findinglean.com

Well Two things really….you get my weight loss since I last wrote an update. (Sorry about that) and more importantly you get the amount of weight I need to lose to bring my total weight loss to a staggering 200 pounds! (Also yes…I’m aware the song is 16 tons..but the title fit so work with me people.)

Some people say I’m a man made outta fat
A slim man’s made better then that
Muscle and tone and no body fat
But mind that’s a-weak with a body all that

You lose 15 pounds, what do you get
Another day older but closer to fit
Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my life to my weight loss goal

I’ve been fairly busy with work so I just haven’t had the time to push an update and  really wanted to correct that. I should start by saying I’m feeling great and a week or so ago now I spent a long weekend with my sister and bro-in-law which was awesome as I got to spend time with my most favorite niece and nephew in the whole world. Okay my only niece and nephew but still it was awesome. The best part was all the actual activities I was able to do without thought or loss of breathe or back pain or problems getting around. We rode our bikes a little and Gavin is pretty much done with training wheels. We went to this really nice National Park with a small wild-life reserve and walked around looking at everything from groundhogs (whistle pigs I  recently learned) to deer to wild turkey to Mr. Owl (who we asked how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop) and even a bald eagle. Speaking of which if you’ve never seen a bald eagle in person…it’s a rather majestic animal.

All in all I’m more and more active every day and trying new foods..which brings me to my next, albeit not so fun part of my journey thus far. On the day I returned home from my trip I got sick, and lets just say that for about 30 hours I became close with the porcelain god and suffice it to say scrambled eggs and I are threw and in the words of Taylor Swift “Oooh, this time I’m telling you, We are never ever ever getting back together. Like….Ever.”

So tonight I’m going out again to hit the local pub (not to drink) to hang out friends both old and new and make fun of people singing karaoke, and I must say it’s nice to just get out. So nearly 200 pounds down now and who knows maybe I could see the my weight drop below the 300 mark by the end of the year…that would be a really nice Christmas present for myself.

And one a final note. I know I’ve been saying I’ll post another video soon and that’s starting to feel like a broken promise, but I swear I will…no really.

~rev (370 Pounds)

That’s right. This morning I weighed in at 396 (See what I did there?) so now down 159 pounds I’ve left the 400s behind and hopefully soon the 300’s will follow suit. So what does that amount of weight loss translate into terms of size? Well I’ve lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 inches off my waist line and my belt that was too small for me is now about to have its 3rd new hold added to keep up with me.

While I have slowed down substantially in the weight loss department it is still moving in the right direction though not everything is. It turns out I have a slight tear in my Achilles Tendon (sp) because my 2 miles a day was maybe a little too much so for now I’m taking it easy and icing it down till my doctor lets me know what I can do to fix the issue. Also I’m not stopping all exercise, just not pushing off so much so for now I’ll just have to be careful.

In other news I baked salmon for the first time since surgery and thankfully I still liked it, because you never know how you will react to some foods. This particular salmon wasn’t that great (quality) but was good enough to enjoy. The only problem is with my restrictive intake it will take a few days to finish the smallest salmon steak I could even find. I hope the leftovers as also good because you never know.

~rev (396 Pounds)

…and that’s a good thing. So It’s been about a week (though seems like a month) since I posted anything and I wanted to get some updates out there. I’m down a few more pounds and with each day I’m gaining more and more mobility. Just the other day I managed to go grocery shopping without the use of the motorized cart, and not just to pick up a few items. I was in the store walking around for about an hour with no trouble at all.

But with improved mobility comes sciatic pain and now that I’ve lost some weight I think I’m at a place where physical therapy will actually do me some good, so tomorrow afternoon I have my first appointment and with that I hope to get to a place soon where I’m riding my bike on a regular (or semi-regular) basis as well as just getting out more and more.

So from weight loss and exercise to food and eating habits. I realized I need to listen to my body more because I wasn’t eating enough (something I still find hard to comprehend) and as a result wasn’t losing weight that well so I’ve started supplementing my diet with Pure Protein Shakes which some in a few flavors. Vanilla and Chocolate which are both good actually, then strawberry which was tolerable but will never be purchased again and finally cookie’s and cream which was so awful I couldn’t finish one 11oz can. I’ve also started eating more solid meet type foods and yesterday was my first steak (top sirloin) since having surgery and it was really very good…so much so I had the rest of it for lunch today.

