a day at a fast clip . . 3.5-4 mph. In this heat it is really burning off the fat cells. Have walked 22 miles in the past week and have dropped 22 lbs. My goal is to get my weight back down to my low point of 283. Hopefully I can reach that before surgery. Then the second leg of my journey will be . . .my sleeve. Hope I haven't rambled on too much here but just thought I would try to give you some background.

Charlene, you day is coming. . . You have made a great decision. Just follow the Dr's program . . every detail . . and you will be successful with this sleeve. I am expiencing all of the effects that I expected from my lapband. It is restricting me from overeating. 1/2-3/4 cup and that is it. And, that is something new for me. Volume has always been my downfall. Good luck with your surgery and get up and get moving after the surgery as soon as you can. You window of opportunity is the first 6 months after your surgery.

Thanks CG. . . I have been looking for more races in the area. Can't wait for my next one. BTW: If you have an smart phone there's a app called RunKeeper that uses GPS tracking to calculate all the stats on your run or walk. Distance, time, pace, mph, . etc. It is free and if you want real time update so others can monitor your race location you can pay $15/yr for the elite program. I use it all the time and it calls out 1/4 mile times and pace for me to keep on track with my walking. Check it out.

LOL . . . No superstar . . . just damned determined to get this weight off and keep it off.

On Sept 11 I participated in an 8K run/walk(5 mi) and feelt fantastic. That is 25 days out from revision surgery. I have been power walking since July 17th which is when my Dr. and I decided to do the lapband to sleeve revision. I lost the 35 lbs I had gained and have lost another 20 lbs since surgery. You can see the details of the run in the Fitness forum: 8k run/walk details and pics I am pretty proud of this race. . . . Jolly my golden retriever who walks with me every night did the 8k with me also.

I did some checking on the revision surgery when you have scar tissue from the band. The staple line if it cuts right through the scar tissue has a higher rate of leakage vs running the staple line right up to but just short of the scar tissue. Scar tissues does not have a good blood supply so the tissue will not heal correctly. This is where the leak comes from. Ask you physician if the staple line will cross your scar tissue or not. You should want the staple line where the healing must take place to follow good live tissue. A sleeve like this has a small bulge above the scar tissue but it doesn't have any affect on the effectiveness of the sleeve or your future weight loss. I just had mine done and can see how the staple line angles right up to the bottom of the old pouch.

thanks for the nice comments Irene? . . LilMissDiva!!! I like that handle/forum name. LOL It is now 12 days post-op and I am doing fabulous. Gained 17 during surgery with all the IV's and have lost that plus 12 lbs. Hooray!!! I am back to my walking and have covered 13 additional miles for a total of 76 in the last 6 weeks. I am at my lowest in 20 years. Feels awesome and I have had absolutely no issues so far. Following the dietary recommendations of liquids first week and full liquids the second week. Have Dr.'s appt. on Thursday and will step it up to pureed if all goes well. Then soft foods the following week. I have had a small bit of Acid Reflux but have some meds to keep that down which is working. I put a T-shirt on today that I hate to wear as it feels like I am in a spring or slinky. The weave is just tight and doesn't give. Usually I take it off after 2 hours and find something comfortable. Well guess what. It is loose and feels wonderful. Small WOW moment. I am keeping up this walking and it is not even like exercise. My heart rate is really low for as fast as I am walking and that is good. BP is normal and my AM blood sugar has been under 97 the last three days. Awesome. Anyway, just wanted to do a bit of updating/bragging. . . LOL Feels so good that I just want to shout it from the rooftop. My goal is to take my weight to 199 which is 2 lbs above my wedding weight back in 1968. that would be awesome.

Hello from another that was in the same situation as you . . . Banded and lost 83 and gained back 35. . . . never received restriction from the band and like you did a little cheating on the band and that's why the weight gain. I also, had the same thoughts prior to sleeve surgery last week. My thoughts just before surgery were "I will never give up on myself because I am worth it and others are depending on me to be there in the future" . . . that should be enough to put your fears to rest. I believe everyone of us that are banded, sleeved, and RNY'd have cheated on the diet. I can guarantee you that each and every one has done it. so, don't feel like you are the only one that let things slip. But, it is what you do with your life after the slip. Never, Never, Never give up on your WL journey. You have done great with the band. I was sleeved last wednesday and everything is going so well right now. I am walking daily and keeping to my healing meal plan. Getting in my water and protein and staying with the program. I will overcome my excessive weight with this procedure. You should feel this way and believe in it. You are worth it. . you health will be so much better. Good luck with your surgery.

I don't buy that either. . . I just had my band removed last wednesday and revised to the sleeve. I am thoroughly convinced this is the way to go and have no regrets. You can just follow my results here to see if I have slow weight loss. It just isn't going to happen. I have every bit of confidence that the rest of my excess weight will be gone in 6 months . . . I follow the meal program, allow the sleeve to keep me from overeating, and keep up a good exercise program and the weight will start pealing off. Just read all the successful band to sleeve postings here and all the weight they have lost. There may be the occasional slow WL person but that will probably be due to some other parameter . . . like maybe grazing . . or eating high sugar items and high fat items. . . Will keep you all updated on my progress and we shall see how it works. I had lost 83 with the band and then gained 35 of it back. Then a dr. visit started the process to the sleeve revision. During the 4 weeks prior to surgery while I still had the band that was not providing restriction I followed the meal program and exercised like crazy( power walked 63 miles) and lost all 35 lbs I had gained. That weigh in was just before they took me up for surgery. I was elated with that success. Now it is all sleeve WL from here on out. I haven't hardly had any pain or nausea . . . I walked 3/4 miles yesterday and am headed out today to see if I can cover 2 miles. I am getting all my Protein in and 64 oz of fluids and doing really well. Good luck with your surgery. Bob