So, it’s finally happening: on Thursday, I will be under anesthesia and will have a medical procedure to remove excess skin from my waist, to remove some fatty tissue that has been reluctant to go away after 6 years, and to have my stomach muscles sewn back together after splitting when my stomach was at it’s largest (when I weighed over 320 lbs, also known as a “Tummy tuck”).
I’m a little nervous. The surgery itself won’t hurt; I’ll be under anesthesia. But the recovery will be long (six weeks) and there will be tubes hanging out of my body to drain excess fluid while I recover.
Tubes.
I’ve written in the past about why I’m doing this. It’s not something I’m doing for purely cosmetic reasons, but I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t part of the reason. It is not, however, a procedure done to shortcut any process. To the contrary, it’s because I haven’t used any shortcuts that I’m being forced to have this procedure done. The pain I have while running due to the excess skin is keeping me from taking my fitness to the next level. It is also hurting my self-esteem.
So, this blog will be centered around the procedure and my recovery. I will post before and after photos as well as photos of my recovery. My goal is to document the process for anyone who is interested in the same procedure.
In the meantime, Sherry and I are starting a Whole30. Again. It’s time for both of us. I’ve been eating foods I shouldn’t be eating, and I don’t want to let these bad habits turn into a permanent thing. I’m still very invested in my healthy lifestyle, but truth be told, it’s been tough to get back into exercise and weightlifting after graduating WOCS two weeks ago knowing that I’d have to quit for six weeks while I recover from the upcoming surgery. So, I not only stopped working out, but I’ve had some questionable foods here and there. That all ended yesterday.
So, Whole30 and surgery. Let’s see if it pays off.
As I get older, I learn more about myself all the time. One of the greatest and most difficult challenges I’ve faced and overcome in my adult life has been getting through the Texas ARNG/RTI Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) which consisted of a two and a half day drill once every month for five months and culmimating in a two-week stint at Fort McClellan in Alabama. I would argue that the reserve component WOCS is more difficult than the active duty school.
This photo was taken about an hour before we graduated WOCS. The extra skin around my waist is even visible while wearing the Army Combat Uniform (ACU’s). I can’t wait for it to be gone.
Instead of attending for five weeks straight, we drill once a month for five months. While that seems like it’d be easier, in fact, it’s the opposite. Once you’re done with drill, you spend the next 3-4 weeks mentally preparing, agonizing over every mistake you made and going through mental checklists to ensure you don’t repeat those mistakes. Then there’s the PT; you have to stay on top of your physical fitness for those five months, getting ready for the next physical hurdle. At age 53, this was pretty tough. While I exercise 5-6 days a week normally, I had to increase the intensity and push myself to meet specific goals. One of these goals was to be able to get through a 6.2 mile foot march carrying over 50 lbs of gear (heck, it was nearly 60 lbs when you consider the unslung rifle and my helmet) within a 17-minute per mile pace. This was no small task for someone who’s been around the sun 12 more times than the next youngest candidate in the class.
So, for me, it felt like I was at WOCS for six months. During that entire time, I lived, breathed, and even dreamt of WOCS. After I graduated and came home, I found myself somewhat lost emotionally. I didn’t have the next exam to study for, or the next physical test to work toward. I wasn’t having to push myself to the next goal. It felt great to not have the anxiety of the next weekend of WOCS, but it also felt strange. WOCS had been such a huge part of my life, and now it’s over.
The next chapter for me is quickly approaching, but this time, the preparation is 99% mental. There’s nothing much I can do to prepare other than to steel my mind to the discomfort and, literally, the pain I’ll be enduring. In a week and a half, I will undergo a surgical procedure to remove excess skin around my waist.
It’s a decision I wrote about in a previous post, and not one I came to easily or lightly. I considered it for a long time, and initially, I dismissed the idea. I didn’t feel vanity alone would justify the expense or the pain. But, as time went by, I found myself not only getting depressed at my body not rewarding me with the results I wanted to see after 6 years of hard work, but a new problem emerged: physical pain from the extra skin beating up against my kidneys when I run. This is something I never expected, but when it happened, I realized that this wasn’t something I could put off.
When I run, the extra skin at the sides of my body (but more toward my back) flap up and down and hit me. The result is that after a run exceeding 3 miles (which is pretty common for me), I feel like I’ve been kidney punched in both kidneys. It is quite painful, and it keeps me from being able to run as long or as hard as I’d like (and, frankly, as I need). This last reason was the last straw and led me to finally consider the procedure.
I had my pre-op appointment with my nurse this past week, and I will be honest by saying that there were a lot of things discussed that were unsavory. The pain, the recovery, but more specifically, the two tubes that will be placed into my body for draining fluid that my body will produce during the healing process. These tubes will need to be emptied daily, and I will need to log the amount of fluid my body produces. They say that it shouldn’t be too painful, but my skeptical brain says, “That’s exactly what they’d say to someone about to go through a procedure.”
