Killing The Fatman-Day 5

Hunger and frustration have set in. I've been in this desert for what seems like an eternity. My team has disappeared one by one and I've taken notice of how much my right leg resembles a giant Turkey Drum Stick!



I am just kidding!


Let me begin by giving thanks to Father God because He has given me the strength and revelation to pursue this dream. It is by His power that I find myself alive and preserved.

I am So grateful for SO many people that have shared their support and well-wishes over the last 4 days! You have all been so encouraging and your comments have been simply delightful. It's an awesome thing to see that people really support and believe in what you're doing.

I would like to share one particular contribution that I received from a good friend I went to grade school with... I will not share her identity, but she is training for a successful career as a medical professional! You know who you are and thank you sweetheart!

>“I immediately became concerned upon reading your weight loss goal of 5lbs/wk— it is possible, but you really need to be under the supervision of a professional if you are going for a goal like that. You may be able to do it for the first few weeks, but that is mostly water weight. And after that, it’s very hard to sustain those types of numbers. It cannot be done on dieting alone; it takes A LOT of exercise in combination with dieting. I saw it time after time at the bariatric center—people started out with goals like that, did great for a few weeks, then after leveling out the grew discouraged and eventually gave up. I don’t want to sound discouraging here, but I especially don’t want you to give up. (skipping parts)

That leads me to my next question, have you ever considered either gastric bypass or the lap band procedure? I have seen people's lives transformed by these surgeries, but it's no cake walk (no pun intended!) (HAHAHA that was funny).

I know there are risks associated with these procedures, but to be perfectly honest, it’s not any higher than the risk that you are in at your current weight. To be eligible for a bariatric surgery a patient must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 w/ associated co-morbidities (diabetes, hypertension, etc.) or a BMI of 40 without any of those co-morbidities. I’m sure you already know this, but at your height of 5’7 and a weight of 517lbs, your BMI is 81%. You would most definitely qualify for bariatric surgery and it could quite possibly save your life. I believe that insurance would even pay for the surgery at your BMI. If not, there are credit plans for health related procedures (called care plans) that are available. I know you are probably thinking NO WAY, I’m not doing the surgery, and if so, that’s fine, I just wanted to bring it up. But I sincerely hope that you will consider seeing a bariatric doctor so that he can, at very least, provide you with resources to help you achieve your goals more readily. He can also monitor your health status as your body goes through the changes of weight loss.”<

A funny thing happened to me after I read this... Instead of becoming angry and swelling up to the size of The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, I accepted what she had to offer. While I am determined in my heart to do this (for many reasons), I don't possess the no-how to get this done. While the average human may decide “Oh I need to drop a few pounds” I am literally removing an entire person from my gut, butt, and various regions of my girth. Truth of the matter is, every time I've ever started a diet, I would sprint out of the gate in the beginning, get minimal results, then stop well short of any real achievement... Forget longevity. Weight Watchers worked for a while but my heart wasn't in the effort. I didn't set any formal goals for myself and to be honest, I stumbled through the whole experience without any intentions of seeing it through. Nutri System was the same way and FYI no matter how appealing it looks on TV, Nutri System food tastes like CRAP.

In the late summer of 2007, I pointed my sites at Gastric Bypass Surgery. I borrowed some money against my house and began the necessary preliminaries to qualify through a hospital in Gainesville. They specialize in doing various forms of LAP BAND and Gastric Bypass surgeries on the “Morbidly Obese” (for you non doctor types, that means Dead Man Wobbling). I had a SLEEP APNEA test done,... you can imagine the results. I then met with a gastric surgeon/doctor who ordered a few more tests run.

About mid November (07) we loaded into the minivan and trekked across the Southeast to Memphis (city of the King) to see Hillsong United @ the Orpheum Theater (absolutely killer show). The trip was long and boring, the kids were miserable, my wife became agitated, my 1 year old grew restless, but I was going to make that show no matter what!

I spent some of the evening in the lobby of the theater rocking my daughter to sleep in her stroller while my crew was inside enjoying the show. Halfway through, my wife came out and relieved me. I don't know what song it was, nor the exact seat I was in, but I remember that as I worshiped the TRUE KING, (who is lives in more cities than Memphis) I heard a small voice whisper “ This is not my way”. I knew instantly what He meant. Much to the dismay of my family, I called off the surgery and anything associated with it.

Now I'm no fool & I know enough Word to know that this fight over my weight doesn't have very much to do with food at all! It's not about will power or mental issues. I'm not overweight because my momma beat me, or cause kids were mean to me.

It's totally and completely....

You ready for this.......

It's spiritual ~


I'm just beginning to seek God's revelation where my weight is rooted but I do know that His Word says... “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12)” I'm not saying that some demon made me fat when I was a kid, I'm just saying that every thing we face; addiction, depression, anxiety, obesity, whatever... everything is rooted in spiritual influence. More on this later.

Now, to the Meat & Potatoes!

Taking my friend's advice to heart, I contacted my doctor's office today to ask them for a referral to a local Bariatric doctor. I truly believe that to be successful in my extreme weight loss, I must enlist the help of professionals to monitor my course. I will also be going to get another Sleep Apnea test done because my wife says I have moments that I don't breathe during the night. That sounds scary yes but at least I'm on the path to change.

In that same spirit of heeding advice, I joined Livestrong.com where I can track calories and make use of their incredible tools that are designed for people just like me. I also have decided to pursue a more reasonable goal of 100 pounds by December 1st. That's just under 3lbs a week and raises my daily caloric intake to about 3,603. My doctor is treating the Phlebitis (clots) in my leg until it clears up & once it does, I'll begin a slow but steady walking regiment with my wife.

Notes of Interest...

• I'm drinking a ton of water in the last few days (60+ oz.) which is a vast improvement over anything I've done before. Lo' & behold, all other beverages taste too sweet or bitter.
• I had some calories at the end of today so I thought I'd have cup of dry Cap'n Crunch... it made me sick and gave me the worst head ache. That was an experience I've never had before.
• I plan to go and weigh in this weekend at the local quick care up the street so I should have an actual weight posting soon.
  

It's late and my 2 year old is screaming at my wife that she's a nice girl and Rhondi should immediately read her a book; I better go referee....

Thanks for following my success and keep those suggestions coming as I continue the process of Killing The Fatman!