Tag: <span>Weight</span>

One year check-up with the Bariatric consultant
Published Fri, 20th Aug 2021

One year check-up with the Bariatric consultant

It’s almost a whole year since my Gastric Bypass surgery, and so this week I met with the Bariatric physician for a check-up.

We talked about my progress in losing weight over the last year (around 41 kg or 6 and a half stones), but mainly the conversation was about the physical, medical, mental, emotional, and psychological benefits that the weight loss has brought.

The consultant was keen to re-state that bariatric surgery is not a tool to make someone thin – it’s a tool to help make someone more healthy.

Losing all this weight has dramatically decreased my chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, and cancer. It has also helped address my hormone imbalance, and is meant to help improve men’s sexual health.

But in addition to all the great health benefits, there’s all the quality-of-life benefits. I can now exercise pain-free, and simple thinks like getting dressed on a morning are easier. It’s easier to get up off the sofa, and to walk up a flight of stairs. It’s little things like these examples that make life better when you’re a healthier weight.

Of course, one year on, I’m still an obese man. My BMI is around 35, and I still wear 2XL shirts, but I’m considerably more healthy than I used to be.

The consultant said that a good outcome of the surgery would be to have lost around 40% of excess body weight after one year. That’s lower than the 70% that I had read about on other sites. And my excess body weight loss at this point is 48%, which I’m pretty happy about. I’ve not managed to get to my goal weight – I would need to lose another 20 kg for that – but that’s fine.

He did say that I need to watch out for a couple of things in the coming year:

  1. Potential to become alcohol dependent – which I don’t think will be much of a problem for me, as I’ve all but given up drinking. I’m not completely teetotal, but I only have maybe one glass of wine about once a month.
  2. Potential to gain weight – he said to watch out for any weight gains over about 3 kg (half a stone), and to get in contact with my Bariatric team if was gaining, as they would be able to help with other forms of treatment (I’m assuming that means diet plans or drug treatments).

And unless I have any problems, then I don’t need to see the consultant again for another year.

My Story Surgery

Consultants Health Hospital Appointments Weight

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My BMI dropped into a new categorysamuel ramos mz9koybqd4q unsplash
Published Thu, 8th Apr 2021

My BMI dropped into a new category

It’s now around seven and a half months since my Gastric Bypass surgery, and so far I’ve lost a total of 40.3 kg (6 st 5 lbs).

And as of today, I’ve also dropped down into a new BMI category. My BMI this morning is officially 34.9, so I dropped from being severely obese to only being moderately obese! Or rather, I’ve gone from obese class II to obese class I.

BMICategory
Under 18.5Underweight
18.5 – 24.9Normal healthy weight
25.0 – 29.9Overweight
30.0 – 34.9Obese Class I (Moderately obese)
35.0 – 39.9Obese Class II (Severely obese)
40 and overObese Class III (Very severely obese)

On the day of my surgery my BMI was 46.3, so I was in Obese Class III – so I’ve come a long way since then. And hopefully it’s all improved my health!

My goal is to keep losing weight so that my BMI drops below 30, so that I’ll be in the Overweight category. And to do that, I need to lose about another 20 kg or 3 stones.

Surgery Weight

BMI Obesity Weight

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Progress over Christmas and New YearAbundance 1868573 1920
Published Thu, 7th Jan 2021

Progress over Christmas and New Year

My weight loss progress over the last two weeks has not been great. I’ve only lost 0.4kg (about 1 pound) in weight over that time.

It’s not a massive surprise to me, as I know my diet hasn’t been very healthy. I guess it’s the first time since surgery that I’ve been pushing the boundaries with the food I’ve been eating. My diet has been a lot richer, and contained a lot more sugar and fat. I’ve eaten (and enjoyed) a lot of cheese, bread, crisps, chocolate and icecream.

I’ve also not been tracking my foods, so I have no idea what kind of calorie intake I’ve had. I’ve still lost weight over the time, so it can’t have been terrible, but the rate of loss is much slower than I’ve been used to.

I guess the main lesson I’ve learned is:

It is absolutely possible to sabotage weight loss after bariatric surgery!

  • Just because I’ve had a gastric bypass it does not guarantee a weight loss
  • I cannot eat whatever I want, and still expect to lose weight
  • To achieve my goals I still need to eat sensibly and healthily

So with that in mind, I’m going back to my healthy eating. And that also includes beginning to track everything I eat in the MyFitnessPal app.

My Story Surgery

Food Progress Weight

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How quickly should I be losing weight?Scale 403585 1920
Published Fri, 11th Sep 2020

How quickly should I be losing weight?

It’s now two weeks since by gastric bypass surgery, and I did a weigh-in to see how much I’ve lost in the last fortnight.

My progress so far is that I’ve lost 6 kg, which is nearly a stone.

