oilmandg

Hey Team, I had my surgery on the 1st, recovery went well. I am in complete shock this morning though, the first time I have weighed in since surgery and I am 16# down! Still a long ways to go, but I am dumbfounded. That is a total of 35 pounds down from beginning my pre-op liquid diet!

December 1

That is great news, keep up the hard work.

It looks like MyFitness Pal is the consensus here - thanks for everyone's input. I have been trying Baritastic, but finding it a bit awkward.

My sleeve is 1 December. I would join the group, but don't see a link or how to sign up.

Hello All - My name is Dave. My story, will sound familiar to a lot of you. I really can't remember a time I have not been fighting the war against fat. I can even remember struggling when I was 13-14, and I was simply a big boned farm boy. Then on to football and wrestling, I bulked up for football, played lineman then would "drop" down in wrestling season to wrestle into the 189# division. Keep going into my late teens, was told I needed to loose 40# to get into the Military. Lost it, and more in boot camp down to my "adult" lowest weight of 177 - which was according to the Military and common medical thought the my "ideal" weight - whatever the hell that meant. My mother upon seeing me straight out of boot camp asked the period appropriate question "Son, do you have AIDS?". I continued to battle my weight while I was in the Military, always struggling to stay below the magic 201# which was my maximum allowed. I ran a 2-3 miles several times a week, alternated with weight lifting and what they would call "core" strengthening today. I was always on the "chunky chicken" program. Then I met my beautiful wife, 25 years ago. I got out of the military and within a year started college, put on a college 20 give or take, mostly give. We didn't have the money and I sure didn't have the time to eat right. I commuted 64 miles one way every day to school, worked 4 jobs, and when I was home slept. I started a high stress job, that I enjoy, have been required to keep my weight first below a 35 BMI which required losing about 55# at the time and then later on was asked to keep it below a 40 BMI, which required losing about 80# of which I have always lost the weight only to have it come back plus more. Then I continued to age, funnily enough finding much harder after 40 to lose weight, simply could not burn off the calories as well. I had a life changing injury, complete rupture of my right Achilles tendon, by the time I was able to walk again the weight had creeped back on. Once again working 12-14 hour days on call 24/7, even on my days off I would get several phone calls, just no time to work out and I have been in pain all the time, I would get motivated start eating walking, etc and then I would hurt myself because I was so big. I have injured tendons in both knees, sprained ankles, and some of it is simply the abuses of my younger life coming back to me. So that is my war, I have won some battles losing huge amounts of weight, I have lost some battles, the most recent win is battling with my insurance company for almost 2 years - have gotten my approval for a sleeve. I started my liquid diet 9 days ago, my surgery is scheduled for 1 December. I have lost about 19 pounds demonstrating to the insurance I can do it, and I have lost at least another 15 plus on my liquid diet. The next campaign.... I guess I am equal parts nervous and excited about this sleeve, not worried very much about the surgery itself. I am worried about the impact it it will have in changing my family relationships. I worry about my resolve to use this tool, to keep lose and keep my weight off for my life. I worry about my relationship with food, I am not a huge junk food eater, but I do like a cold beer or three, and I love home cooked meals and I am a pretty decent cook, but don't hold a candle the the meals my bride can put together. I have a lot of things to motivate me, being alive is the biggest one, the path I have been on isn't looking pretty probably not make it to retirement. The love of my life and being able to enjoy our twilight together. I want to see my teenage daughters married. I want to see my Grandson graduate. I have 110 acres of rural farm land, that is our own piece of God's country that needs a lot of work and effort to raise some animals and such. "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it" - Margret Thatcher

My date is December 1. Started my pre-op diet today.