Fourkeys

Bariatric Pal
FOURKEYS
My RNY Weight Loss Journey
At the age of 4 months I contracted spinal meningitis with a body temperature that reached 108 degrees. Thanks to modern medicine I survived the experience but with the question mark of what long term affect the high temperature would have on me. It wasn’t until the second grade in school that short-term memory loss problems became evident. In spite of that I was able to graduate from high school in 1993 with a regular high school diploma.
During those high school years I found myself gaining weight and having difficulty losing it. I tried different forms of exercise and diet plans and would lose some and then gain it back for no obvious reason. Various medical tests were unable to determine if my experience with spinal meningitis was a contributing factor in my weight gain.
Following High School I joined Gold’s Gym and engaged in regular strength training and aerobic exercise. I was able to maintain an active fitness routine during my early adult years but as I got older it became harder to maintain that level of routine and by my mid-thirties I had over time gradually increased my body weight to over 400 pounds at six-feet two-inches tall.
In 2013 at the age of 39 I moved to central Florida and it became clear that it was going to take much more than a regular diet and fitness plan to lose the 456 pound morbid obese weight that I had become.
At that point I considered bariatric surgery and attended nearby medical center presentations that explained the process involved and the associated costs. The bariatric doctor explained that once a person reaches morbid obesity and sometimes even sooner the size of the stomach has become so large that the only way to correct the condition is through bariatric or bypass surgery of one form or the other.
I began the surgery process in late 2013 at the age of 40 at 456 pounds. I was told that I would have to lower my body weight by at least 30 pounds and pass several medical tests before I could undergo the surgery. For three months I did virtually nothing else but exercise, exercise, and more exercise. I was provided a nutrition plan to follow that was geared toward rapid but safe weight loss, something that was best done under the supervision of a doctor and nutritionist.
By December 23, 2014 I had lowered my body weight from 456 pounds to 426 pounds and underwent RNY gastric bypass surgery on that date with Dr. Keith Kim. Two days later I left the hospital still weighing 426 pounds but in possession of a tool that if used properly along with strict post-surgery instructions, nutritional guidelines and effective exercise recommendations, there was every reason to believe that I could make significant improvement in my physical condition and in every healthy aspect.
As a bariatric patient we are required to follow a lifelong routine of healthy eating and have to insure minimum amounts of daily protein and fluid intake, essential vitamin and mineral supplement, and an adequate balance of physical activity while meeting nutritional requirements.
In addition to the initial aerobic activities of swimming and punching a boxing heavy bag I began using dumbbell weights and a basic workout bench to gain a strength and fitness level that would encourage as much of a rapid but healthy weight loss as possible.
By the end of the first year I had gone from my 426 surgery weight to 321 (a loss of 105 pounds) and from my highest weight three months prior to surgery of 456 (a loss of 135 pounds).
By the end of the second year I had dropped to 225 pounds (a loss of 201 from the lower weight or 231 from the higher weight). My body weight reached the lowest point of 220 pounds in 2018 and has averaged 220 pounds just prior to and since then constituting an average weight loss of 206 pounds. At the same time I significantly reduced my body fat measurements and increased my muscle mass measurements.
In addition to a dumbbell circuit training routine I continue to run, swim laps, and work the heavy bag for overall fitness and that has kept me at a resting heart rate of 56 BPM, within recommended blood pressure readings, blood test values in the norm, and without a need to take any doctor prescribed medications. I have never smoked or experienced alcoholic beverages which are a dangerous practice for bariatric patients so that has helped in staying as healthy as possible. I expect to continue meeting my bariatric eating and nutritional requirements as well as my physical exercise lifestyle well into the future.
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