Coleman’s Core

1 Year Later

One year ago today, I went to UPMC Magee for Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. That day, I weighed 331 pounds. That was after a weight loss of 18 pounds from the day I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, which means that on that fateful day I weighed 349 pounds. I say fateful, because that’s the day I made a decision that will affect me and my family for the rest of my life.

At the time, I had considered that normal and didn’t think much of it. I was “happy”, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself. In reality, I was miserable! I was in constant pain. I could hardly walk. My back hurt continuously. And those were the symptoms I knew about. What I didn’t know, and I would only find out during testing for the surgery was that my body was slowly turning on itself. The surgeon, Dr. George Eid, described it as “malignant obesity“. My BMI was over 40, and I was in the very early stages of having kidney problems (determined by a microalbumin test). I had “severe” obstructive sleep apnea.

Well, I’m happy to report that today that’s all gone! To date, I’ve lost 110 pounds. I’m exercising again (though not as regularly as I should) and eating better. I still, occasionally, slip into bad habits but I do my best to keep an eye on myself. My Type II diabetes is gone — 100% cured. My HA1C is around 5. I sleep without a machine now!

Some other “stats”:

• 14 inches gone from my waist (size 56 to size 42)
• I went from a XXXL to an XL shirt.
• My original wedding ring no longer fits. My wife bought me another for Christmas, though!
• I can now fit in a Herman Miller Aeron size C chair without voiding the warranty.
• I can fly without asking for a seatbelt extension, nor risking getting charged for a second seat.
• I can put the tray down in front of me on a plane. I could NEVER do this before.
• I can buy clothes at Wal-Mart. No more Casual Male Big&Tall for me.
• I’ve not drank soda (diet or otherwise) for over a year. I’ve taken a sip here and there, but can’t stand the taste of it now.