Day 44 - 63 Pounds Later...

[SHAFT THEME] He's a bad mother-shutcho-mouth.

On April 26th, the day before deadly twisters ripped through our state, I made a trip to Crestwood Hospital to have my blood work drawn and other pre-op tests completed. It was that day I was given the pre-op diet instructions along with two big bags of protein powder.

I was at my heaviest weight ever. 441 pounds.

A little over two months later, and almost exactly 6 weeks after my surgery, I've lost a total of 63 pounds.

The weight, however, seems inconsequential compared to the improvements in my quality of life. I've listed those time and time again, so I'll not bore you by bloviating about them once more.

It is amazing to me, however, when I think back to how I felt just 9 weeks ago. I had a hard time getting out of bed because of joint and back pain. I struggled with stamina, often dragging ass by the end of the day.

That isn't my life any more.


As happy as I am that I'm making this change, I'm more excited about the collateral effect. The kids are eating better because I am. They are exercising more because I am. For the first time in six years, I feel like I'm leading by example, at least with regards to personal health. Jen has always been great at setting the proper example, however I've always sat in the corner eating Cheetos and bacon.

Damn I do love bacon, though. :-)

And while I certainly don't claim credit, my entire family is exercising now. My brother and sister-in-law are jogging several nights a week. My cousin-in-law is walking with us on a nightly basis. And my dad is spending several nights a week on the track with us. It's so much easier to do as a clan. No joke.

And that's so important to me. One of the things I feared the most was losing that bonding time with my family. We've always convened over a meal. The food was the centerpiece for our get-togethers. Now we meet to walk and improve our health and possibly even extend our lives. This isn't really how I envisioned this happening. I thought the family would continue convening over meals and I'd just have to deal with it. So I'm so excited that the bonding process now extends to our exercise time.

Food-wise, I'm finally free of the bindings of the soft-food diet. Because I can't eat much, I still have to focus on getting my proteins first. Because protein=meat, I'm not having much issue with that. But I can try some new stuff!

So, 63lbs down. It's a great start. But that's all it is. As of right now, I'm only about 27% down the road. But I'm digging the journey so far.

We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

And sitting by desolate streams;—

World-losers and world-forsakers,

On whom the pale moon gleams:

Yet we are the movers and shakers

Of the world for ever, it seems.

- Arthur O'Shaughnessy

Weight this morning: 378.0 (-63lbs)

Regards,

The Vanishing Taylor