Two Down...Already....

Two weeks down and how the time fly's , liquids are over....Hurrah.....bring on the mushies...1 week then back to normal.

I have weighed myself tonight early rather than tomorrow morning following a game of floodlit golf which I won for a change (I claim it as exercise) and can now record a 10 KG loss since the Op...If I can now achieve 1 KG a week for the next 50 weeks I will be at target exactly on 1 year.....It's possible yes??

Now after throwing 10 KG in such a short time , I feel great within myself and within my clothes already, however I do not think anybody else except my wife has even noticed I have lost weight , and with the weight loss being 15% of my excess weight to lose , it really hits home just how big and heavy I am and how much weight there is to shift.... Hmmmm

The Hunger is beginning to return and I feel hungry much quicker than the I have in the last couple of weeks , but the good news is that I still seem to get full after not to much food , which is great.

The next 10 days are going to be hard.....I have a sponsored golf competition on Thursday which includes drinks and dinner , My football team play in a cup final on Sunday ( Aston Villa play Manchester United) which is a big deal for us Villa fans...and the following Thursday I'm playing in a charity golf comp which again includes drinks and dinner...The golf matches are played between 1 and 5 pm in the sun and it is almost impossible not to drink cold , refreshing beer at this time...and it the beer that worries me , not the dinner... as Homer Simpson would say...

UMMM BEEEERR....

What to do...

Weekends come and go.

The weekend has come , and gone already , working an 11 day fortnight is OK every other weekend ,but not this weekend :-( so after what seems a very short day today it's back to the grind tomorrow.

What a great week it has been, last Friday I was bloated , full of painful gas and feeling a little sore round the middle , however this week the pain and feeling of sickness has all but completely disappeared , I'm feeling almost fully fit and I'm even beginning to feel a little hungry (not sure if that good or not)...as all the bandsters out there can undoubtedly confirm 10 days of only liquids is quite a challenge....I can also say 10 days without certain other liquids is also not easy ;-) if you get the drift. I have been very good and I am quite proud of myself for resisting the amber liquid both on Wednesday and Thursday whilst in very very testing company....I have committed myself to stay away from beer and wine until the end of the month....ITS NOT EASY....

Next week beckons with a couple more social events to get through , however I already have a feeling of well being and a drive to lose a further couple of KG's by the month end that can carry me through these without to much trouble I'm sure....fingers crossed.

I do feel like the adventure and journey has now commenced...Hurrah....

8.1 KG.....

A very quick post.......

Week I complete , an amazing 8.1 KG loss...I will take that :-)

A good day was had yesterday , not to much nausea, and so back to work today...When the fog lifts......

Ciao

Andrew

Too much to early......

Well on my way to work yesterday I had the windows down , arm on the sill, listening to the radio and singing...you get the picture , I felt really great the weather was fantastic and there was even a nice fine breeze..I felt that life didn't get better than that moment....

Once I got to work I called my Doc who is based in Dubai and arranged for my Op follow up and to have my dressings changed , we agreed for 3.30 pm after which I thought that I would get myself home have a half day so to to speak.

On my way to the Clinic (what a clinic, its like a 5 star hotel) which is based in the new Dubai Mall (proclaimed as the biggest in the world) , I started to feel a little nauseous, however this feeling quickly passed.

The Doc dressed the wounds , looked me over said I was doing well and sent me on my way ,he also said the feelings of sickness was normal in the first 2 to 3 weeks ...So I left his office and was on the long long straight and boring drive down the Sheikh Zayed Road back to Abu Dhabi.

About half way home I started to feel ill again , and this time it was quite unpleasant and it continued all the way until I got back and once home I just had to lie down...Of course I had to lie on the couch in front of the TV :-)

Around 7 pm I started to get the shivers and we checked my temp , it had risen to 37.7 and I was feeling really really bad by then (part of this I'm sure is due to lack of food and nutrient intake). I called the Doc who requested I take 2 panadol go to bed and see what the morning brought , which thankfully today has brought.......Me back to normal...

The lesson yesterday has taught me is to take it a little easy in these first few weeks and I have decided to take today off and rest , if all is good today I will return to work tomorrow....

Tomorrow is one week since the Op and will be my weigh day...I feel the loss this week will be fantastic..

