Blogging my journey from fat to fantastic begins here.
My current situation is this:
- 120kgs
- 48 years old
- Insulin Resistance (Metformin)
- Sleep Apnea (CPAP Machine 9 years)
- Depression (Zoloft)
- High blood pressure (Micardis)
My future with these stats is bleak to say the least. I am a sitting duck for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. I also have a family history for each of these.
Diet and exercise
Back in 2004 I won the Australian Men's Body for Life championship for my 12 week challenge. I went from 116.5kg down to 96.5kg and looked great. This I achieved with sweat, grit and determination. Since then the weight has crept back onto my bones such that I am now heavier than when I started. I mention this so that critics of weight loss surgery will realise that dealing with obesity is more than just hard work and will power. The only way with some people's genetic makeup to stay healthy is to live life like a nazi religiously and forever. Eating low carb and exercising 5+ times a week is not something I can maintain long term. This is also not a balanced diet and I started getting some gastrintestinal problems, the flatulence was wicked.
Thermodynamics
I read a book called "Why we get fat? And what to do about it", by Gary Taubes. He argues that it is not just the laws of thermodynamics (calories in vs calories burnt) at work in the case with obese people and weight loss. You don't need to be a genius to see the obese people eat too much and exercise too little. Does that mean they have lower willpower than other people that are slim? I know this is not true.
This is a simplistic and unscientific explanation that should be de-throned. Genetics is an obvious part of the equation but how does thermodynamics cater for genetics? it doesn't!
Environment
There are environment issues that make obesity a bigger problem in todays society. Our modern diet with the easy and cheap availability of processed foods, the advent of the motor car and the computer. All these makes sitting down and eating more, normal. My wife and children are slim, however my mother and brother are overweight, I haven't lived with my mother or brother for 30+ years so that is not my environment. I live with a slim family and have a healthy diet at home. I over eat at work and whenever I am not being watched. I have a supportive environment that I circumvent in order to consume more calories. Why do I do this?
Genetics
I inherited genes from my mother and father that give me my physical characteristics as well as some of my personality. In everyone's body are different sized organs, horse breeders apparently like horses with large hearts, because they can run faster longer. There is a region on the stomach that produces the hormone Grehlin. Some people have a larger or more active production of this hormone. This hormone regulates appetite. It is a little unfair to criticise someone's self control when you are not challenged with the same hormone levels.
Weight loss surgery
Some would argue that I am not fat enough to justify weight loss surgery. My argument is that I have lost and regained weight so many times through great effort that I have come to a point where I feel life should not be so hard if it is not so absolutely necessary. I view the weight loss surgery as a tool to help me reduce the amount of Grehlin in my system and thereby assist me to maintain the weightloss I achieve.
Several of my health concerns are potentially life limiting and all are certainly quality of life lowering. If I can afford surgical intervention to reduce those risk factors I feel I am obligated to do so for my family's sake at least. Even more so for my own enjoyment of my life.
I am seeing a few surgeons in the next week or so to gather information on which to make my decision. At this stage I feel gastric bypass surgery is the most suitable for my goals.
Thanks for joining me.
My most horrible fat photo, this is the shot that made me face the truth about my future.
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