Wow... has it been a year?

Sorry that I haven't kept this up to date lately. I have been out living life! At this point, I am about 110 pounds down, and I am running road races competitively (well sort-of, I've never finished LAST) I ran in the Just Fur fun 5k in College Station in November, and the Jingle Bell Fun Run in College Station Dec. I have been training hard to get my distance up. Here is my tentative schedule for 2010 so far -

Jan 9th - New Year's Resolution 5K - CS

Feb. 13th - Valentine's 5K - CS

Feb 26th - Glow 5k (Night 5k) CS

March 7th - Armadillo Dash 1/2 Marathon - CS

April 17th - Blue Bell 10K - Brenham

May 9th - Rookie Triathalon - New Braunfels

Monthly update 6/15/09

Hey everybody! It's that time again. I am still around 98 or so pounds lighter than I was last year, and it feels great. Some folks have been pestering me for before and after pics, and I am finally down to a point where I feel comfortable posting pics. Just for a frame of reference, the befores were taken about a week before I had everything done. The afters this last weekend. The shorts I am wearing in the afters are 10" smaller in the waist, and the shirt is a 2x vs. a 4x.

Before and After Pics:

Update 5/14/09

OK folks, been gone for a while, and it's a long story. I got a temp job working with a friend of mine, making great money. Bad news is that it is in Jefferson City, Missouri. So, I have been living in a hotel and flying back and forth every week. Good news is that I have lost another 15 pounds. That's 95 pounds since December... I am so close to 100 I can taste it!!! I've been working out, but I just don't eat that much on the road. I did get a job close to home which starts on May 25th, so I get to go home! Stay tuned, and As soon as it's official, I'll announce where I will be working.

Update - 4/8/2009

Folks, I am down 80 pounds today. I can't believe it. In these 4 months, I have lost 10 inches from my waist, I am wearing shirts from a REGULAR store, and discovered I have ears and hip bones again! For those that don't know, I got laid off from my job at the end of March, so I am looking for another job. Crap, I'm in good enough shape now though that I could go back to being a carpenter and framing houses ( I did that when I was MUCH younger....). I am thankful that my lovely bride Rachel has had a job for the last 4 weeks as the bariatric coordinator for my surgeon, and she is loving it, and making enough money to where we are making ends meet even without me having a job. I am currently re-doing the website for my surgeon, and staying home with little bit, until I get a job. I am hoping to get on with the University, and possibly continue my education. While the jobs at Texas A&M don't pay that great, the benefits are good, and most departments are flexible with grad school.

Weekly update - 2/23

I haven't been posting any updates lately. Not that I have felt bad necessarily, since my last post, I lost like 9 more pounds. This last week though, I did not lose a single pound. I only worked out twice, and ate crap. So, yes, even I have a bad week sometimes. Staying in for a few adult beverages Saturday, certainly didn't help, but it was a fun weekend!
However, I think I determined why I felt like crap last week. My blood pressure was too low. The doc took me to a lower dosage, and my bp is still good. I am starting to get energy again. It was just so weird, not having energy, sleeping in. Otherwise, I am doing great. I worked out this evening, and am eating much better stuff this week.

2 months out

Two months post operation as of yesterday. I weighed in at 343 pounds. In two months I have lost 55 pounds. I am a little more than a quarter of the way to my goal. The weight loss has slowed somewhat. I am continuing to eat right, and work out most every day. I average a pound or two lost every week, and that is really encouraging. I have gotten rid of almost half of my clothes so far, and I have given most of them away. Today, I am wearing jeans 3 sizes smaller than I was 2 months ago, and shirts two sizes smaller. This is a fun ride.

Week 7

OK, it is time for an update. I am 7 weeks out now, and I am down to 345 pounds. That brings my weight loss to 53 pounds. I hit a little plateau, only losing 2 pounds in a week... But, I am not letting it get me down because I also went to see my surgeon yesterday. In 4 weeks, between the weight loss and adding 25 pounds of muscle... My body fat percentage dropped 5% in a month. He said that told him I was getting PLENTY of protein and exercise... He was amazed again!

Rachel and I tried advanced water aerobics last night (we skipped beginner) and it kicked me and wifey's BUTT! It's not for old ladies... It is a total body cardio workout that leaves you exhausted. I am thinking we will continue that... Today I did weights, and walked for 35 mins. I sprained my left knee going all out on the elliptical, so I am taking a break from it for a few days...

