Full Steam ahead

Well I obviously am not the best at keeping this thing updated. I guess that is ok because I am a useless bloke!!!

So I saw the surgeon on the 12th and it all went really well. Nothing special needs to be done and he is more than happy to perform the surgery.

I guess the only thing that I will be doing is optifast for a little while longer than most people.

I understand that the majority of people go on the optifast diet for about 2 weeks prior to the surgery but I have been asked to go on it for about 3-4 weeks beforehand.

I am not looking forward to this stage as I have been on that crap before and hated it. I always start off really good on it but then after a few weeks of it I get the shits and start avoiding it. I am sure I will go well this time as I know it is only for a month a the most, I can usually ensure that my will power will keep me going for that long.

So the surgery is set down now for the end of May, I have a few appointments I need to have before then with dieticians and psychologists etc.

I must admit that I have been very scared of the upcoming operation due to my size, but since meeting with the surgeon that fear has all but gone, he was very comforting.

I have completely lost the plot with my eating at the moment, I think I know in my head that I only have about a month of "normal" eating left before I go onto the optifast and then the surgery after that. It is worth nothing that my "normal" eating habits are obviously subjective to myself, they would be considered far from normal for a normal bloke off of the street.

I now need to organise my leave from work and arrange for some family to come into to town while I have the surgery, as none of my immediatley family live here they will travel over to stay with my wife and I so we have a support network during this time.

Not sure if I should be doing this or not but I am really spending a lot of time daydreaming about exactly what I will do when I am a more normal size, the list is long.

This will sound silly to most people but the thing I am looking forward to first and foremost is to go into the big mans store and buy clothes, there is nothing more depressing than only being able to by a few shirts for your waredrobe as the big mans store only stocks a few different shirts in my size, once I drop a few sizes the range of clothing really opens up (despite the fact that it is still a big mans store).

I guess my next real post will be next month when I start the optifast. Next month I will aim to list an accurate starting weight and measurements including clothing sizes etc.

Thanks to the couple of people that have posted, it is really cool to know that I have people following this, please feel free to contact me by leaving posts. Or send me a message if you would like my email address (I am not sure what the protocol is on this but I have read that I am not suppose to leave my email address posted as I think people use it for spam etc).

why "goodbye 525"

Sorry I forgot to mention in my first blog the reason behind the title.

Whilst I am currently 235kgs over the past 5 or so years my weight has jumped everywhere from 211kgs up to a staggering 252kgs, hence the goodbye 252.

In the beginning....

Well where do I start..

I am a 32 year old bloke who is and has been extremley overweight my whole life.

I have some much I need to say so I hope I cover it all and that I am not all over the shop with this first blog.

As a child I was always overweight but on the same token I was very active. I played sport all the way through school but of course played the type of sports that suited by body. Yes, I was front row (wearing reserve grade jerseys in under 14s) and was good at discus and shotput etc. Surprise surprise.

I am married to a very lovely lady who supports me in everything that I do.

I am a professional in a profession that allows me to have lots of long lunches and requires almost not physical activity at all. Great choice for someone like me.

Over the years my weight has increased more and more, in particular I think leaving home at about 18 was the real killer for me, I left and then all of a sudden I had no restrictions on my diet and boy did I take advantage of that.

My current weight is about 235kgs which I know is rediculous but it is what it is. Suprisingly I suffer no problems (that I am aware of) and have recently undergone a fairly comprehensive medical which showed everything is ok. I do however know this will not stay the case much longer.

I have toyed with the idea of getting a lap band for years, my uncle was banded about 2 years ago and he dropped from about 160kg to 85kgs. It was amazing and inspirational. He is a new man, not just physically but he is now outgoing and just more fun to be around.

I love life and enjoy it as much as possible however I am very aware that I am not living to my full potential and this is not fair on my Wife, family and mates.

Why am I doing this blog?

Well like most people I am scared about the operation so I decided to research it, in my research I came across lots of blogs which were awesome and informative. However the majority were by women who were often not that big (compared to me). I feel that this journey will be a little different for a man so I am lending my experiences out there for the blokes.

Dont get me wrong this is hard for me to do, I am your normal beer swilling bloke, I love my mates etc and I dont think I am in touch with my feminine side, I just need to do this as much for myself as for other blokes out there.

I hate being this big, it effects every aspect of my life, from travelling in a car to going out in public to having sex. I am embarassed almost everytime I am in public. I have never been to a concert at the entertainment centre because i am worried about the seats, I buy to tickets everytime I fly. I hate being in a crowed room or pub as I have to push people out of the way to get from one side to the other.

Beleive me I am sure I suffer the same insecurities that all the women in the blogs have...so now is the time for change.

I have been to see the surgeon's nurse and she has advised me that they have done this op on people the same size as me and bigger.

Moving forward....my appointment with surgeon is on 12 March 2009, I am hoping to get the go ahead from him. If I do I will be operated on in late May (it has already been booked).

I have told a few clients and mates, I have also told work and of course my family.

I have a million things I want to do in life and now is the time to get this sorted so I can acheive this, the least of which is having children.

I will update this blog after I see the surgeon, in the meantime please feel free to post any comments or pass this onto any blokes who are considering this procedure.

I want to stay anonyms at this stage as it is really hard for me to talk about these things, I am doing this blog for myself (as well as other blokes) even my wife doesnt know about it, this is just for me. I will try and post progress shots from time to time.