I hear stories all the time from people who are in the midst of losing weight who monitor the numbers on the scale religiously. Scaletians? Scalethoc? Scaleists? I dunno what to call these people. Anyway they follow the scale as if it were the only indicator of weight loss.
Now I'm not saying that getting on the scale is a bad thing. Heck, just before starting this blog post, I stepped onto the scale to see what number it gave me. 390.2. A nice number that continues my downward trend every since surgery. But that isn't what matters to me.
Last night, I went to the movies with my girlfriend. I wore one of my favorite polo shirts--a nice crimson number with the Alabama "A" over the heart. (What can I say, Crimson Tide fans carry the team on their heart anyway.) She made the comment that my shirt was starting to look a bit loose on me. I had already noticed that I was tightening my belt on a regular basis and have only one hole left before I need to break out a hammer and nail to add more.
See, we look at the scale and say to ourselves what does the number say. If it goes down, we are happy; if it goes up, we are sad; and if it is unchanged, we are frustrated. But we fail to notice the little things in life. The clothes that fit better--or are getting too big. Being able to climb stairs without gasping for air. Walking around your local big box store without getting tired. All of these are signs of improving the quality of our lives by losing weight and exercising. Yet we often discount those circumstances as we focus on the scale.
But a healthier lifestyle is not a number. It is our ability to get out and enjoy life to its fullest. It is the ability to go hiking if we want to. To jump on a bicycle and spend three hours cruising the countryside looking at things differently than we would if we were trapped in a car. It is about being able to get on the floor to play with our children without worrying about getting back up. Those are the things that really matter...not the num,bers on teh scale.
So I challenge you to change your perspective. Yes, the scale is one indicator of a weight loss journey. But it isn't the only one. Stop worshiping at the altar of the scale and start living life. It's truly so much better.
Getting in a rut
Well here I am, 11 days post-op. And I am finding myself getting into a rut. I wake up at the same time everyday, start with my blood thinner shot, eat breakfast, take my morning meds, sometimes have a mid-morning outing, eat lunch, have an afternoon outing, take a nap, take my afternoon meds, eat dinner, take my evening meds, go to sleep.
My energy levels are still in the toilet...I feel like I should be able to do more throughout the day. I want to do more, but physically I just can't. For example, after visiting three stores yesterday afternoon and roaming around them, I returned home totally exhausted and feeling a bit light-headed. It is really frustrating because my gout attack is almost over with and I keep telling myself that I need to be out and doing more than I am. Am I putting too much pressure on myself? I don't know.
I am anxiously awaiting my post-op follow-up with my surgeon on Thursday. I am hoping he clears me to return to the gym so I can get back to the exercise bike and getting more miles on my legs. I know the medical team says walk, walk, walk after surgery but I would rather spin the miles away on the bike than walk with nowhere to go.
I know it is not only a physical journey, but a mental one as well. And it is the mental struggle that I am dealing with right now. I am noticing how frequently we are bombarded with commercials and advertisements for food on the television, radio, and in print media. We have made food such an integral part of our lives that (I believe) most people have forgotten that food is simply fuel for our bodies and should not be a major focus for our day-to-day lives. I think if we looked at food as fuel, we--as a society--would not have this struggle with obesity. This is not to say I have accepted this mindset completely; heck, a nice thick, juicy hamburger sounds pretty damn good to me right now. But I know that whole grain foods, fruits, and vegetables are going to do me more good in the long run than a burger will. So I sit back and long for a nice, wood-fired piece of salmon.
On the bright side of things, I have been weighing myself every other day. And I am pleased to report that two days ago, I crossed the threshold back into the 300s. One step down, many more to go.
My energy levels are still in the toilet...I feel like I should be able to do more throughout the day. I want to do more, but physically I just can't. For example, after visiting three stores yesterday afternoon and roaming around them, I returned home totally exhausted and feeling a bit light-headed. It is really frustrating because my gout attack is almost over with and I keep telling myself that I need to be out and doing more than I am. Am I putting too much pressure on myself? I don't know.
