Well, if you've gotten this far, hopefully you'll start to leave a comments!
Yesterday afternoon, as my youngest son - age 7 - was wrapping up his homework, he asks me the following question, out of the blue: "Daddy, did you eat a lot of candy when you were a kid?" I had no idea where this was coming from.
I said, "Oh, I don't know... maybe more than I should have. Why do you ask?"
"Well," he says, "because you're fat."
And he doesn't say it in a mean way. In fact, I took it as quite the opposite. He's trying to make the connection, I guess. There wasn't any more to the conversation beyond that. After the exchange, he went about his business and I mine, but it's something I keep thinking about. Obviously, it doesn't take a road scholar to know that I'm fat, but what struck me was that it's the first time either of my kids had said something about my being fat. My older son, turning 9 in November, has never said a thing. Not that it's forbidden or anything... it's just never come up.
It's interesting to me, because it's not like we make a big deal about candy, sweets & desert. My wife makes a deliberate effort to ensure that all of their meals are balanced with protein and veggies... not just Mac & Cheese every night. They rarely get soda, and generally, only milk with dinner. They only get desert if they finish their meal, so really only about once a week when they both finish AND remember to ask. Usually when they get candy, like from Halloween or a birthday party or something, it mostly just sits. Like I said, it's just not a big deal. I, myself, rarely eat candy - I save it for Ice Cream!!! LOL.
So, what's your experience with your kids?
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Surgery?! Why??
In the words of David Burne, how did I get here?
Well, part of getting here, the weight, was not an over night process. That part you already know, if you read my history post. Clearly, there's more to it than that; there's the mental aspect.
I've thought about it from time to time. I'm a researcher when it comes to new things. When I thought about shaving my head, I consulted the internet. I found videos, recommendations, etc. By the time I started, I had something new to share with a colleague who had been doing it for years, having turned him on to a great shave cream. So, when you research "gastric bypass" or the like, the first thing you discover is that the patient is on a liquid diet for a month, post-op. I would think, "of course you're going to loose weight like that!" So I never really looked further.
When I began seeing my PCP, Dr. Schneider, when we discussed my weight, I more or less got the old, "move more, eat less" response. Which, at its core, is really what it all boils down to, right? The problem is the old, "easier said than done" when it comes to keeping the weight off. Sure, anybody can drop 20 pounds, but keeping it off... that's where it's not so easy.
Medical factors
About 6 years ago - before I started seeing Dr. Schneider, I developed acid reflux, and have now been on Prilosec to keep that in check.
About 3-4 years ago, my wife really started complaining about my snoring. One time, she said she thought I was pretending, it sounded soooo over-the-top. Then I found that I was just tired all the time. Finally, I spoke with Dr. Schneider who referred me to Dr. Rai for a sleep study. Sure enough, I have sleep apnea. It's been a while now, but he said I was stopping breathing over 40 times per hour. Wow! No wonder I was always tired. Now, I sleep like Darth Vader, wearing a CPAP machine. Sexy!
Most recently, a little over 2 years ago, after a routine physical, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It's well under control with only one medication. Maybe too well under control. I actually find that I'm fighting to keep my blood sugar high enough. That's right. If I don't eat well enough - especially at breakfast - by 11 or 12 o'clock, I get nauseated and jittery from my blood sugar being too low.
Medically speaking, that makes me "morbidly" obese. Lovely.
So, I go to see Dr. Schneider for this back problem I'd been having. While I'm there, I start a new topic like this: "I know you're not... and advocate of weight loss surgery, but do you think it's something I should be considering?" It turned out to be a good way to go about it, I think. He got a little defensive in saying that, it's not that he's against it, but rather, it's not his go-to solution. He said he'd be happy to refer me to a bariatric surgeon.
A couple of days later, I got a call from someone at his office referring me to Dr. Krahn. I called the office and the woman I spoke with had my info all there in front of her.
And so it begins. I've started to do more research, and I got a great opportunity to speak candidly with a friend who is now around 4-years post-op with VSG. In a couple of days, I will be attending one of Dr. Krahn's required seminars.
Well, part of getting here, the weight, was not an over night process. That part you already know, if you read my history post. Clearly, there's more to it than that; there's the mental aspect.
I've thought about it from time to time. I'm a researcher when it comes to new things. When I thought about shaving my head, I consulted the internet. I found videos, recommendations, etc. By the time I started, I had something new to share with a colleague who had been doing it for years, having turned him on to a great shave cream. So, when you research "gastric bypass" or the like, the first thing you discover is that the patient is on a liquid diet for a month, post-op. I would think, "of course you're going to loose weight like that!" So I never really looked further.
When I began seeing my PCP, Dr. Schneider, when we discussed my weight, I more or less got the old, "move more, eat less" response. Which, at its core, is really what it all boils down to, right? The problem is the old, "easier said than done" when it comes to keeping the weight off. Sure, anybody can drop 20 pounds, but keeping it off... that's where it's not so easy.