Sigh.
However, everything I hear from people who have gone through this process is positive. Is it painful? Yes. Will there be discomfort for a period of time following the surgery? Of course. But in the end, is it worth it? Absoultely. I look forward to losing the 4″ from my waist in excess skin, in losing the 10-12 lbs of excess weight, and actually feeling good when I run. That I will look better in clothing, and especially in my military uniforms, is a definite bonus.
I will document my process as much as I’m able. I will provide photos before, during, and after, and hope to be a source of information for those considering the same procedure. I will be honest with my experience and will do my best to be forthright without hyperbole. As a man, I might overstate the pain, and for that, I apologize in advance. Any mother/wife will know what I’m talking about here.
Making silly faces at the DEERS office.
So, it’s on to the next chapter for me; from getting through one of the most challenging chapters in my life to a physical transformation. It’s going to be interesting, for sure, and I definitely look forward to looking back two months from now. It’s just the next two months I need to get through. I guess I should tell myself that it’s not WOCS all over again.
I’ve been absent here for a while, because I was in military training that kept me from posting. More specifically, I didn’t have access to the Internet, or my mobile phone. I was attending Warrant Officer Candidate School Phase II at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and to say I was otherwise engaged would be an understatement.
Me in my Army Dress Blues with my Officer’s Saber as presented to me by my wife.
It was physically and mentally grueling and exhausting, and emotionally it pushed me to limits I didn’t know I had. In the end, I made it through the worst parts and ended up being appointed a Warrant Officer in the Army National Guard.
Moments after being “Pinned” as a Warrant Officer.
All the physical activity I did before attending paid off; physically, WOCS Phase II was easy for me. I did sustain a pulled groin, but that was actually due to a reduction in the intensity of exercise as compared to my pre-WOCS routine. Ironic; I over-prepared, in some ways.
PT at 0500 daily. Good times.
From a nutrition standpoint, the food was generally more carb-heavy than my usual diet, but the increased physical activity (we walked about 6 miles a day at a quick pace marching to and from classes) and the physical training coupled with my portion control and healthy choices kept my weight stable.
The food was actually very good and these ladies were often the only bright spot in our days.
As of last Friday, I’m a Warrant Officer; a technical expert, trainer, mentor, and combat leader. We integrate technologies and create dynamic teams of soldiers. We are given challenging assignments and we utilize education and training to stay on top of our profession (this is all paraphrasing the official Warrant Officer Definition). I look forward to this new chapter in my life and military career, and I can honestly say that the challenge and difficulty of becoming a Warrant Officer makes the accomplishment that much more special.
I cut my hair this morning in preparation for WOCS. No, it’s not quite Peaky Blinders. But close.
I will be attending Phase II of Warrant Officer Candidate School starting this coming weekend. I will be there for two weeks. The school, known to us as WOCS, is heavily academic with exams, land navigation, and daily physical training.
Me with my bike and my 4Runner at the park.
Last Tuesday, I had a crash on my mountain bike and hurt my shoulder which took me out of all exercise since then. I was going to try to run and skip the weightlifting, but even running brought out the shoulder pain. Fortunately, as of this morning, the pain is gone. I feel that I will be able to exercise and perform all the PT that the school requires of me.
I’m both looking forward to the school and slightly dreading it. I know that it will be challenging, and I know I’m up to face the challenge, but I also know that there will be certain aspects of it that are not fun. There will certainly be mass corrective actions and there will be some adjustment pains for the first 2-3 days.
If all goes well, I will be a Warrant Officer by the beginning of May. That is the goal, and that’s what I’m working towards. I am excited to finally be near the end of this six-month long journey, and I will certainly be more excited when I’m actually done.
As long as my body can hold up for the day-after-day PT and I can pass my exams and land navigation, I’m golden.
So, even though I’ve been a bit sparse on the blog here lately, for the next two weeks, I will be completely “Out of pocket,” as they say. I will surely update here once I return, and I look forward to having some interesting experiences to share then.
I know many people put off exercise because they don’t like the gym, don’t like lifting weights, don’t like running, or don’t want to do anything that has no real purpose other than fitness. Well, the good news is there are a lot of things that you can do that require physical exertion that can be fun!
I recently took up bike riding again. I was an avid cyclist as a teenager, often riding more than 100 miles per week. I stopped riding bicycles when I joined the Marines, and only dabbled with bikes here and there over the past 30 years. Recently, I decided I really wanted to get back into riding bikes, only this time, it was mountain biking and off-road trail riding that interested me. After riding my old Raleigh mountain bike enough that parts were falling off of it, I bought a much nicer Scott Scale 940 mountain bike.
