A Concord Pastor Comments: UPDATE!

UPDATE: One of my cousins messaged me today: "OK, so it's been over a month...would you do it again?" He was referring to my bariatric surgery on January 29. The answer is a resounding YES! My only regret is that I waited so long to make this decision. I'm doing very well, have no regrets whatsoever and grateful for all that's happened since the end of January.

BY THE NUMBERS: I've lost 35 pounds since my pre-op weigh in (10 days before my surgery) so I'm down to 316 (a year ago I weighed 384). I eat 5-6 times a day in small, carefully measured portions. At this point my menu includes turkey, gravy, carrots, pureed squash, scrambled eggs, tofu, yogurt, baked ricotta (my favorite!), sliced ham, string cheese, chicken broth, jello, kidney beans and 56-64 ounces of water per day - that's a lot of water! Since mid-January I've gone down 4 sizes in pants and I've punched 4 new holes in my belt. I have not felt hungry even one time although a new experience is waking up and wanting to get downstairs for those scrambled eggs! I walk on my treadmill 6 days a week. I was up to 40-50 minutes a day but that was pushing too hard so I cut back to 30-40 minutes a day and have moved from a speed of .5 mph to 1.8 mph.

BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE! In addition to all of the above I've discovered (big time!) how close is the mind-body-spirit connection. I have a sense of personal well-being that I've either never known or haven't known for so long that I've forgotten the last time I felt it. The way I'm eating has brought order to my day and gets me up earlier in the morning and puts me to bed earlier at night. I know I'm walking straighter and taller from my own experience and from unsolicited observations from a few folks. My prayer life has improved dramatically for which I'm very grateful. Overall, I've never felt better!

There's a long way to go... I've not ventured into restaurants apart from a few visits to my old haunt where chef Rob has been kind enough to prepare some broth for me to order. The time will come (within a month) when I'll be able to begin to order selectively from a menu - I'll need to maintain the discipline I have right now and which I had at a fund-raising reception I attended last week when I ordered ice water at the bar and said "no thank you" to every hors d'oeuvre that was passed in front of me. Was it hard? Not really. I'm so pleased with what's happening that such moments seem a small sacrifice indeed for what I'm experiencing.

THANK YOU all for your prayers and support - it has meant a great deal to me and I know that in that way you are all part of my success story! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!