Andrew

Sunday - Back to Work....

Its Sunday morning 5 days since the Op , and I'm due back to work today...If the Fog lifts..I shall say that a again... when the FOG lifts.. Although I live in Abu Dhabi (UAE - Middle East) which is renowned for it high temperatures , we surprisingly quite often suffer from very dense fog in the early mornings , such as today , the visibility at 7 this morning is less than 50 M.

It doesn't normally last long and I will just have to wait till the sun burns it off before I get away.

I work for a large Dubai based Construction Company (1 of a few that still has work in Dubai) and the Journey from Abu Dhabi is an hour and a quarter ( as long as we do not have a major accident to content with - which we regularly do - The driving standard on the roads is.....to say the least.....Awful).

Within myself I feel better and better each day (as I should) and last night I actually felt a little hungry , this was however easily extinguished with a nice cup of tea :-). I think I have had no more than 500 calories each day for the last 5 days..

I will be taking a flask of soup and a protein shake for lunch and drinks Hmmm.....Can't wait for lunch...

A quick look out the window and the fog is lifting ..hi ho.. hi ho.. It's off to work I go..

Ciao for now

Andrew

Before

I have added my before Pictures in an attempt to ensure that all pictures taken of me from now on will be of me looking slimmer........The baseline is now set....

Phuket Thailand 2009

Day 3 Post Op.....

Its now Friday Morning day 3 post op.

It is also the beginning of the weekend here in the UAE , and I think we ( the family ) are off to the beach , the temp around this time of year is a fine 24 to 26 degrees and I think I really need to get out the Villa today and try and get back to a semi normal routine.

Yesterday I spent the full day in front of the computer and tele feeling very very full , since Monday evening I have only eaten 1 bowl of soup and drank 1 protein shake along with lots and lots of water and this morning I am still full....I weighed myself this morning ( I couldn't wait ) and have lost 5 Kgs , generally all water I'm sure , however this is actually the lowest I have been for 2 years.

Is it normal to feel so full like this without a fill.

There is still quite a lot of gas , how long does this normally last.???

There is a small discomfort around the incisions but nothing too bad and I have had no problem sleeping with this so far.

My Doctor called me yesterday afternoon , to check how I was doing and also advised that they are starting a support group on Monday evening...I'm looking forward to that...

I hope to be back to work on Sunday..fingers crossed..

Andrew

Hello Everyone

Well I didn't expect to be blogging today , however I feel I must say hello to all my new friends , I have gone from 4 followers before the surgery on Tuesday to 15 now..Wow

Thank you for joining me , I'm sure your support is going to be invaluable at times as I progress...

Thanks again

Andrew

The Other Side.....

First let me thank you for the messages of good luck I received yesterday, they were really well received as I was reading them off the BB whilst I was being prepared for Surgery.

The day went well with no apparent complications, a little uncomfortable last night and I felt as if I had been battered by Ricky Hatton, however much much better today , and I am now home relaxing and looking forward to a bowl of soup ( this will be the first food in 48 hours ..It's no wonder you lose weight).

2 weeks of liquid , 1 week of mushes...I can't wait...NOT...

I have decided not to set a ticker tape with a final goal , I will take this journey step by step and slowly , I am going back the UK in August (6 months) and hope to have lost between 20 to 25 Kg in this time.

Lets see..

Ciao....

The night before the rest of my life

Well its finally here , tomorrow is D -Day and I am beginning to feel a little unsure , is this really what I want to be doing? I hope it will be the making of a smaller , happier me , which will then make a better and more active father and husband , sooooo It must be the right decision...Right?

11 am tomorrow is the Op , I will have the whole day alone , before the Wife collects me the next day, my one concern is that I have not really had a successful pre op diet ( not very successful at all ) will this make a difference...too late now...

I have been having a little trouble with my knees recently , especially when I have even a little exercise , I played golf on Saturday (a pre opening for the Saadiyat beach golf club...wow what a place) and have really struggled with both knees since , I normally take an anti inflammatory pill at this point , but do not want to take anything until after the Op....The one thing I hope will happen quickly is that the knee pains will disappear and I can get straight back into real exercise....

Well here's to a good nights sleep and next chapter in my life.

The Final Count Down

less than a week to go......