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.

Day 41 - Painful Lessons

To the majority of the world, "eating right" means one thing. To me, it means two.

There's the layman's definition, which generally means to eat healthy.

Then there's the bariatric patient's definition, which means to chew well.

Saturday for lunch I decided to grill some bone-in split chicken breasts. Many of you know that I'm a BBQ lover. I love to fire up the smoker or the grill and experiment with all sorts of different meats, rubs, and sauces.

Day 39 - Exercise - Who'da Thunk It?

The green is "protein." This is the breakdown I aim for daily.
This is a Livestrong.com chart, btw.

I'm starting to think all these so-called experts that talk about eating right and exercising to lose weight might actually be on to something.

That was sarcasm, by the way. It's a second language.

As I continue on this journey, I'm partially excited and partially embarrassed. The secret to weight loss has never been a secret. Eat right and exercise like a beast and the weight will come off.

I'm excited because I continue to be able to do the right things. The surgery has allowed me the right tools to be successful. But at the same time, I'm embarrassed that I couldn't do this on my own. The lack of discipline I had is still astonishing when I think about it. I'm not doing anything different NOW than I could have done without the surgery. I'm having to eat foods that are high in protein and low in fat. I'm having to limit my carbs and bust my ass exercising.

That's all something I should have done previously. Unfortunately I just didn't have the discipline to stick to eating right.

Day 37 - Phasing Out!

I am now in my 6th week, which means I'm in the last week of my post-op phased diet. The last four weeks of the post-op diet require me to only eat soft foods. The nutritionist freed me up to eat a little more, and I have certainly pushed the boundaries. I've eaten some chopped steak, grilled chicken, among other denser proteins and so far have experienced no significant issues.

As I put this chapter of my life behind me, and bid farewell to these restrictions, I am now forced to learn the glycemic index, as I will have to abide by a low glycemic diet the rest of my life. So here's yet another challenge and interesting learning curve.

As I've mentioned previously, the end of the sixth week also finally frees me up to start doing some resistance training. I'm thinking about joining a gym so I can start a little weight lifting. The goal here is to minimize the amount of loose flab that is likely imminent. I hope to hit the gym three times a week at lunch and use that to supplement my nightly walking routine.

Day 34 - Tracking your diet

For those of you looking for a good source to help you manage your diet and caloric intake, Livestrong.com is hard to beat. I've used it for years now and there are so many great tools that help you properly manage your diet and exercise routines.

The best feature they offer is called MyPlate, which allows you to search a huge database of foods and claim "I ate this" for each of your meals. This is a quick and easy way of monitoring nutrient and caloric intake. You can easily set goals for weight loss and monitor your actual caloric intake against recommended caloric intake to determine success on a daily basis.

It's a fantastic tool that can help you lose, and monitor your failures and successes. They also have developed wonderful apps for most of the smartphones, including the iPhone and iPad. www.livestrong.com

Since the surgery, I've not been concerned about caloric intake or anything else. I've focused on getting as much protein as possible and meeting my other critical daily requirements (milk, water, etc.) But I thought it would be interesting to once again monitor my intake, just to see how many calories I am eating a day.

Day 33 - Dads

I've been very fortunate to have so many great mentors and father-figures in my life. They've taught me the importance of a positive attitude, a determined work ethic, and respect for all - among countless other life-lessons.

My Papa was a quiet guy. He was very loving, although he never verbally expressed it. He was the type of grandfather that would say more with a quiet smile and nod of approval than any words could express. He taught me the importance of honor. Papa fought for our country as an Army medic in World War II. I was always enamored with his discipline and routine. Morning toast. Mid-morning snack of bugles and Cracker Barrel cheese. We spent lunch listening to Paul Harvey, starving for the rest of the story. Afternoon of sitting on a folding chair outside of his garage and watching traffic pass. He taught me to pace life.

Papa died in 1998 after years of bravely battling dimentia and other ailments. I have never been so conflicted as the day he passed. I was so happy he had been freed from the bindings of the world he knew. At the same time, I had lost a mentor.

I think about him daily.

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But this is no sad story. You see, I'm lucky enough to have some of the greatest mentors still in my life.

Day 32 - Greek Goddess of Victory

When I decided to have this surgery, there were certain goals I had in mind. Obviously the main goal is to live a longer life so I can be a better husband and father. There were lots of health reasons that dictated the decision. And then there were some possibly narcissistic reasons I chose this path. And one of those "silly" reasons was clothing. Specifically, Nike apparel.

Those that know me, know that I'm a big Crimson Tide fan. I've loved the University of Alabama since I was a child. That's where I went to college. That's where I met my wife. If I didn't live in Huntsville, which is my home, I would live in Tuscaloosa. I follow all Alabama athletics very closely, and spend exorbitant amounts of money each year attending events in T-town.

For those unaware, Nike doesn't make sizes in Super-Morbidly Obese. And I haven't been able to wear the official Nike apparel since I was in high school. Instead, I've been relegated to cheap knockoffs and Walmart gear in size "fat ass." And there's nothing wrong with that, aside from the fact that more often than not it looks terribly cheesy.