I recently found a series of trails very close to my home that were made specifically for mountain biking. I have been on the trail twice in the past three days, and I look forward to adding this new activity to my weekly fitness routine.
My latest trip to the bike park in video.
This weekend, I will also be kayaking with my wife. This is another activity we both love, and is very physically intensive. The best part about kayaking is it’s one of those activites that can be as demanding or as easy as you like, and it’s also a great upper-body workout.
Sherry and I at Lake Raven a few months ago.
I am fortunate in that I enjoy weightlifting, sometimes enjoy running, always enjoy riding bikes and kayaking, and generally like hiking. But I know not everyone is like me, and while I might love riding bikes, others might not. The point is that there are many activities you can find that will get your heart pumping and help you on your journey to get healthy. I found my happy activities; now, go out and find yours!
Two weeks ago, I completed one of the most gruelling physical tests I’ve endured in my life as a part of my Warrant Officer Candidate School; a 6.2 mile (10km) foot march (aka ruck march) within an hour and 45 minutes with a rucksack weighing 50 lbs (23kg), a helmet weighing 3 lbs (1.36kg), a hydration system (aka Camelback) weighing 4.4 lbs (2kg), and an unslung dummy M4 rifle weighing 7.75 lbs (3.52kg). Altogether, this had me carrying over 65 lbs (29.5kg) for the entire foot march.
Coming into the finish line after 6.2 miles (10km).
The first mile wasn’t bad at all. I’ve done 2, 3.1, and 4 mile versions of this foot march, and none of them were overly challenging. Miles 2 and 3 were also fine, but I did notice a lot of sweating as it was humid out. Mile 4 and 5 had me slowing down a bit, but I was still making good time. Then came mile 6. This is where all the gains I made in the first 5 miles were being cashed in as my pace slowed considerably. Mile 6 is where success or failure happens, and I willed myself to keep pushing despite the exhaustion. My legs didn’t hurt, nor was I winded, but I was exhausted. My energy was gone.
I did have some high-carb gummies to eat, courtesy of my classmate Lauren, but near the end, I was out of snacks and out of energy. What got me through was sheer willpower. In the end, I made it with just over four minutes to spare, and that was enough to pass the event.
Shortly after passing the finish line, I was happy to be successful and finished.
At age 53, this was pretty tough. I’d done road marches in the past when I was younger, and they were never this hard on me. The last 10km foot march I did was in August 2019, and while I was worn out at the end, I don’t recall the last mile being as gruelling as this last one was. However, I will say that my legs felt much better this time than the last 10km foot march I did. I’ve been lifting weights and running longer distances coupled with mountain biking, so that extra strength in my legs helped me with my shuffle-run/fast walk in the first three miles which gave me the cushion I needed for my slow last mile.
My class and I after we all successfully completed the foot march.
I spoke with a few senior Chief Warrant Officers after completing this event, and as they were close to my age (all younger with one exception), they all remarked that they would have difficulty completing the 10km foot march the way I did. That made me feel good, and reinforced all the good habits I’ve undertaken these past 5 years. Good food and good exercise pays off.
My Warrant Officer Candidate School class and I at the placement of our “Class Rock” in the WOCS Rock Garden upon completion of Phase I.
I hear this one all the time. I see it in memes, I hear it from people who question why I workout all the time, and if I’m being honest, I used to say it, too. While it’s true that we’re all gonna die, there’s no reason for us to give up and live a life of discomfort and poor health. Then, there’s also the fact that when you’re in good shape, you can do amazing things without hurting yourself. Case in point: I had to do a 4-mile foot march with a 55 lbs rucksack on my back within 17 minutes/mile. I completed it with a pace of 14:22/mile.
In less than two weeks, I have to do another of these foot marches for 6.2 miles. It’s hard, it’s somewhat painful, but do you know what? I know I can do it. I’m confident that I can meet the time hack required to complete this requirement. How do I know this? Because I prepare through lots of training.
Not all of us are in the military, but there’s a lot out there to enjoy: biking, hiking, kayaking, walking long distances, zip-lining, camping, to name a few (all things I’ve been able to do since losing weight and getting fit). Heck, just normal day-to-day living is easier when you’re fit. Going upstairs no longer wind me. Working on projects in the house no longer leave me sore for days. Lifting a 25 lbs bag of pellets for my smoker is no longer difficult.
Do I miss eating without a care in the world for my health? In a weird way, there was a definite feeling of freedom when I was able to eat as much of anything I wanted to. Since I loved not only the taste of food, but eating large quantities of it, I was not unhappy while eating. But the problem was when I wasn’t eating; everything else was difficult. EVERYTHING. When it got to the point that I could no longer tie my own shoes without holding my breath, I knew something had to change.