I’ve found a few decent protein supplement bars as well (also Pure Protein) and as a result I’ve been able to eat a spinach salad with red bell peppers and cucumber and not worry about being able to get all my protein in for the day. Now the shakes and bars are not cheap (average a couple bucks per bar) but in the end its still less money than I used to spend eating out, even when combined with my grocery bill.

Moving this rambling post right along with little to no logical transition…my pants…yes pants. I wrote recently that I’m finding new (old) sets of clothes as I’d never thrown anything away but I wanted to mention that while that’s true it’s still rather amazing to me how fast I’m dropping inches…take the pants in this photo for example. They were too small for me just a month or so ago and now…they are almost too big. I know I’m still big and have a long road ahead but being too small for these pants already when just 5 short weeks ago they didn’t even fit me is one hell of a motivator to stay positive and keep moving.

And finally…I’m just doing more. I drove myself to Nashville recently and I’ll be doing it again in a few weeks to see Star trek with a friend of mine at the 3D IMAX. I’m making plans to drive up to my sister’s house to visit for a long weekend and I’m also trying to work a trip to Chicago in at some point this year to get a pin-up girl style tattoo from Hannah Aitchison. (If I can get her). And I am also looking to plan a trip out west to stay with a friend of mine in Arizona next winter (won’t do summer there willingly).

And there you have it…a not so short bumbling post to put things out there for what’s been going on…I’ve been rather busy with work so writing these posts has been pushed on the back burner, and while I wont likely write every day I will try to do more than one a weekish.

~rev (424 Pounds)

Yesterday was a busy day and an exhausting one at that. But I managed to get all the tools organized in my garage and even though I still have quite a bit to do it was a rather big accomplishment. I had a friend come over last night to help me put a table together but other than that and a little minor lifting (of a tool box) I managed to do the rest myself and I’m sore as hell today.

Garage Organized(ish) VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I got my air compressor hooked back up and put air in the tires of my hand truck and my bike, which I’m hoping to start riding very soon. I also got my DeWALT battery chargers hooked up (less the one I lent out to a friend with one of my saws) which will come in handy as I start doing more household repairs again. The first on my list is replacing a couple doorknobs and then I need to try and tackle replacing the mailbox out front. My I had planned on replacing the knobs today but I’m pretty sore still so I’m going to push it off till next weekend.

I still have a ton of work to do, but it’s nice to be able to start doing it again. I also have to finish setting up my electric drums upstairs over the garage and start playing again a little, and as I mentioned I really want to start riding my bike again so I’m thinking in maybe 2 or 3 more weeks when it’s a little nicer outside and I’ve lost a few more pounds I’m going to throw the rack on the back of my truck and take the bike to one of the local parks and ride for a little while just to see how it goes, and hopefully I’ll be able to do that more and more as the days go on.

My one month checkup (from surgery) is this week so I’ll be in Nashville Tuesday and Wednesday for the follow-ups and a group session. This will really be the first time I’ve driven that kind of distance in a rather long time so it will be both an interesting and hopefully positive experience. But for now I need to finish my second load of laundry and decided if I’m going to the grocery store today or tomorrow. Then I’m just going to sit back (or lay back as it were) and watch a little TV tonight and try to relax because I’m sore, but it’s the good kind of sore from a days work and that’s just something I’ve not really done in a long time. Enjoy the day people I know I am.

~rev (431 Pounds)

I picked up my new prescription glasses and sun glasses earlier today and tonight I did a little house work tonight, then I found a whole new wardrobe full of clothes I’ve not worn in about 2 years or so.

It’s like going to the clothing or department store and shopping in my own closet. See I never throw stuff away so as I’m losing weight I’m just opening boxes and draws and whatnot and finding closets that in some cases are actually new. I found a brand new pair of dress pants and a nice dress shirt (tags attached) I purchased about 2 years ago and since next week is my one month follow-up for my surgery I’m going to wear my spiffy newish clothes to the appointment.

