The Before Picture

 

So since this is my first post maybe I should let everyone know a little about me. I am currently 1 year postop from RNY surgery and down 120 lbs. I began my process in January of 2011 and due to personal and professional conflicts I had surgery in Aug 2011.  I have been struggling with my weight my entire life. Up until my 5 year old son beat me in a foot race I never thought my weight impacted my life. I was happy and enjoyed being called big guy, boss and in used my size to my advantage. Then reality set in and I discovered I simply could not lose the weight like I use too. It just wouldn't come off and I was really struggling to keep below 320! That’s when I made the decision I needed to do something drastic and life changing like gastric bypass since all other attempts had failed.
I spent months pre-op talking to family, friends and coworkers for "the day". I was surprised by all the positive response I received with only one coworker asking me if I ever considered just eating less even though they had no idea of my eating habits.  They thought that since gastric bypass was just  a way to control portion size and over eating.  Oh how they were wrong.  I was excited for what my life post-surgery will hold for me. I knew it was going to be a long and difficult road but well worth it in the end.

This is me in May of 2011 at my heaviest taken on a trip to China.  Looking back at this picture I do not recognize this person.  I often wonder how I let myself get like this and likely I will spend time in this blog talking about my journey to this picture and more importantly my journey from this picture.  As you can see in the picture I was a happy guy and honestly not a lot has changed since my surgery.  I really feel when I look in the mirror today I see the same the person that I always saw except now I am not lying to myself.  The biggest change for me has come mentally.

For all those pre-opt patients out there that didn't know it along with gastric bypass comes a useful brain transformation.  Sounds amazing but true. I think it is likely caused by risking your life to get healthy.  Yes a low risk but any major surgery is risky especially since I am sure that none of use was in the best of health beforehand. Anyway a few examples of this miraculous change have occurred over the last year and I thought I should write about them here in the beginning.
Probably the most important change for me has been exercise. I, like the rest of the world, work full time, have kids and wife and a life, so don't have a lot of time to exercise. Well at least that’s what I use to say.  Now exercise is something that I need to have and make time for and realize any exercise no matter how short is better than none at all.  Now a days if I wake up early I see it as a great time to get a work out in.  In the old days I use to lay there after the alarm (set specifically to go work out) went off and think "I'll do it later" then fall asleep. Now I drag my but out of bed and go do it.
Next to this change is my outlook on life. I look as my life as before surgery and after surgery very differently.  I see the after surgery future as a new beginning and a new me. I want to be the dad coaching (which I am) and not the one sitting on the sidelines.  I want to be the dad to take my kids camping, fishing and hiking. I want to be a grandparent someday still doing the things I did when I was young.  

After the surgery I have found my own self-motivation to do all the things we talk about but never do before surgery.  People ask "couldn't you have done the same thing by changing your diet and routine the way you have."  My answer is maybe but it’s nothing like getting a kick in the pants and having a daily reminder of an 8 inch scar on your stomach of why you’re doing this. I view my scar on my belly (which is large since I had open RNY) as a badge of honor and source of my new found motivation.