I am anxiously awaiting my post-op follow-up with my surgeon on Thursday. I am hoping he clears me to return to the gym so I can get back to the exercise bike and getting more miles on my legs. I know the medical team says walk, walk, walk after surgery but I would rather spin the miles away on the bike than walk with nowhere to go.
I know it is not only a physical journey, but a mental one as well. And it is the mental struggle that I am dealing with right now. I am noticing how frequently we are bombarded with commercials and advertisements for food on the television, radio, and in print media. We have made food such an integral part of our lives that (I believe) most people have forgotten that food is simply fuel for our bodies and should not be a major focus for our day-to-day lives. I think if we looked at food as fuel, we--as a society--would not have this struggle with obesity. This is not to say I have accepted this mindset completely; heck, a nice thick, juicy hamburger sounds pretty damn good to me right now. But I know that whole grain foods, fruits, and vegetables are going to do me more good in the long run than a burger will. So I sit back and long for a nice, wood-fired piece of salmon.
On the bright side of things, I have been weighing myself every other day. And I am pleased to report that two days ago, I crossed the threshold back into the 300s. One step down, many more to go.
Eight days out
It's been eight days since I had my gastric sleeve procedure. I ended up spending five days in the hospital thanks to my blood pressure getting thrown out-of-whack as a result of the surgery. Add to it an acute gout attack in my left foot (which made walking extremely painful), and I will admit is was a rough start to my new life.
But now I've been home for a few days and am getting settled into a routine for taking meds and getting all of my supplements in. I am still struggling to get in all of my protein needs because I keep experimenting with different protein powders and am finding all of them downright disgusting. Fortunately my nutritionist has approved a protein shake I was drinking before surgery and it still tastes good.
Walking is still a chore. I am very discouraged that I cannot get out and walk more without my foot being in pain. There are no practical medicines that I can take for the gout attack, so I am trying an old-fashioned treatment of drinking cherry juice (diluted with water) to try and end this setback. Today is day two of that treatment and I am still waiting on major results.
Needless to say, I am very frustrated right now. I do not feel like my old self; my energy levels are in the toilet. And even though my stomach doesn't hurt from the numerous incisions, I still don't feel like doing much of anything. I'm sure part of this is psychological; I am mentally adapting to the new ways of eating and drinking and am struggling to leave the old habits behind. But it kind of feels like there is more to it, but I cannot figure out why I feel that way.
I don't regret being sleeved. I know it was the right move to make for my health and my future. I guess I just didn't realize how run-down I would feel afterward. I had mentally set myself up for walking around the day of surgery and being out several times a day to walk and that hasn't materialized. Maybe a part of me feels like a failure because of that. I just don't know.
So I am just trying to maintain my schedule, get out one or two times a day, and hopefully get my strength and energy levels built back up. I keep telling myself this is just temporary. I hope I'm right.
But now I've been home for a few days and am getting settled into a routine for taking meds and getting all of my supplements in. I am still struggling to get in all of my protein needs because I keep experimenting with different protein powders and am finding all of them downright disgusting. Fortunately my nutritionist has approved a protein shake I was drinking before surgery and it still tastes good.
Walking is still a chore. I am very discouraged that I cannot get out and walk more without my foot being in pain. There are no practical medicines that I can take for the gout attack, so I am trying an old-fashioned treatment of drinking cherry juice (diluted with water) to try and end this setback. Today is day two of that treatment and I am still waiting on major results.
Needless to say, I am very frustrated right now. I do not feel like my old self; my energy levels are in the toilet. And even though my stomach doesn't hurt from the numerous incisions, I still don't feel like doing much of anything. I'm sure part of this is psychological; I am mentally adapting to the new ways of eating and drinking and am struggling to leave the old habits behind. But it kind of feels like there is more to it, but I cannot figure out why I feel that way.