So ironically I gained a pound since yesterday, and before you say anything I know I should not weigh daily due to fluctuations in weight but I can’t help it. I don’t even mind the extra pound, I figure I’ll just poop that out in the morning anyway. 😉

Needless to say finding I could fit in al these clothes tonight made a nice end to my day. Work was such a drag that I was in a rather pissy mood so this really did shine a bright spot on the whole of my psyche today, but it’s rather late for me as I normally would have gone to bed an hour or more ago so I’ll leave you for now. Also not that you’ll notice but if you click my picture below you can check out my new specs.

~rev ( 433 Pounds)

I like many obese people in the world suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, one of the things I will hopefully be cured of when I lose all my excess weight, but for now I use an Oxygen Concentrator (4L) and a BiPAP Machine to help me sleep through the night.

So last night my BiPAP decided to die on me and needless to say this resulted in a horrible night’s sleep. I have an appointment with the company who services my stuff but since I own this unit I’ll likely either need to pay the service call fee or submit for a new unit through my insurance company.

On a positive not however I’m down to 432 pounds which means since surgery I’ve lose 36 pounds bringing my total weight loss (pre surgery included) to 110 pounds. I still have a long way to go, but I’m feeling great overall and this is a hell of a jump start on my excess weight loss.

And speaking of feeling great overall, I found myself starting to do more and more simple household chores and projects. For example, just last night I replace my home thermostat with a Nest Second Generation Wi-Fi enabled one, which took me around an hour or so, between going back and forth to the breaker box and documenting and removing the old unit then installing the new one, and even though in the end my sciatica did flair up just a bit causing my right leg to go a little numb I was able to deal with the whole thing without sitting once. And that was all after I replaced the guest bathroom shower head with one I purchased months ago but haven’t had the inkling to get it done until now.

I did however forget to drink during that hour so I got a little dehydrated, but I managed to rehydrate with little effort. So tonight I plan to replace the door knobs (2 of them) that have been giving me trouble and take a look at why my office door doesn’t shut properly. It’s really nice to be able to start doing things like this again.

~rev (432 Pounds)

I’ve managed to get my protein intake up enough (thanks to the powder) I’m again losing weight! Also I’m definitely more mobile than I have been in a long time and I put a shirt on today I’ve not worn in over 2 years so all in all it’s a nice way to end my week. I had a friend visiting from out of town all week and I just dropped him off at the airport so for the first time in just over 3 weeks I’m going to get some truly alone time. While it’s been great seeing friends and visiting my sister & brother-in-law and their kids it will be really nice to just veg out a bit today with my thoughts.

On another topic I’m really starting to find more and more energy so I’m thinking I may take up walking at the local park this week. I’ll go Monday after work and see how it goes, and if it goes well enough I’ll try to start doing that 2-3 times a week for now. Ultimately in March of next year (or the year after perhaps) I want to walk in the Walk from Obesity 3K or 5K. I won’t likely run much but I think I have it in me to get there by next year, so wish me luck.

Also while I’m not sleeping in my bed just yet I am getting a good night’s sleep on my recliner and I think next weekend I may try to sleep in my bed again; I’ll let you know how that goes. I’m eating well enough and so far I’ve not had (knock on wood) any vomiting from eating too fast or anything bad, though I came close once or twice this week, mostly from the omelet I made which while very tasty was a bit too spicy (lightly pan scrambled omelet with spinach, diced tomato, onion,  and jalapenos), and I have had issues with eating too quickly causing some pressure (which is painful) but does subside quickly enough. All in all I am definitely on track for where I need to be which means I’ll likely lose the bet I made with my best friend Scott. He thinks I’ll lose 50 pounds in the first month after surgery and I don’t think I will. I’ll let you all know how the bet goes on April 30th when I weigh that day but it does look like he’s going to win. So the bet is simple. If I win he has to drive to Knoxville to see the new Star Trek movie in IMAX 3D and if he wins I have to drive to Nashville to watch it there. Either way I’ll get to see a hopefully fantastic movie!

I leave you today with the simple hope that my sharing can help you if you’re in the process of making the decision to have bariatric surgery, I’ve watch my friend lose 170 pounds and I’ve already lost so much that I know it’s the best thing I could ever to for myself. So I hope you all can Share & Enjoy. (it’s not just  the slogan of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation)

~rev (437 Pounds)