5 Year Surgiversary

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Today, I write this blog post on February 12, 2019. Exactly 5 years ago today, I executed one of the best decisions of my life, and I had the gastric sleeve surgery. It was precisely the drastic action necessary to jump-start my focus on health and wellness. I celebrated today’s milestone of losing weight and keeping it off for five years by sharing this feat with others. This evening, I spoke at a bariatric seminar for perspective bariatric surgery patients, and I shared my testimonial of the past several years with the group. I was pleased to observe that the hospital decided to record the testimonial, which captured the occasion perfectly.

Me just prior to surgery, compared to February 12, 2019, five years later.

The past five years have not all been a carefree bliss of barbells and Brussels sprouts, however. As recently as this past winter, I faced my most serious challenge, and I am still fighting to recover from it. Late autumn of 2018, I was hastily performing a set of stiff-legged dead-lifts as part of a back exercise. Hastily doing anything, particularly lifting weights, is a terrible idea. During that set, my back grabbed in a way that I have never experienced before. I was forced to immediately stop the workout, and had to hobble away. Everything I did after that point, for the next two months, was a serious challenge. Getting out of bed, tying my shoes, basically anything that involved movement would cause me a great amount of pain. Needless to say, my workouts ceased completely for those two months. In an instant, I went from working out six days a week to being completely sedentary.

To make matters worse, this occurred right around my birthday in October 2018. That is the time of year when holidays and the consumption of junk food tends to begin in my household. In prior years, because of routine exercising and a healthy diet, I could easily refuse unhealthy options. However, when I was forced to be sedentary and was constantly exposed to junk food all around my house, I failed to resist and succumbed to unhealthy desires. From my birthday until New Year’s 2019, I gained close to 30 pounds. That amounts to roughly 15 pounds per month of weight gain!

I have never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions, particularly when attributed to weight loss. However, with the ending of the holiday time, I made a pact to myself to get back on the health and wellness wagon. With my back fully recovered from the injury, I proceeded to restart my workout regimen. I was astonished to discover that I had lost a tremendous amount of strength in those few months. I had to lower the dumbbell weights for each set by about 10 pounds, which is very significant. I also struggled in ways that I had not experienced in over a year of weight lifting. I definitely felt like those 2 sedentary months set me back about a full year of weight lifting progress.

From an eating perspective, I have my wife to thank for her wonderful idea that helped me tremendously. She discovered a web-based company called Metabolic Meals that has recently become my saving grace. Because of work, I am now much busier than I was last year, and meal preparation has become increasingly challenging. Metabolic Meals takes care of that issue by mailing prepared healthy meals that are already pre-cooked and frozen. They have virtually no processing or preservatives, are made from quality ingredients, and are amazingly delicious. I have fallen into the terrific groove of eating a bowl of oatmeal and berries for breakfast, a Metabolic Meal for lunch, and a Metabolic Meal for dinner. If I happen to become hungry in between meals, I eat kale chips, berries, beans, or a piece of fruit. Since doing this, I have already lost over 5 pounds in a relatively short amount of time. I have zero doubt that I will be back to the 212 pounds (10% body fat) that I weighed prior to my injury. As of today, I weigh 237 (13% body fat). The journey to lose that excess weight and regain the muscle and strength that I lost will be difficult, but I am 100% confident that I can do it again. Compared to where I was 5 years ago, this is a walk in the park. Thanks to the surgery and what I have learned since, I have the tools necessary to take control of my health, and follow a very different path than much of America. I look forward to the next 5 years!

Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog is based entirely upon my experiences and observations. I am not a medical professional and you must do your own research and consult your doctor before making any changes to your eating, fitness, medication, or supplements. This general information is not intended to diagnose any medical condition or to replace your healthcare professional.

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