Successful weight loss methods

Elk Meadow Evergreen Colorado

This morning I weighed in at 364.8. That is a full 45 pounds lost in the month of August. I feel great. While the lap band surgery has helped thousands reclaim their healthy selves, I believe my results are atypical.

My extreme weight loss is due to a variety of tools that I don't believe most bariatric patients employ. First, let me say that I have not missed a single meal; albeit small meals. I think my meals edge more towards 1/3 cup rather than 1/4 cup of food. I'm probably eating 3-4 oz and I am supposed to be eating 2oz. I should get a portable scale and keep a fold up 1/4 cup in my pocket when we go out and I do challenge myself by going out with my wife and friends as often as possible. It's like a test of my will and so far I have been resoundingly successful. I have also gone out for drinks at which time I have been quite satisfied with pineapple juice. Obviously with my stage four liver disease, drinking is off the board anyway.

August 20, 2011 380 pounds

I have also been taking all of my vitamins and supplements as well as my bipolar meds. I was worried that I would have to adjust or split or crush my meds, but it hasn't been an issue. That is one of reason's that I had the lap band rather than gastric bypass. I was afraid my bipolar meds wouldn't absorb well, but, since my meds still go through the same gastronomic system, that hasn't been a problem at all. Maybe it will be more significant after I get my next band inflation on September 9th.

So why do I think I have been more successful than most? Because I prepared for the surgery since last November when I started going to weight related therapy and hypnotherapy to peel apart the layers of emotional crap that was partially responsible for my weight gain. In therapy, I found out that the sins of my past and the numerous suicides in my family had a greater effect on my psyche than I thought. The hypnosis helped me break my addiction to food. Mentally, I was ready for this opportunity.

Elk Meadow

I also worked on calibrating my bipolar meds so I would be able to manage, with the supervision of my psychiatrist, a steady course with the caveat that they may need to be adjusted as I lose weight. So far so good. I've felt somewhat in control of my symptoms. That doesn't mean that I don't float up and down or have anxiety attacks, but the frequency hasn't changed with the weight loss yet. I thought my body was purging fat stored Seroquel and it may have been, but I have recently stabilized and restored my normal prescribed dosages. It's important to emphasize the need for a healthy mind because, in the past, I ate to sooth emotional pain or reward myself with treats.

In addition, sleep is incredibly important and that is still a challenge for me. I can only sleep with heavy medication support. I recognize the importance of sleep and will continue to work on it. Last week was real bad and I have just regained control over my hypo-mania... I think.

Elk Meadow

Possibly the biggest contributor to my rapid weight loss has been exercise. Much like I was in 2009 as a vegan fighting to lose weight, I have been in the gym five days a week and I have been hiking on very challenging Rocky Mountain paths on the weekends with my thin and fast walking wife. I just try to keep up. It's important to note that exercise alone doesn't really effect weight loss directly, but it does make you feel stronger, lighter, and more healthy which only encourages you to stick to the diet. I love exercise. I love feeling fit. Even at my weight, people are amazed at my success with physical challenges. I am a lot faster with far more endurance than you could imagine.

My workouts always begin with 20 minutes on the treadmill. I don't just walk, I walk so fast that I just have to adjust the speed to send me into a fast jog (a run as far as I am concerned). This is a technique that I picked up from a exercise guru. Walk fast then run as fast as you can to trick your body into thinking you are running from life threatening threats. It's about working on your animal instincts. Your body says run and it automatically goes into a weight loss mode to try to protect you from said threat. Believe me it works.

Elk Meadow

The method I use is to walk fast for two or three minutes and then run like hell for a full minute and then go back to walking fast. When I am ready, I run for a minute again. Overall, I "run" for at least five times during the 20 minute treadmill. Two weeks ago when I returned to the gym after surgery, I could only go about a mile in 20 minutes, but now I am going 1.25 miles in 20 minutes and it gets a little better everyday.

