14 Stone - At last

Great news - Just back from a Cycling weekend with the lads in Riccione Italy - Great times
Went on 3 rides of 82 , 30 and 90 miles duration
Day 3 was awesome with 35 mile hill climb from resort to peak in Tuscany. Roaming hills with beautifully maintained fields

Picture shows me at 7am before breakfast - Did struggle a bit with fuelling as while everyone had monster breakfast all I could manage was small portion of scrambled eggs. I took some baybybell cheeses and energy gels to keep me going but with 35 degree heat and sweating I did struggle a bit. The guys all had sarnies for lunch which I couldnt manage

Next holiday I go on am going to take microwave Porridge with me and more energy gels to keep me going

 

Went for Monthly review with the Lovely Wendy on Tuesday and she got some new 5 Grand scales that are amazing. They give loads of information and thats great so monthly you can track not only your weight but body composition of muscle density etc. As I do a lot of cycling I am very keen to ensure that I only lose body Fat and Not Muscle well Im delighted to state that the following

BMI - 28.8
Fat % - 13.9 - Within healthy range
Weight - 14st 5 lbs - Not bad after weeks all inclusive holiday
Muscle Mass - Above average for obverall weight
Metabolic Age - 30 - Not bad for 45 year old

Had small bandfill adjustment to take me to 6.25 ml

So glad I had this procedure dome and especially with WLS Group - Th ewhole experiance with them has been fantastic right from the first consultation. As stated before but will say it again this is no easy task and during my weeks holiday all inclusive there was a lot of temptation put in front of me but I thought
" Having paid 6 grand of my own money to have this done theres no way Im gonna start working against my band and forcing stuff down I know I shouldnt have "
I stuck to my resolve and the holiday was soon over and now back at home its easier as I avoid the temptation to make it easier

For anyone reading this who is thinking of having procedure or had surgery with another provider and feels alone and wants advise - Pick up the phone and speak to WLS Group

 

Hi

Just got back today from Holiday in Turkey with kids it was great but I was a bit nervous as all inclusive
I stuck to healthy options of omlette or eggs scrambled or fried for breakers and fish with salad for lunch. Evening meal was similair with fish and veg
Stayed well clear off all breads, donuts, kebabks, toasties etc - Had treat of odd ice cream and sometimes bag of nuts mid afternoon. Managed to sink a few wines and no cycling so feel ive put about 4 lbs on but nothing too serious. Im doing a 100 mile sportive cycle ride from York on Sat and then go to Italy cycling for 4 days next weekend which should get me back on plan. Ive got my 4 monthly review with Wendy on Tue so may get just a small fill as feel restriction is not quite as keen as it was and whilst dont want to be overrestricted I have noticed portions sizes increasing. Ive only got 4ml in 10ml band so plenty of room for adjustment Im on my 2nd fill and hope that this next one may be my last. I hovering at about 14.5 stone which is nearly 5 stone off so would like to get down to 13st 10 lbs which would give me a buffer of 5 lbs and I want to stay there. Defo the ebst thing ive ever done - Its not easy as you cant take evan one day off as I found on hols but well worth the sacrifise as I know from previous experiance that my one day off could easily turn into several weeks before I got back on the programme

Cheers

James

4th Monthly meet with Wendy

Today 21 July was my fourth monthly meeting with Wendy and all is good
I am pleased to report that on Wendys scales clothed I am now 14 st 6 lbs which is 4 lbs off from last month and most importantly no muscle loss so muscle % to overall mass on way up and fat % on way down

Some stats

Fat mass 3 st 7 lbs down from 5 st 4 lbs on 10 Mar day of surgery
Fat % = 24.2 ( Healthy is up to 22% ) down drom 32% on 10 Mar
Fat lbs requiredloss to acheive healthy range = 6 lbs

Vital statistics

1 Jan 21 Jul
Weight 19st 3 lbs 14 st 6lbs
BMI 36.8 29
Chest 52 47
Waist navel 50 38.5 - Yeah thats 11.5 inches gone
Hips widest 48 41.5
Neck 18 16
Leg 27 23.5
Arm bicep 15 12.5

Wendys Traffic Light System

Wendy issued me with her new Traffic Light System

Green - What to eat most of
Amber - What to eat little of
Red - What to avoid

Lots of tips and pointers to make eating after Weight Loss Surgery fun

Getting lots of cycling in a susual plus early morning 7am Spin Classes at gym
Am going on holiday to Turkey with Lewis and Holly soon and then another cycling Holiday this time to Italy

