FortKnox78

Hey all!
 
My name is Nick and I've recently been fully approved by BC/BS for VSG...I'm going to be a SLEEVER! I am excited to loose the weight but do have concerns as anybody would.
 
I am 36 years old, happily married and the proud father to 4 awesome kids! I grew up here in the midwest loving my loaded baked potatoes, steak, hamburger and chinese buffets. 
 
During high school I was the jock, the team captain, the "BIG MAN" on campus. My freshman year I weighed in a 248lbs. and at graduation I weighed just over 300lbs. but only had 20% body fat so I was told. Once I realized that college football isn't for everybody, I made the move back to Sioux City, IA and it was then (1998) I realized that life doesn't surround football.
 
I got married in 2002 and settled down. Soon, the eating habits got out of hand. 315, 325, 350, 375 and so on. I tried weightloss pills and would loose a little weight but didn't necessarily feel better about myself. I purchased a few gym memberships but my mind was still thinking I was in football mode and that I had to bulk up. When I realized that didn't work either, I basically come to terms that I'm just going to be BIG the rest of my life.
 
In early 2013, I went to my Dr. and told him what I wanted to do. He was NOT for it and I wasn't happy. He couldn't understand why I'd want to wack off half my stomach and basically scared me to the point I gave up on that too. So we tried weightloss pills again...but...you guessed it...those didn't work again either. I told him that I AM getting the surgery and that I'll go 6 more months (to satisfy insurance requirements) on the weightloss pills. I told him that I'd put forth a valid effort to loose the weight. I was 405 lbs. and feeling like it too. I cut the pop, the sugary drinks (was drinking 10-12 cans of pop per day). But I still wasn't losing considerable weight. I finally told him I was done, adios amigo, I'm out of here. He wished me well and I went on my way and for the 10,000,000th time I come to the realization that I was just going to be BIG the rest of my life. This didn't sit well with 4 young children (16, 10, 10 months, newborn). 
 
It was then, I prayed and asked God what to do. Frustrated at the Lord that things where not going according to my plan and the way I wanted to go about it. About 2 weeks after I finally GAVE UP, the bariatric coordinator called me to tell me that my insurance requirements have drastically changed. She said that I'd needed to get a Thyroid Lab Test, Psych Eval, and attend the meetings. 
 
So I started this process in early September 2014 and 2 months later I am about to take my last education class and looking to schedule my surgery this coming Friday (October 24th). It is then that I think this will finally hit me that I'm about to be half the man I used to be!!! YIPPIE!!
 
Stats:
Height: 6'3"
Current Weight: 395lbs. (as of October 2014)
Heaviest Weight: 405lbs. (August 2014)
Projected Weight: 240lbs. (t.b.d.)
Pant size: 46 W
Shirt Size: 3XL-4XL