Dub

Thanks for the insight. I may be having an umbilical hernia repaired at the same time. The two prior times I had this done (hernia repair) were open incisions.....both outpatient at a surgicenter close to home.....two miles. I didn't know about being elevated on either procedure. Sure would have been better to recover two days in a hospital bed.

That's awesome, although that open road riding can be scary due to traffic. I've got a barely used mountain bike waiting for some riding !

No judging here. I was what I'd call a heavy weekend drinker until April of this year. I work rotating shifts so I have odd weekdays off during the week. An 18 pack or a fifth was usual fuel for a good day off. Seems crazy and out of control now that I reflect back, but it was quite normal at the time. I was never loud or obnoxious.....just "relaxing". I say that to say this.....I'm in no position to judge. In April I screwed up something in my back that knocked the wind out of me. It stopped me dead in my tracks. For the first time in my 46 years I was scared of my inability to do something. I missed six weeks of work and spent a bunch of time sitting around......thinking.....trying to heal up. The doctor said weight was a contributing factor. I began doing what I could to lose it.......while sitting around pumped full of meds. Pain is a powerful motivator for me. I quit drinking the day of my first visit to the doctor for my back. Didn't need the calories and didn't need the booze mixed with the meds. Six weeks of doing nothing kept me from going out to bars, clubs, restaurants.. It kept me away from a lot of temptation, So the back injury probably saved my life because it opened my eyes. It forced me to take inventory. Had I been mobile I would have done some AA meetings.

Thanks. I agree, this place is really special.

I've wondered this as well. I occasionally see folks who have post op goal weights that are still within "obese" or "overweight" ranges and just figured they must be interim goals but I'm not sure. I was given a number my surgeon thought I'd be able to reach.....but as far as the actual goal, I set that myself. I have some clothes that I want to wear one day....a couple of old jackets. One of them I'd never wear out in public.....just want to be able to wear it and know that I can......high school letterman's jacket. The other one is a cool leather jacket that I had in college and oddly enough....is still in style.....so it may see daylight again. Physical goals......oh yeah....I have a few of those, too.

Howdy Karl. I hope your strength steadily returns and you are feeling like taking those walks soon. About the wounds......were you advised to treat them with any type of topical medication ? I'll be asking you a bunch of questions here in a couple of months as I follow along with my own bypass. ????????????

Those Hondas run forever, though. I wish they made a convertible Accord Coupe.....I'd all over that. My 16 year old son has been hinting around about a new Civic Coupe LX in Rallye Red for him. Sharp looking car but I don't know if he'll have headroom at 6'7". He's wiry thin, though. It'd be a car that would get him through high school and college and beyond. In an age when folks are getting taller.....airline legroom is shrinking. Sucks outright. At least I'll be able to skip the extender and not have to wedge into the seat like a canned ham. Well said......born again.....SLIM. Sounds great to me. Is your BMW one of the Z models ? Ah......the mighty Hemi Cuda. American Muscle car at it's finest. Loved those cars. One of the cars that I've test driven in the recent years was a new Hemi-powered Dodge Challenger. Long doors, easy access, good headroom and legroom......drove great. I was really impressed. It was an eye-opener that has had me wanting one ever since. I think one of the reasons I was so enthused was the fact I drove it after being let down by my experiences on a Camaro test drive the weekend prior. Headroom was not there and it was just a poor fit. The Challenger, though......I can easily see one of these as a fun daily driver. Since I was 16, I've had 3 Mustangs, a Prelude, an Accord and then it's been a series of 4WD trucks. I haven't hunted or fished all that much over the past few years, but that may be something that changes significantly after I trim down. I plan on hanging onto my current truck for as long as it's feasible to keep it running as a hunt/fish truck.......even though I've been tempted to trade it on a new Jeep Wrangler a time or two over the years.

Well done !!!!!!!!!

Different strokes for different folks but what works for me is to cut out all the non-Fiber carbs, stay below maintenance level on daily calories and walking a lot. I also found that cutting way back on sodium and drinking Water all day long while doing the above leads to really fast weight loss. I burned off 120 lbs in 8 months doing this. It was a few years back and I've done very, very poorly keeping it off......but it does work fast if you need to burn off some weight quick.

I've tried to approach it with a "why wait for the surgery to begin losing" view. It's been very revealing. I cut out beer, rum and all other alcohol at the very beginning. Turns out to have been easier than cutting back simple carbs. I've caved in to doughnuts and pizza more than once. A back injury woke me up and had me consider the bypass surgery.....healing has been stubborn but it's occurring while I'm slowly losing weight.....hoping to be able to begin exercise very soon. This will help me better prepare for the bypass procedure. I really needed to face this stuff now.....well ahead of my surgery. Like I said....it's been really revealing.

Very cool. I had no idea they had those on the menu.

Very cool. I had no idea they had those on the menu.

Good call. Scary stuff to be considering and even scarier so soon.

Things I'm looking forward to post-op: Arthritis pain in knees easing up Back pain diminishing Cleaning out my closet of all the oversized clothes that are temporarily in there Having active hobbies Air travel with much greater ease....just complaining over legroom Perhaps a new car once I reach goal

I am looking around now at the various versions of the Fitbit. I can't wear watches or such on my job so the One is sounding like a good option. I called their customer service today to inquire about an XL band for the Flex. They do offer them after you set it up. She said it wouldn't be accurate in my pocket, though. Would the One model work if worn on a lanyard around your neck, inside your shirt ?

Celery

Well done. You are on the way to great health !!!!!

I think it's more a matter of subject matter comfort level.......or non-comfort level. Folks with normal weight issues talk about it freely among each other. It's no big deal. Standard conversation topic. Folks.....like me......with overweight issues really don't care to talk about it......to the point where it's a taboo subject. I know I avoid discussing it like the plague. It's been that way for me long enough to have become my knee-jerk reaction when the topic comes up. I tend to get overly defensive if pressed on the matter. To them....it's a simple topic.....to me it's bad juju. I don't have a clue if this will ever change for me. I suspect it may. Perhaps after 200 pounds burned off and many, many miles on the treadmill and a fun-filled lifestyle will bring me to the point where such talk is routine.

Excellent thread. I'd typed out a long reply on my iPad that was just wiped out by the iPad hating tendencies of this site. Suffice to say that I'm DONE, too. Back and knee pain 24/7 is driving me nuts.

I went to the Brooks website and used their stride analysis and bought the pair they recommended. They are the most comfortable pair of shoes I've ever owned.

Great progress and a great decision to address this while you are young. Keep posting your adventures as it's inspiring to those of us in the pre-op limbo.

Good info. I was thinking I'd wind up like Mr Clean for a while. I'm going to do my best to keep my Protein intake up and hope for the best.

Good deal. Was starting to wonder with all the mumu-sundress suggestions. I can hear the screaming protests just as the anesthesia takes over, "No.....not there.....not my junk......just my stomach" and then it's lights out.

The questionare I took was a bogus ordeal. Even my psychiatrist said so. She, on the other hand, was super. It's just another hurdle that you'll cross and then be on your way. Keep your eye on the prize.

I'm talking about later......after I'm at least two years out from my bypass. Will I be able to take in enough Protein daily to be effective? I was able to make some great headway a few years back after first losing a great deal of weight. I reached a point where I wanted to drop cardio and focus just on weight training. During this time, It seemed like I was eating much of the same foods I'll be mostly eating post-op. I just didn't know if I'd be able to consume enough to fuel significant muscle growth like I was able to do back then.