Six Month Band-iversairy

Six months ago today I had surgery. It has been a great ride. I am so pleased with how things have gone thus far. As of today I am down 97 lbs. I feel better. I have more energy. Having lap-band surgery is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Many know that I am training to run a 5K race in December in Knoxville, TN. I have been on a walk/run training schedule increasing my run time weekly. Today I actually complete the distance of a 5K (3.2 miles). It took 45 minutes and I ran about 1/3 of it. In my opinion, this is a huge accomplishment. Six months ago I was the guy who had the philosophy that I only ran if someone larger than me was chasing me.

I'm pretty darn tired now in my after lunch daze, but I must say I am quite proud of how far I have come in six months. I am looking forward to the future.

It is a beautiful day,
Marc

My Secret...Stay Busy

People always ask me what my secret is for having such great success with lap-band. I always tell them I try to follow the band rules the majority of the time and I exercise regularly. There certainly is no secret in that.

If I had to say there was a secret to my success, it would be staying busy. Before surgery it was not uncommon to take a day off of work and sit in front of the TV all day long eating junk non stop. Part of it was that I had NO energy and that creates a cycle of lethargy...eat junk...feel tired...get depressed...eat junk...feel tired...get depressed...you see the pattern.

Thankfully that pattern can be reversed and another cycle created...eat healthy...feel better...have more energy.

What I find now is if I have time to sit and do nothing, I naturally want to eat. So, I try to stay busy. I have even picked up an additional part time job to earn a little extra cash, but it helps me stay focused on my weight loss goals by keeping me busy.

Hopefully I will be able to incorporate other kinds of down time into my life that don't lead to food. But for right now, I'm staying busy.

Peace,
Marc

Still losing

As of today, I am down 92 lbs. I have gone from 351 to 259. My pants have gone from a 48-50 inch waist, to a 38 inch waist. I have gone from 3XL shirts, to plain old XL shirts.

Feel good,
Marc

Exercise

You know, I never thought in a million years that I would look forward to exercise. Don't get me wrong, there are things I would rather do, but on the whole I am learning to enjoy it. There are even times that I get frustrated when I can't go to the gym. i guess I'm learning to like the endorphin rush that comes with exercise.

Typically I start out with a 5 minute cardio warm up on the treadmill or bike. Next I do light weights focusing on toning my upper body. I usually throw in some ab work of some sort. Then I get on the treadmill and go for 40-45 minutes. Currently I am running one minute out of every five. I'm going to up it to two minutes out of five next week. When I am done, I stretch some and then go to the pool and the hot tub to stretch some more and relax a bit.

A full workout takes me 1.5 to 2 hours. If I'm in a hurry I modify and cut out the weights and pool time. Then I can trim it down to an hour.

I knocked out my workout this morning and believe it or not we do not have soccer practice or any meetings tonight. So...a peaceful night at home is on my horizon.

Peace,
Marc

Bugs Me, Big Time

It is a mixed blessing...something I have looked forward to, but on the other hand frustrates me.

Almost every person I come in contact with comments on my weight loss. Usually I am pleasant and answer their questions, make small talk, etc.

However, lately I have noticed a feeling welling up inside me. So often people will say, "you look great, I'll bet you feel better, I'm so proud of you". Instead of hearing the compliment, I often hear, "you looked like crap a few months ago, you must have felt absolutely terrible, you were a huge disappointment to us all." I know this is extreme, but I want to make a point. I have lost a lot of weight, but who I am as a person hasn't changed. My accomplishments in life are still the same. I'd like to think that pre-WLS I was more than just the sum of all my weight on the scales. I'd like to think that my value and what people are proud of me for is who I am and the difference I have made for others along the way.

I know this may sound whiny. It's kind of like the movie star that craves notoriety and and then complains that they have no private life.

Can I have it both ways? Can I allow people to be proud of me for my weight loss accomplishments and expect that they also recognize me apart from WLS.

Just a few of my thoughts today,
Marc