After I am completed with the 20 minute "warm up" in which I become a sweaty mess, I work on the weights to keep my muscle tone. I don't want my weight loss to come from muscle breakdown. Besides, I want to look and feel big and strong. I naturally have huge arms and a wide chest so I look more like a body builder than an out of shape fat man. At least I like to think so. That is part of the reason I want to eventually be 190 to 200 pounds because I used to be more muscular than thin even when I was thin. One time I lost weight for modeling and I felt horrible. 200 is good for me.

Finally, if time permits, I shoot basketball hoops and go through drills for at least an additional 20 minutes or more. My entire workout can last 20 minutes when I don't have time to an hour and a half to two hours when I have the time.

Colorado trail 2009 at 350 pounds

I really didn't think I would lose 45 pounds in my first month, but I did and I fully intend on keeping the pace. If I do, then I should lose another 25 pounds in September and October and November thus making my weight around 275 when I have to start traveling again. There's nothing worse than not fitting into air plane seats on an overseas flight. 275 pounds?? No, that's insane. If I'm anywhere near 300 I will be ecstatic.

Regardless of the insane goals, I will continue to fight because the Obesity Warrior is back baby. The very best part of the lap band opportunity is that I won't ever gain the weight back. That is if I don't screw it up, but I doubt that I will. I need to be slimmer as fast as possible in case my liver and kidneys decide to fail. I become a better candidate for a transplant if I am thinner. I don't know the exact cutoff, but I imagine if I am 250 or so, then my weight should no longer be an issue. Tick tock.

Walking the dogs. Literally

The one thing you need to do with any program to lose weight is to exercise everyday for 30 minutes. My son's wonderful Jeep needed to have the door jam re-welded and he took my BMW to his new job. And, at this point, I do not fit in my oldest son's Sunfire, so I found non-gym exercise.

I walked our dogs. I have to walk them separably. Tatum is getting old and she is super obedient. She stops at each crossing and sits until I tell her to cross and she doesn't pull my arm out of socket. However, our teenage puppy Captain is still crazy. I had to tell him to heal about every twenty steps or so, but I did get him to sit at the crossings... with effort. I walked each dog around the neighborhood path that I know equals one mile. So I walked two miles. I iced up my knee and I might try some more tonight.

Soft foods and exercise

Gratuitous girl illustration 

Yesterday I went to the gym for one hour. First, I rode the stationary bike for one mile. I could have done far more, but I didn't want my butt to get chaffed. Then, I used the treadmill for twenty minutes alternating my pace from slow walk to gallop. I'm not allowed to lift weights for one more week, so I shot basketball for the remainder of the time. It felt nice to get a good workout in. I renewed my membership so I can go everyday even if it's just for a 30 minute walk around the track.

I experimented with more soft foods yesterday. I drank some Boost protein drink in the morning and then I tried some regular yogurt for lunch because the Greek yogurt was far too bitter. For dinner I had about a quarter cup of split pea soup and the rest of my yogurt from lunch. I actually felt a little guilty because I ate the four spoon full of yogurt at dinner. Silly. I made the family some ham and cheese sandwiches and corn and broccoli salad. It is hard to sit there while they are eating, but I feel that I must do it as a demonstration to myself of true will power. So far it's been surprisingly fine.

I don't have that much hunger pains, but my digestive track can sometimes sound like a slow rolling thunderstorm. I think it's just acid trying to figure out what to do with itself. This morning I weighed 388.4 pounds on my home scale right out of the shower. Even with my home scale benchmark of 400, I have still lost 12 pounds in one week. It's actually far more, but my scale only goes up to 400 so I had to wait until I lost enough weight to register on my scale. Realistically, I would guess that I have lost 18 pounds since my pre-op appointment.