I don't regret being sleeved. I know it was the right move to make for my health and my future. I guess I just didn't realize how run-down I would feel afterward. I had mentally set myself up for walking around the day of surgery and being out several times a day to walk and that hasn't materialized. Maybe a part of me feels like a failure because of that. I just don't know.
So I am just trying to maintain my schedule, get out one or two times a day, and hopefully get my strength and energy levels built back up. I keep telling myself this is just temporary. I hope I'm right.
Twas the night before sleeving
Today has been a whirlwind of a day. Wrapping things up at work, celebrating my birthday, and ignoring the grumbling of my stomach while partaking in a liquid diet today. It's enough to drive a person crazy.
I don't know what I expected to feel at this point. I will be at the hospital in a little over six hours. In eight hours and change, I should be in the operating room. It has been a long time coming and now...I feel conflicted on some level.
Tonight, I spent some time celebrating my birthday when all of a sudden, I just got an overwhelming sense of sadness and actually teared up. I don't know what was behind that feeling, but it has been lingering just beneath the surface ever since. I just don't know what to make of it.
I just need to shut my mind off, put the computer away, and get some much-needed sleep. Tomorrow is a big day and I will need to give my body all of the rest and energy that I possibly can.
I don't know what I expected to feel at this point. I will be at the hospital in a little over six hours. In eight hours and change, I should be in the operating room. It has been a long time coming and now...I feel conflicted on some level.
Tonight, I spent some time celebrating my birthday when all of a sudden, I just got an overwhelming sense of sadness and actually teared up. I don't know what was behind that feeling, but it has been lingering just beneath the surface ever since. I just don't know what to make of it.
I just need to shut my mind off, put the computer away, and get some much-needed sleep. Tomorrow is a big day and I will need to give my body all of the rest and energy that I possibly can.
Two to go...
Well today was my original surgery date. But that got changed rather quickly so I am left with two days to go before heading to the hospital. As I write this, I am probably 48 hours away from being under the knife.
I'm not consciously worried or anxious about the procedure. But apparently it is messing with my subconscious mind. Last night, for example, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and could not go back to sleep. After 90 or so minutes of staring at the ceiling and trying to stop my mind from wandering, I finally grabbed the iPod and headphones and turned on some music. At some point, I think I dozed off again, but I'm not 100% positive.
Granted there is more going on inmy life than just the surgery. As I talked about a few days ago in the post entitled Life's Stress, I have some other issues going on that are bringing stress into my life. Maybe it is one of those issues that was keeping me up as well. I don't really know.
I was able to head off a bit of stress unexpectedly last night. My mom came in to help me during the recovery period so after we went grocery shopping last night, I showed her how to get to the hospital. Good thing, too...there is a road construction project near the hospital that required changing the route I would have normally taken. Better to know that now than to find out the day of the surgery and have to figure it out on-the-fly.
I've also been delving into the Gastric Sleeve forum to connect with other people getting sleeved and to learn from those who have gone through the procedure already. It is so good to read the comments from other people and to learn about their successful procedures. Always a good thing to put my mind further at ease.
I'm not consciously worried or anxious about the procedure. But apparently it is messing with my subconscious mind. Last night, for example, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and could not go back to sleep. After 90 or so minutes of staring at the ceiling and trying to stop my mind from wandering, I finally grabbed the iPod and headphones and turned on some music. At some point, I think I dozed off again, but I'm not 100% positive.
Granted there is more going on inmy life than just the surgery. As I talked about a few days ago in the post entitled Life's Stress, I have some other issues going on that are bringing stress into my life. Maybe it is one of those issues that was keeping me up as well. I don't really know.
I was able to head off a bit of stress unexpectedly last night. My mom came in to help me during the recovery period so after we went grocery shopping last night, I showed her how to get to the hospital. Good thing, too...there is a road construction project near the hospital that required changing the route I would have normally taken. Better to know that now than to find out the day of the surgery and have to figure it out on-the-fly.
I've also been delving into the Gastric Sleeve forum to connect with other people getting sleeved and to learn from those who have gone through the procedure already. It is so good to read the comments from other people and to learn about their successful procedures. Always a good thing to put my mind further at ease.
