About two weeks ago I saw a friend that I had not seen for about 2 years. He lives in San Diego, California, but he comes to the Philippines on a somewhat regular basis. Since I live in the Philippines, not far from the place where he usually goes, we usually try to see each other at least once if he is visiting.
Like I said, it had been about 2 years since we had seen each other, and when I saw him the first thing that I thought was that he has lost significant weight since we last saw each other. We talked about it, and he told me that he had undergone gastric bypass surgery. Now, I had strongly considered last November. I had done some research into it and found a doctor who was quite skilled and experienced in Manila. I had planned to fly up to Manila in January or February for the surgery. For some reason, I am not even sure why, I changed my mind and decided to wait. It was not a matter of deciding against it, but just felt it was not the right time. Now, I have nothing against gastric bypass, I think it is a good thing. However, I do believe strongly that if you can lose the weight without the surgery, that is preferable. I have been severely overweight for a long time, probably 25 years. I was moderately overweight before that, as long as I can remember. So, really I did not think that I could lose significant weight on my own. I have tried so many times, and have never been successful. But, I just felt that the time was not right, and now I understand why the time was not right. Because, I now feel that even if I had the surgery, I would not be any more successful in weight loss than I am today. For some reason, I just don’t have a desire to snack or indulge in food at every whim.
Anyway, in later posts, either today or this week I will talk about some of the things that my friend shared with me, ideas that apply to anybody who wants to lose weight, or even just be healthier.
Blood glucose after a 2 mile walk: 108
About MindanaoBob
good job, Bob!
hi,im dr. marlon lajo. im a cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon here in manila but i was born and raised in General Santos city. I’ve known your name years ago from the gensan website. but unfortunately i dont get the chance to see you. I regularly go back to gensan and davao every available vacation, christmas, … It’s only here(site) that i discovered that you are seriously facing a health problem. But the way i looked at it, you are winning the fight.
your determination to lose weight is awesome. Such perseverance will bring you to your goal. Just don’t forget to take your legitimate medicines. And of course, it should be coupled with the right diet.
I have nothing against bariatric surgery but it’s good that you did not push thru with it. It’s good also that you chose the tried-and-tested and safe management, (exercise, diet and right medicines)
Good luck Bob.
Dr. marlon
Check out this introduction article on Overweight:
http://www.articleworld.org/Overweight
Contents
* 1 Definition
* 2 Measurement
* 3 Health
* 4 Cause
* 5 Treatment
Hi,
Came across your blog from another site — can’t quite remember which, but on the topic of gastric bypass. I do commend you on not going for it. You see it’s a quick fix. People (like us) who are overweight should only consider this if our lives are in danger (well, yes — our lives are in danger due to the complications associated with weight around the middle). However we need to look at lifestyle changes. This is what I strongly advocate on my blog http://www.lose-weight-feel-great.com and the corresponding “static” site http://www.lose-weight-n-feel-great.com.
Looking at your pictures, you’ve made GREAT progress in losing weight. I was in the same boat. Just over 380lbs (actually don’t even know because the scale didn’t go that high) and am down to 303lbs. It took me one year to lose it, but I’ve gained about 30lbs back as I took time off to be with my wife and young son… so at my low point I was down to 280.
Here is to Your Health,
Regards,
Mohammed
Hi Mohammad – congratulations to you on your weight loss! As I type this I am on a trip that I took to a relatively remote destination. I did a lot of thinking on the trip. In the place where I was, food is not easily available, it’s something that you get for meals, and not a bunch of snacks and stuff. Also, i ate seafood almost exclusively. It is a healthy diet, and one that did not leave my hungry all the time either. Because of this trip, I think I will make some additional changes in my diet.