Being able to.... Long awaited update.

(from your left: my brother Chris, my sister Stephanie, me, and my sister in law Stacey)

I take a look at the picture above and I think to myself, i can't believe how thin I really am. I really honestly don't think that I am that thin until I see pictures of myself now.

I know I haven't updated in a while. To be honest, nothing really has changed much since the last update. I am still maintaining my weight, food intake has been good, and I am still taking my vitamins every day. I am still currently at 168, which fluctuates between 167 and 172 depending on the day and how much exercise I get it. I am still sticking to the protein, however, I do try new foods every once in a while. Last night I had a piece of pizza :).

Experimenting with foods can be a risky business after this surgery. I have learned that if there is a food that I am going to try, it is best to stick close to home in case what ever food I am trying does not agree with me. This doesn't happen that often, however when it does happen, I pay quite a price.

I weigh myself once a week. I found this to be more rewarding then weighing myself every other day. I used to get depressed when I would see the scale jump back over 170. It is a known fact that you weigh less in the morning hours than you do in the evening hours. It is best to weigh yourself first thing in the morning.

Exercise is going okay. Walking mostly still. I find that walking is the most effective exercise I can do. The sit ups, push ups, running, and Yoga are all rewarding, however, walking is what I get the most benefit from.

My grandmother in the above picture constantly tells me how proud she is of me. She has been the biggest supporter through out this entire journey for me. Actually everyone in my life practically has been a huge support, however, Grandma was the head cheerleader throughout. Everytime I walk through her door, she says "you're looking great kid", or "I am proud of you, you look fantastic".

Both my Grandmother and Sister keep a picture of me, when i was 375 pounds, on their respective refrigerators. Both say that they take a look at that picture every time they open the door to take food out. They call it their "inspiration". I call it a genius idea.

Many people have asked me how my skin turned out now that I have lost all the weight. To be honest, i don't have a TON of hanging skin, or what they call excess skin. I would have to say the worst part is my stomach but in recent months, it has tightened up a little bit. My under arms sort of look like floppy wings, but that also is going away. My inner thighs also have a little excess skin hanging. I lucked out quite a bit in the excess skin department. I could have been worse and I have seen worse. Will I get the de-bulking surgery? Probably not, unless something drastic happens. i.e. rashes and infections.

I just passed 19 months post op. I seriously cannot believe that it has been that long. It seems just like yesterday I went in for surgery. I dreamed of the day when I could actually have this surgery, now that I have had the surgery, it would be a bad move on my part to let it go to waste. I am enjoying life. Last night I went out with family and friends to celebrate my sisters 26th birthday. I had a ton of fun and I enjoyed myself. The biggest benefit I got out of this surgery was being able to enjoy life. I no longer go out with a bad attitude, I no longer think that people are looking at me and making fun of me. Not only do I have have a better attitude towards life, I feel people approach me in a more positive manner because I am not on the defense personality wise.

As i say in most of my posts, I am really glad that I had this surgery and i would do it all over again if I had to, but I will add to that. If for some reason I lost it all tomorrow, I am very lucky to have had this last 19 months. This is the person I always wanted to be. As corny has it sounds, it is true. I have confidence in myself now and I find I am not second guessing myself anymore.

Below are two other inspirations that make me glad I had this surgery:

(My niece Lauren)


(My nephew Ryan)