Ridiculus weight loss

Rocky Mtns. '09 vegan diet 315 pounds

Weight loss recap to date: July 29th 2011 "in-office" weight with clothes on 413. Post-op "At home" benchmark without clothes set at 400 on August 5th (after four days of liquid diet). You could probably add 5 pounds for difference between doctor's scale and home scale. We'll get that calibration on Friday when I visit Dr. Tillquist. According to my "at-home" digital scale I weigh 391 this morning.

The big question is "Where does the fat go?" The short answer is that your body converts the calories stored in fat cells (and muscle) into useable energy.

The long answer: Ultimately most fat ends up as carbon dioxide and water, but only after many transformations. The fat in white adipose tissue consists of fatty acids, stored very efficiently as triglycerides, which can be released to provide energy when needed. You lose weight when the food you eat doesn’t provide all the energy your body needs and so some of these fatty acids are released into the bloodstream, transported by a special blood protein and taken up by cells that need energy. If there is sufficient oxygen available, a series of enzymes then converts the fatty acids into carbon dioxide, water and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – the immediate source of energy for powering muscle, liver and other cells. Since most of the components of ATP are reused inside the cell to make new ATP, the end product of all this activity is that the atoms that once made up your fat leave your body as breath, sweat and urine.

Bottom line: I need to bump up the exercise.

Tuesday June 28th 2011 - Dieting in the mean time

I was pretty upset about the surgical delay. It definitely didn't help my week long bipolar depression. Yesterday was a better day emotionally and I feel pretty good today so I must be cycling back up. At least I hope so.

Good thing because I am trying to finish writing part two of my book "Night in Positano." If you're new to my blog here's a two liner about the book... "Night in Positano" tells the story of a young man from Boulder Colorado who is struggling with onset bipolar disorder and psychosis. While visiting his father in Positano Italy Nick has a major bipolar episode and attempts suicide. You can read a free preview at NightinPositano.com.

The last few months have been marked by overeating and sneaking sweet snacks. This weekend I started to really crack down on my diet. Just for this week I am eating oatmeal with nuts and raisins for breakfast and lunch. At dinner, I am only eating one small plate of food. Hopefully that will help me feel less bloated and uncomfortable.

My downfall is peanut butter and jelly at night. I get so frick'n hungry if I stay up past eleven. On Sunday I did great until my 15 year old's birthday BBQ. I only ate one plate, but I had cake and ice cream. I felt so bloated I thought I would burst. As much as I hate feeling hungry, I really hate over eating.

I am also going to return to the gym... this afternoon. I am going to renew my six month membership because I feel guilty not going four or five times a week. I want to be in as good of shape as I can be when I get my surgery so that I can really hit it like I am on the "Biggest Loser" television show.

Before I go back to writing the book I wanted to briefly address a disturbing issue. Okay, maybe two parts of an issue. First, my wife has a friend who is also losing the battle against morbid obesity and she feels horrible, defeated, and ugly. She is not ugly. As for her other thoughts, I completely understand. My wife told her that I was embarrassed to go out into public because I feel like everyone is judging me based on my weight and that I just look disgusting. That part is true. She said that she couldn't believe I thought I was hideous because I don't look that bad. I think I do. I can't wait for the surgery. But, it brings up an important point; fat people usually have a negative opinion about themselves as if their self-worth was based on their weight. I always think people has a negative opinion of me until they hear me speak and realize that I am more than a fatso.

Second, fat people are routinely picked on. The politically correct world says we can't use words that offend people, but it seems like there is an open season on making fun of the fat guy. We don't actually eat people... unless we have some good BBQ sauce. Oh and hide your babies cause we'll eat them. Oh yeah, we are so stupid and weak because we can't put the fork down. You know what  I say to all that crap? F%*#$ you! No one wakes up says, "Hey, I feel like getting fat today." And becoming obese doesn't happen overnight. It is a gradual process that reaches a point of frustration where people just give up. But, why can we accept that celebrities actually need to go to treatment for being horny and we can't accept that many fat people, like me, are dealing with an addiction to food. Oh yeah, I am going to eat the next kid that snickers when I walk by.