Monday, October 23, 2017

About Me (and my weight)

I was born March 18, 1972 in San Diego, California. Growing up I was an averaged sized kid. Maybe a few pounds overweight but nothing out of the ordinary. I was ever teased about my weight or anything like that. I played little league and stayed active like most kids.

Around 17 I stopped growing (taller) and got to my current height of 5'10". I probably weighed around 180-185. When started driving a car I slowly started gaining weight. I didn't have to ride my bike to get around anymore and I had access to drive-thrus at fast food places. Shortly after high school I passed 200lbs. That weight trend continued into my 20s and 30s. I think I was about 32 when I hit 300lbs.

Like most people I tried different diets and weight loss solutions to get fit and healthy. I even lost over 70lbs in 2008 gettind down to 270lbs. I felt I had the knowledge but could just never stick to any program. "Life" always got in the way. And using food for confort and escape was an easy out. Turns out I really didn't have the knowledge or the commitment to my health.

Into my late 30s and 40s I really got big. I developed Type 2 Diabetes and a whole host of chronic ailments. At one point I was on 7 prescription medications. When I was 41 I reached 400lbs, topping out at 403lbs in February 2014. At that time I was in the middle of a lengthy journey to get approved for Bariatric surgery. I had recently gotten a job as a bus driver for San Luis Obispo County and had health insurance for the first time in years.

I was finally approved and met my bariatric surgeon January 2015 and had surgery two months later. Since that initial meeting I'm down approximately 200lbs. I've pasted a link to the website that I track my weight on. It's pretty cool because it averages recent weights. You can see every weigh-in I've logged since that initial meeting. I gained a few pounds late last year when I was battling a case of shingles but other than that no significant weight gain.

I'm two and a half years post-op but still consider myself in the "early" stages of life after surgery. I'm 45 and plan on living many more decades. :) <3 I've read many books, listened to lots of podcasts and in general studied extensively about bariatric surgery and health. I am always trying to educate myself about nutrition, exercise, etc. I've found a simple way of living that works for me and I believe can work for most bariatric patients.

The day I met the surgeon I started WALKING. If I had to guess I've probably walked 10,000+ steps 95% of days since then. I think consistent movement throughout the day is very important. I also started cutting down on my sweets. In the two months leading up to surgery I lost 35 pounds just doing that. After the shingles last year I tightened up my processed carbs consumption. I lost those few "re-gain" pounds and kept going. I'm currently the lightest I've been since I was a teenager. I still eat lots of carbs, mainly from fruits and veggies. If I had to guess my macros it's probably something like 45% Fat, 20% Protein, 35% Carbs. I don't count calories and take a few vitamins every other day or so. I try to get my nutrients from food. All my blood markers are good and my Vitamin levels are in normal range. I take NO prescription drugs anymore. I dont' have any "off-limits" foods but try to limit the "junk". I probably cook/make about 90% of my food.

I'm in a unique situation where I live alone so I have total control of the food in my house. Not much temptation if it's not within reach. I don't have any kids and the person I spend the most time with (my girlfriend) had bypass back in 2001 so she has a similar way of eating as me. I live in a great climate in a safe neighborhood so I have ample opportunity to walk/run/hike outside. I've never had a gym membership. I ride my bike and do some resistance exercises frim time to time, but mainly I walk/run. I'm fitter and weigh less than my wildest dreams when I started this process. I ran my first Half-Marathon on October 8, 2017. I planning on competing in a 20-miler and a Full-Marathon in the coming months. LIFE IS GOOD!

Below is my weight since meeting bariatric surgeon in January 2015:

https://trendweight.com/u/366d57a9670d41/


No comments:

Post a Comment

Peanut

Tonight I lost a friend. His name was Peanut. He was a really sweet cat. His original name was Zero. But when I first met him I thought his ...