Medical factors
About 6 years ago - before I started seeing Dr. Schneider, I developed acid reflux, and have now been on Prilosec to keep that in check.
About 3-4 years ago, my wife really started complaining about my snoring. One time, she said she thought I was pretending, it sounded soooo over-the-top. Then I found that I was just tired all the time. Finally, I spoke with Dr. Schneider who referred me to Dr. Rai for a sleep study. Sure enough, I have sleep apnea. It's been a while now, but he said I was stopping breathing over 40 times per hour. Wow! No wonder I was always tired. Now, I sleep like Darth Vader, wearing a CPAP machine. Sexy!
Most recently, a little over 2 years ago, after a routine physical, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It's well under control with only one medication. Maybe too well under control. I actually find that I'm fighting to keep my blood sugar high enough. That's right. If I don't eat well enough - especially at breakfast - by 11 or 12 o'clock, I get nauseated and jittery from my blood sugar being too low.
Medically speaking, that makes me "morbidly" obese. Lovely.
So, I go to see Dr. Schneider for this back problem I'd been having. While I'm there, I start a new topic like this: "I know you're not... and advocate of weight loss surgery, but do you think it's something I should be considering?" It turned out to be a good way to go about it, I think. He got a little defensive in saying that, it's not that he's against it, but rather, it's not his go-to solution. He said he'd be happy to refer me to a bariatric surgeon.
A couple of days later, I got a call from someone at his office referring me to Dr. Krahn. I called the office and the woman I spoke with had my info all there in front of her.
And so it begins. I've started to do more research, and I got a great opportunity to speak candidly with a friend who is now around 4-years post-op with VSG. In a couple of days, I will be attending one of Dr. Krahn's required seminars.
My History
Hello. My name is John, and I'm quite overweight. I guess that's an understatement. I'm obese. actually, morbidly obese. On 28-August, I saw my primary physician, Dr. Schneider, for some back pain I had been having, and weighed in at 294.
Before I get into what this is all about, first I'll share some information that I think is pertinent to my current weight. I want to be clear, however, that I am NOT placing blame on anyone else, but simply stating relative information. It is what it is.
Growing up as a child to a single mother making her own way, we didn't have a lot of money. Mom did the best she could all along. My most clear, early memories begin when we moved out of my grandparents house, into our own place in Alhambra when I was in the first grade.
As mom worked, I had to go to a baby sitter. The first one wasn't far away, but my memories are very unpleasant. I remember getting to her house after school and being made to sit outside on the porch steps all day, alone, every day until I got picked up by my mom.
The second sitter was better in some respects, but not so good in others. Mostly, it wasn't bad, but she had children of her own, one of which was maybe 3 or 4 years older than me. As such, I got picked on quite a lot. I have lots of memories in being in what is described in MMA as being in the full-mount position - on the receiving end, of course.
Subsequently, around 4th or 5th grade, I became a Latch Key Kid. If you're not familiar with the term, I'd go to school, and come strait home afterward. I would let myself in to the empty house, and lock the door behind me. I would immediately call mom at work to let her know I made it home, and from then until she got home, I was to stay inside. Period. By the time I was in the 8th grade, I'd become quite pudgy. I guess I should go on to say that during this elementary time (my elementary school went from Kindergarten to 8th grade - no "middle school"), it's probably worth mentioning that I did one pass at a bowling league and at around age 11 or 12, I did a season and a half of little league. Other than that, I didn't do anything organized.
It's probably worth mentioning here that during this Latch Key period, I'd save my $1.25 per day that mom gave me for lunch, skip lunch at school, and after getting home and calling mom, I'd make a super-quick trip to the neighborhood market that was a block away and buy food I wanted to eat, which was nearly always either Jell-O instant pudding, or Hostess mini doughnuts.
We did go to the beach on weekends. Most weekends, as far as I can recall... probably more than we didn't, anyway.
Before my sophomore year of high school, we moved to Fontana. The house we lived in was in the Rialto school district, which was less desirable than Fontana, so through some hocus pocus, I went to Fontana High School, which was both far away, and none of the other kids in my area went there. I didn't end up knowing anyone in the area I lived in. I made friends at school, but they all lived far away and were only friends at school.
I wasn't involved in activities in high school. No sports, or other clubs. I didn't go to a single dance or football game, even though the team was CIF Champions. I took a bus to school and back, and once I was home, I pretty much stayed inside. No longer because it was required... it was just what I was accustom to by then. Go home. Watch TV. Commercial break? Time for a snack.
Despite riding my bike everywhere in the later high school years, I was still pudgy. After high school, I worked at a major warehouse distribution center, having productivity standards of more than 400 cases per hour loading cases from a conveyor onto several trucks. Still I was pudgy.