Having this Band fitted is the best thing ive ever done. Make no mistake it is not an easy option as I loved my food but I have mentally got it sorted and with my 70% committment to exercise and healthy eating the band gives me 30% and ensures that I do not stray. It might not be right for everyone but it certainly is for me

In summary 6lbs of Fat to loose to become healthy weight and reach my target. Hoping I can do it without another band fill so I will just have 4ml in a 10ml band. It may take a few months to shift that last bit but as I keep saying this is Not a sprint its a Marathon ( Or should I say Snickers )
Really glad that I wnt with WLS group as aftercare has been fantastic and its included in the price. I get 2 years of aftercare so I cn fine tune the restriction in my band so that I get to and maintain at the sweet spot. It also means I get to meet up with the lovely Wendy every month for a catch up which is great evan if I dont need a fill just to have the opportunity to discuss things with a professional who knows banding inside out.

 

Latest picture side profile shocked me at how much weight I have lost
Normally only see myself front on in mirror
Im now down to 14 st 4 lbs which is 1 lb off five stone loss
Following 2nd band fill to 4 ml food choices are now more important and just getting used to having to eat slower and think more about what I eat
Im going on another cycling hol with the lads this time to Italy in 6 weeks so gonna really go for it the next 6 weeks
I want to be down to 13 st 9 lbs which will be my target weight so probably wont need another band fill before then
Did 75 miles ride on sat and 50 miles on sun at 17.5mph avg and going to 7am spin class at gym this morning

Lookin forward to seeing Wendy next week for my monthly consultation

Cheers

James

June 2009

 

Just got back from a cycling holiday in Majorca withy the lads - Approx 75 miles per day up in the mountains - Very hilly and hard work - My legs are like wood - Im doing the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride this Saturday from Wetherby to Filey. Was lucky enough to have an article done about me in the Yorkshire Post and Evening post who were both interested inb a storu based on the fact that Ive had a band fitted and am doing a serious charity bike ride in Spain in Oct. The ride includes to stages of the tour of Spain and a monster 17km 2000m climb up Puerto de la Ragau
Band has been great after first fill but clearly lost weight on 3 day fluid and 3 day mush - I then went on the cycling holiday and was concerned that with weather and mileage would I have enough energy on board. I had small breakfast and then took cheese for mid morning - fresh fish for lunch and evening meals. I supplemented that fuel with energy gels and slightly overindulged on the wine

Put a couple of pounds on during the week but sure that will come straight off - Got another meeting with Wendy in 2 weeks so may need a little more fluid in to hit the sweet spot - Ive only got 3ml in a 10ml band so plenty of room

Overall I am over 4 stone down on xmas weight and am fitter than ever - I can cycle further and another thing to be aware of is that muscle weighs more than fat

Going to start at gym from today doing weights twice a week to help toning. Also want to committ to one evening and one weekend bike ride per week - Total mileage approx 100

First Band Fill - Tue 26 May 2009

 

Went and saw the lovely Wendy today for my first band fill
She was happy with my progress since we last met 4 weeks ago as I have increased my protein intake. I have put on 2 lbs which is not bad since ive had a weeks holiday and havent done any cycling for last 2 weeks since hurting my knee and have had little restriction so portion size has increased. I felt I was ready for my first fill and wendy agreed as its now 11 weeks since I had my op

I must say I feel great thoigh and when I bump into people I havent seen sice xmas they are shocked at how good I look - well I have lost 4 stone

The band fill was a walk in the park , Wendy explained what would happen a slight scratch and that was it she was in. £ml later and I found that drinking fluids didnt go down as smooth as I would have like- It felt like a pint of water in a funnel - going down but slowly so I had 1ml removed and all was fine

So its 3 days on liquids and then 3 days mush and then im off to Spain for 5 nights with the lads on a cycling holiday - should be fun. After my 3 days mushy when I start eating solids again it will be back to the smaller portions as I will have more restriction and that will be easy as my pouch will tell my brain that im full and continued gradual weight loss. I only want to lose another 20 lbs to take me to 13.5 stone but as I know it wont be coming back on again im comfortable in taking it easy and looking at the long game

This is a marathon and not a sprint but knowing Im not going to be starting a silly new faddy diet on 1 Jan next year as I have done for the last 20 years is putting a smile on my face already