I have become an evangelist for this surgery. The guy that has an office next to mine went to seminar with my surgeon Tuesday night, because he wants to get a sleeve now too.

Week 6

Ok, I am six weeks post-op today. The scale reads 347 pounds. I have lost 51 pounds so far. I am continuing to hit the gym daily, and it has become fun. On the weekends though, it's fun to break up the monotony of the gym with hiking through the woods, geocaching. I am averaging 4 - 5 pounds lost per week, which is really cool.

Week 5

Weekly Update - I have lost another 6 pounds since last week! This brings my total in 5 weeks to 46 pounds! I am really happy with this, and I continue to work out, and still have have lots of energy! I think I have decided to buy myself a mountain bike once I lose 50 pounds as a mini-goal reward for myself... Thansk for all the support my friends and family continue to give me. I am having a blast!

One Month Out

I am now officially one month out. For the month, I lost 40 pounds. I am working out everyday, sometimes twice a day, and I feel 500% better than before I had this done. I wish I had gotten it done 10 years ago...

Week 4 Update

Weekly Update....

Today I weighed in at 359 pounds.

This brings my weight loss in 4 weeks to 39 pounds

I still have tremendous amounts of energy, and I have taken to working out twice a day so that I can sleep at night!

I just started experimenting with solid food, and I am doing fairly well (IF I slow down, and chew REALLY well!)

Happy 2009 Everybody!

Week 3

All right everybody... It's time for the weekly update. I weighed yesterdayat the gym, and saw I had not lost any... I thought "that CAN'T be right!" I got smaller this week! Well, that scale wasn't wrong yesterday at the gym. It was right.

HOWEVER, the scale at the Dr.'s office tells you body fat percentage... Mine dropped 2.5% last week. Which means, roughly, I dropped 7 pounds of fat, and put on 7 pounds of muscle. So, even though the number on the scale didn't change, Jeff did. I fit into a size smaller pants today, so I am feeling GREAT! I have spent the last few days geocaching and working out. I have had a blast!!!

Merry Christmas everybody, and have a happy New Year. Look for me to start doing all my "crazy Jeff" stuff in 2009!

Another Week, another 10 pounds

Well folks, I said I would post weekly update, and here it is for this week. I am another 10 pounds down as of yesterday. I have lost 34 pounds so far in two weeks. The Doctor is still surprised that I am losing it this fast (so am I!) But, he said, I was doing great health wise, and he wants to see me in another month.

As for my diet, I have started on soft, mushy solids this week. Some soft, mushy soilds I can do better than others. grits, mashed potatoes, great. Scrambled Eggs HURT! So, I will try and keep away from those. Thanks for all the notes of encouragement.

I got asked what I was doing with my old pants. Some suggested burning them as Cortez did with his ships. I took a more modern tack, and listed them all on ebay. They are currently selling, and I hope to make about 50 - 60 bucks when all is said and done.

In other news, what is up with this crazy weather? Snow last week, and 80 degrees is the high this week. Oy Vey!

Catharsis

At the urging of my lovely wife. I tried on a pair of jeans a size smaller than the pair I wore today, to see how they fit. To my surprise, they fit great. Now, I am going off on a tangent. When Cortez reached the New World, he did not even want the idea of failure. He burned his ships.

And, so, I burned my ships as well. Goodbye to 6 pairs of pants that are too big for me anymore.

The Incredible Shrinking Jeff 2.0 (REBOOT!)

OK. At the beginning of last year, I started a fitness / weight loss routine, and lost a bit of weight doing it. After bringing home a new baby, on top of a very stressful job, I flat out quit. Failed. Gained 13 more pounds over the year from where I was. I looked at myself, and I was unhappy, so I decided to do something about it. Last Tuesday, I went and had a very simple surgical procedure done. Now, some folks might say I am cheating. I say I am using the technology made available to me. It is not the Lap Band, and it is not Gastric Bypass - Much Safer...

Today, One week into it - I weighed.... 24 pounds gone in one week. Even the doctor was shocked. I'm not failing this time folks, I have the power of technology behind me. Last Monday Night was the last time I was hungry for food, and will be the last time I ever am again for the rest of my life.

Glad I got that off my chest... I will post weekly updates.