Four (calendar) days to go
Here's tonight's video entry for your viewing pleasure:
As referenced in the video, here is a photo of my workout results from this afternoon:
Well it wasn't exactly a workout to be proud of, but I did listen to my body and went until things started getting uncomfortable. I just have to keep reminding myself that I don't have my old college body right anymore so having a "cruising speed" around 17mph isn't realistic at this point in life. Maybe next year. ;-)
As referenced in the video, here is a photo of my workout results from this afternoon:
Well it wasn't exactly a workout to be proud of, but I did listen to my body and went until things started getting uncomfortable. I just have to keep reminding myself that I don't have my old college body right anymore so having a "cruising speed" around 17mph isn't realistic at this point in life. Maybe next year. ;-)
Just a few, quick thoughts
Looking back at yesterday, there are a couple of things I want to get off my chest. I hope you're all listening.
First, to all the guys reading this, lose the macho bullsh*t and go get a physical. I know a lot of guys would carry around their wife's purse than set foot in a doctor's office. But it is imperative that we take care of our bodies. We only get one body to go through life with. Yes, we can transform this body, but we can't upgrade it or trade it in for next year's model. This is the only one we have. Look at it this way, fellas, when your car acts up, you take it to the mechanic. Well, let's start treating our body like that classic 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (or, if you prefer, a 2011 Bugatti) and start paying attention to the engine (our heart), the fuel system (nutrition), the tires (our mobility), and -- yes -- even the exhaust system (our prostate). We've gotta do this, guys, or else the body we have been given is gonna crap out on us and leave us hanging.
Secondly, as I walked from my office out to my car yesterday afternoon, I passed a handful of vehicles with bike racks on the back of them. If you are taking to the streets and jogging, running, cycling, or otherwise exercising outside in the heat that has been settling in over the Midwestern Untied States, then, please, make sure you stay hydrated. Yes, sports recovery drinks (such as Gatorade and Powerade) have their benefits, but don't forget about good, old-fashioned water. We as humans are composed of approximately 70% water. And out system is -- at its core -- an electrical system which needs that water to transmit information, to transport resources on a cellular level, to regenerate injured and dying tissue, and to optimize mental acuity. So don't neglect the wet stuff, boys and girls. Aim to get at least 64 ounces of water intake every day.
First, to all the guys reading this, lose the macho bullsh*t and go get a physical. I know a lot of guys would carry around their wife's purse than set foot in a doctor's office. But it is imperative that we take care of our bodies. We only get one body to go through life with. Yes, we can transform this body, but we can't upgrade it or trade it in for next year's model. This is the only one we have. Look at it this way, fellas, when your car acts up, you take it to the mechanic. Well, let's start treating our body like that classic 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (or, if you prefer, a 2011 Bugatti) and start paying attention to the engine (our heart), the fuel system (nutrition), the tires (our mobility), and -- yes -- even the exhaust system (our prostate). We've gotta do this, guys, or else the body we have been given is gonna crap out on us and leave us hanging.
Secondly, as I walked from my office out to my car yesterday afternoon, I passed a handful of vehicles with bike racks on the back of them. If you are taking to the streets and jogging, running, cycling, or otherwise exercising outside in the heat that has been settling in over the Midwestern Untied States, then, please, make sure you stay hydrated. Yes, sports recovery drinks (such as Gatorade and Powerade) have their benefits, but don't forget about good, old-fashioned water. We as humans are composed of approximately 70% water. And out system is -- at its core -- an electrical system which needs that water to transmit information, to transport resources on a cellular level, to regenerate injured and dying tissue, and to optimize mental acuity. So don't neglect the wet stuff, boys and girls. Aim to get at least 64 ounces of water intake every day.
Thoughts on the future. And sushi.
Thanks to technical difficulties, tonight's post is split into two video segments. Here is piece #1:
And here is piece #2:
And here is piece #2:
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