At age 27, I got married, and my weight was maybe 200-210 pounds. Still, not quite fat, but still pudgy. Overweight. Four months later I broke a bone in my left foot; the "fifth metatarsal," at work. I remember the Worker's Comp doctor telling me that this particular bone is quite dense and thus would "take a little longer than normal" to heal. I didn't ask for specifics, but in my mind, I thought, okay, instead of 6 weeks, it will take 8 weeks to heal. Nope. Week after week after week, month after month, I'd go to get checked and x-rayed and it was clear to see that the bone just wasn't getting any better. Long story short, it was about 18 months before the bone had finally healed. Even after it was healed, I still wasn't exactly what you would call comfortable being on my feet. I mean, I could walk, but for example, I tried to hit the tennis ball around with my wife and experienced some serious pain in my ankle and foot that had been immobilized for so long. Also at the end of this time, I had gone up to over 250 pounds.
In the past 14 years since then, I've dieted. I've exercised. The lowest I've gotten was 225 when I tried Atkins, but that didn't stick. I was around 280 when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I had gotten down to around 255 shortly thereafter, but I couldn't sustain it.
Now that all of that is out of the way, I can get to what I'm looking to do to reverse this now. More to come.
Before I get into what this is all about, first I'll share some information that I think is pertinent to my current weight. I want to be clear, however, that I am NOT placing blame on anyone else, but simply stating relative information. It is what it is.
Growing up as a child to a single mother making her own way, we didn't have a lot of money. Mom did the best she could all along. My most clear, early memories begin when we moved out of my grandparents house, into our own place in Alhambra when I was in the first grade.
As mom worked, I had to go to a baby sitter. The first one wasn't far away, but my memories are very unpleasant. I remember getting to her house after school and being made to sit outside on the porch steps all day, alone, every day until I got picked up by my mom.
The second sitter was better in some respects, but not so good in others. Mostly, it wasn't bad, but she had children of her own, one of which was maybe 3 or 4 years older than me. As such, I got picked on quite a lot. I have lots of memories in being in what is described in MMA as being in the full-mount position - on the receiving end, of course.
Subsequently, around 4th or 5th grade, I became a Latch Key Kid. If you're not familiar with the term, I'd go to school, and come strait home afterward. I would let myself in to the empty house, and lock the door behind me. I would immediately call mom at work to let her know I made it home, and from then until she got home, I was to stay inside. Period. By the time I was in the 8th grade, I'd become quite pudgy. I guess I should go on to say that during this elementary time (my elementary school went from Kindergarten to 8th grade - no "middle school"), it's probably worth mentioning that I did one pass at a bowling league and at around age 11 or 12, I did a season and a half of little league. Other than that, I didn't do anything organized.
It's probably worth mentioning here that during this Latch Key period, I'd save my $1.25 per day that mom gave me for lunch, skip lunch at school, and after getting home and calling mom, I'd make a super-quick trip to the neighborhood market that was a block away and buy food I wanted to eat, which was nearly always either Jell-O instant pudding, or Hostess mini doughnuts.
We did go to the beach on weekends. Most weekends, as far as I can recall... probably more than we didn't, anyway.
Before my sophomore year of high school, we moved to Fontana. The house we lived in was in the Rialto school district, which was less desirable than Fontana, so through some hocus pocus, I went to Fontana High School, which was both far away, and none of the other kids in my area went there. I didn't end up knowing anyone in the area I lived in. I made friends at school, but they all lived far away and were only friends at school.
I wasn't involved in activities in high school. No sports, or other clubs. I didn't go to a single dance or football game, even though the team was CIF Champions. I took a bus to school and back, and once I was home, I pretty much stayed inside. No longer because it was required... it was just what I was accustom to by then. Go home. Watch TV. Commercial break? Time for a snack.
Despite riding my bike everywhere in the later high school years, I was still pudgy. After high school, I worked at a major warehouse distribution center, having productivity standards of more than 400 cases per hour loading cases from a conveyor onto several trucks. Still I was pudgy.
At age 27, I got married, and my weight was maybe 200-210 pounds. Still, not quite fat, but still pudgy. Overweight. Four months later I broke a bone in my left foot; the "fifth metatarsal," at work. I remember the Worker's Comp doctor telling me that this particular bone is quite dense and thus would "take a little longer than normal" to heal. I didn't ask for specifics, but in my mind, I thought, okay, instead of 6 weeks, it will take 8 weeks to heal. Nope. Week after week after week, month after month, I'd go to get checked and x-rayed and it was clear to see that the bone just wasn't getting any better. Long story short, it was about 18 months before the bone had finally healed. Even after it was healed, I still wasn't exactly what you would call comfortable being on my feet. I mean, I could walk, but for example, I tried to hit the tennis ball around with my wife and experienced some serious pain in my ankle and foot that had been immobilized for so long. Also at the end of this time, I had gone up to over 250 pounds.
In the past 14 years since then, I've dieted. I've exercised. The lowest I've gotten was 225 when I tried Atkins, but that didn't stick. I was around 280 when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I had gotten down to around 255 shortly thereafter, but I couldn't sustain it.
Now that all of that is out of the way, I can get to what I'm looking to do to reverse this now. More to come.
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