I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. I had rather assumed that the weight might fall off me a bit quicker than that, because I’m on such a restrictive post-surgery diet. I’m currently only managing to consume about 500-600 calories a day, which isn’t much, so I rather expected a bigger loss.

However I have to remember that I was already on an 800 calories a day diet before the surgery, so I guess my body was already in weigh-loss mode.

In a way it might be good if I lose weight a bit more gradually, as it won’t be such a shock to my body.

I just wish there was some kind of benchmark to compare myself to, so that I knew if I was losing at the expected rate.

Surgery Weight

Diet Progress Weight Weight Loss

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Gambling with my health
Published Sat, 1st Feb 2020

Gambling with my health

There’s loads of very scary health risks that obese people face, including Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, Stroke, Cancer, Sleep Apnea, and others.

I knew I was at risk of all of these, but for a long time I thought I was bullet proof. I would be the exception to the rule, and manage to be overweight but healthy.

But then 5 years ago that all changed. I had been sick for a while with a bad skin condition, and then I got what I thought were a series of chest infections. What it turned out to be was cancer. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma, and the cancer had spread from my Lymph nodes into my lungs!

Luckily I responded well to the 6 months of chemotherapy and some follow-up radiotherapy, and I’ve been cancer-free since the summer of 2016.

However, and this is a big however, being obese increases my chances of it coming back!

My oncologist has told me on several occasions that he’s worried about my weight. In fact it was him that eventually got fed up of my inaction and referred me to the bariatric team.

And he’s right to have pushed me in that direction, because as it turns out I’m not the exception to the rule. I didn’t dodge the bullet. My obesity most likely was a big contributor to me getting cancer, and yet here I am years later and I’m still the same size!

It’s as if I haven’t learned anything.

So the hope is that by having bariatric surgery I will finally be forced to address my over-eating disorder, and get down to a more healthy weight. Because if I don’t, then I’m definitely on borrowed time.

I’ve already had cancer, I currently have untreated high blood pressure, and I’m probably on the brink of developing diabetes and sleep apnea.

You could say that my health is at crisis point!

Sickness Surgery

Cancer Weight

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What is image therapy?sw imagetherapy
Published Fri, 2nd Feb 2018

What is image therapy?

If you’re new to class, you’ve probably heard people talking about “image therapy” but you might not be sure exactly what it is.

The word “IMAGE” in a Slimming World context is actually an acronym which stands for Individual Motivation And Group Experience. It’s when the consultant, after making any announcements or giving a brief talk on something, goes round all the people in class to ask them about their week.

This is an opportunity for members to reflect upon their progress (or lack thereof), and to ask any questions they have about the Slimming World plan, or to seek inspiration from the consultant or class members.

What do people talk about?

I’ve heard lots of things discussed during IMAGE therapy, including recipe ideas and plans to deal with difficult upcoming events (such as weddings and dinners out). The consultant will often aim to head off any negative emotions, and instead try to focus members on practical steps that might turn their situation around.

It can also be tempting for members to turn their ‘go’ at speaking into a confessional session!

Do I have to take part?

No. You can decide, without stating any justification, that you don’t want to speak in front of the class. You can either opt out permanently by talking to your consultant in private, or you can opt out for just a week at a time if you just don’t feel like talking that day. And don’t worry about not speaking. Most people will not even notice you kept quiet, and those who do notice will understand why you might not want to join in – after all, we’ve all been there!

Will the consultant announce my weight?

The consultant will never tell anyone in class was you weight is, or what it was in the past. They will often highlight what you have lost that week, or in total since joining. For instance, they may say “Richard has lost 2 lbs this week, and a total of 1 st 7 lbs since starting 12 weeks ago!” When these losses are announced, it’s normally class etiquette to clap to congratulate the member.  The consultant will probably gloss over if you maintained or put on weight; instead focusing on only your total loss to date.

What are mini targets?

Your consultant may ask you if you want to set a mini target for the week ahead, which might be a weight loss target or a body magic goal. They will record the target on their tablet, and may mention it back to you the next week – but they will never criticise if you fail to make it. Some people don’t like to set mini targets as they feel they are setting themselves up for failure – but others like to use them as a motivational tool, and to help them keep focus for the week ahead. As with all things, it’s your decision about whether you want to join in.

Do I have to stay for IMAGE therapy?

No. There are plenty of people who come, get weighed, and go. We all lead busy lives, and we all understand that we don’t always have the time to stay for group. However, having said that, it’s almost always beneficial to stay for class and for the IMAGE therapy sessions if you can. The interaction with other members, and the individual support you will receive, can make all the difference in terms of motivation for the coming week.

I’ve had weeks where the last thing I wanted to do was sit in the group and admit what a terrible week / day I was having – but forced myself to stay, and then came out the end with a completely different outlook, and all fired up for the week ahead.

Slimming World

Group Image Therapy Weight

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