Year One

I have so many emotions running through me right now, as you can imagine. What a year! I feel really blessed and thankful and humble. You know me, I could easily blather on for pages, but I'm opting for a more easily digestible list format. :)


Before (more pictures)
Start Weight - 516.6 lbs
Shirts: 6X (men's), 42W/44W/6X (women's)
Pants: 64 (men's), 42W/44W/6X (women's)

Now
Now - 304.0 lbs (-212.6)
Shirts: XL (men's), 18W (women's)
Pants: 46 (men's), 26W (women's)

Loss of body weight: 41.15%
EWL% (surgeon's goal of 250 lbs): 79.75%
EWL% (personal goal of 199.8 lbs): 67.1%

Things I can do now that I couldn’t do before
Walk a mile or two or three or six.
Shop in real stores, not just online.
Cross my legs.
Fit in an airplane seat.
Fit in an airplane seat and not use an extender!
Fit in a booth.
Run.
Jump.
Buy $4 shirts and $10 jeans at Walmart/Target/Ross/etc.
Fit in my friend’s sportcar.
Fit in almost any chair.
Breathe easier.
Walk a flight a stairs without a second thought.
Wear a size XL t-shirt.
Adjust the steering wheel in my car.
Think optimistically about the future.

Unanticipated Things
Talking about poop so much.
Eating as much food as I do (relatively speaking) and still lose weight.
Feeling overwhelmed by clothes shopping.
Increased self-confidence and self-assurance.
Getting an ulcer.
Losing so much hair.
Discovering the color pink.
How much work it is getting in the proper nutrition/water & supplements.
How expensive post-op life is.
Inability to eat chicken with any consistency
Reduced appetite for sweets, increased appetite for savory foods.
The depth of the mind/body disconnect.
Discovering I am a stronger person than I ever thought.

Things I would have done differently
Exercised more.
Been more consistent.
Taken monthly measurements.

Hardest thing for me to learn
Patience.

Best Advice I can give to pre-ops
Be as compliant as you can for as long as you can. You will never regret it.
Assume nothing about the state of your health, get your labs done and verify.
Don’t underestimate the power of dehydration.
Don’t underestimate the power of protein malnutrition.

Gratitude
Thank you God for loving me. Thank you for giving me the words and showing me the steps.
Thank you Dr. Marchesini for saving my life and giving me such hope.
Thank you to my parents for supporting me.
The rest of my family, especially my sisters, S. and T. for being my greatest cheerleaders.
Thank you to my best friend, Scott, for well, being my best friend.
Thank you to my business partner.
Thanks to B. & N. for going to Brazil with me and helping me post-op.
Thank you to Kim for just being an inspiration and for reminding me to raise my expectations and push myself.
Thank you to my local DS Support Group homies AND my Brazilian switch brothers & sisters! You guys rock!
Thanks to all the wonderful, smart, inspiration DS folks out there who are telling their stories and from whom I’ve gained so much knowledge, support and insight: Deluzy, Ezpy, Ann, Sharon, MaryBeth.
Thank you to DuodenalSwitch.com, ObesityHelp.com, Dr. Smith’s, Dr. Marchesini’s and the Duodenal Switch Yahoo Groups for the wealth of information and your vibrant communities.

Goals for Year 2
Eat my protein, drink my water, take my supplements, go to support group, exercise.

That's it, time to dance the jig.