We are all going to die, but I’m not going to spend my life waiting around for that day in discomfort. I am going to do everything I can to make sure I stay as fit and as healthy as I possibly can. I have far too many adventures left to exerience, and I want to ensure that the time I have left on this Earth with my wife are as fun and fulfilling as possible.
Yesterday, I woke up tired. I went to bed too late (to be fair, I was up late supporting my daughter’s Twitch channel) and as a result, I woke up with only about 6 hours of sleep. For some people, that’s the norm, but I try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. The sweet spot for me at my age seems to be about 7.5 hours; if I can get that, I feel rested and can operate at my full potential the following day. More than 8.5 hours? I actually feel sluggish. Less than 7? I feel tired all day.
A frame from a video captured during my bike ride yesterday.
Yesterday happened to be my mid-week workout day which means StrongLifts 5×5 normally followed by a 4-mile run. However, since I have a 4 mile ruck with 48 lbs pack on Friday, I decided to do the normal weightlifting followed by a 30 minute mountain bike ride. It was either the bike ride or a slow 3 mile run, but I opted for the bike ride since it’s less impact and works slightly different muscles (but mostly the same leg muscles, just in different ways). What I noticed immediately when I got into my home gym was my lack of motivation and lack of energy.
Thanks to a TAC Officer at WOCS, I learned about eating half a banana before a workout to help with energy during training and then eating the other half afterward to help with recovery. The impact that little tip has made has been great. However, since I didn’t get enough sleep, my body was already tired and not fully up for the tasks at hand. Case in point: my pull-ups. I always start my gym sessions with pull-ups, and I’ve worked myself up to between 5 and 7 from 0 just four months ago. My goal is 20 dead hangs, and I have a LONG way to go, but that’s my goal. Yesterday, I could only muster 4 with an ugly not-quite-there 5th. I fell from the bar disgusted but I realized very quickly that it was not only my fault, but that the workout was going to be difficult. I’d have to dig deeper than normal just to get through.
The squats were okay. I only raise my weights by 5 lbs every third workout, so it was my second workout at 185 lbs, and I was okay with them. The bench press, on the other hand, is another story. For those, I’m at 155 lbs, and that recently went up by 5 lbs and the difference that 5 lbs made was surprising. On top of that, the lack of energy from being tired really made the last two sets difficult. The final 2 reps of the last set were probably the hardest I’ve had since I’ve started weightlifting. The final exercise was the barbell row at 110 lbs. Normally, I can do these with nice form and without too much difficulty, but yesterday, they felt sloppy, difficult, and those 110 lbs felt more like 125 lbs. It was super difficult.
I also do bare-bar curls at the end of each session to help with my biceps. I’m not looking to make them super-strong or anything, but I want them to have some definition. I’m up to 20 reps on those with a goal of reaching 100. Again, I’m not trying to get arms like Arnold; I just want them to look leaner with a little bit of a gaster. The curls went okay until the last three where I felt completely out of gas.
The only time I ever used gloves during lifting was here. I won’t do it again; I prefer the bare bar.
I then took a little break between the lifting and the biking. Okay, not really a break, but it took some time to get on my biking shorts, riding shoes, gloves, helmet, and to get the equipment on the bike set. Once I got outside, I set out for a 30 minute bike ride through some trails and then on the road. My goal pace was 15 mph, but between the strong headwinds and the lack of energy, my average turned out to be closer to 13 mph. After the workout, I felt completely spent, but my legs were happy, and I didn’t incur any injuries.
That last point is the most important, because looking back on past injuries, there was always one thing in common on the days I became injured; I didn’t have enough sleep the night before. When you’re tired and lack energy, you look to cheats to complete lifts you can otherwise complete when fully rested. During one warm-up rep, I realized I had cheated during a squat by leaning forward as I came up. This is a BIG no-no in squats because you can pull a lower back muscle or get muscle spasms. I felt the different muscles being used and immediately made sure to correct my form. I then made sure through every rep of every set that my form was, first and foremost, proper. I would be okay with not being able to complete a set; I would not be okay with getting injured trying to complete a set.
Yesterday, I dodged a bullet and didn’t get hurt, but the amount of energy it took out of me was huge. I plopped down on the couch yesterday after dinner and wasn’t able to help my wife clean up after dinner. I was just too wiped out. I also went to bed very early to catch up on my sleep. This morning, I do feel much better; I wish I’d have felt this way yesterday!
I’ve mentioned in the past how important sleep is for weight loss. Without proper rest, you are much more likely to reach a plateau and stay there until you can get enough sleep, as your body drops most of its weight while you sleep. While I’m not particularly worried about losing weight right now, I am interested in continuing to make progress with my strength and cardio, and without enough sleep, I risk making any progress there, as well. So, I’m making an effort to ensure I get at least 7.5-8 hours of sleep a night.
Get that rest. I know many people say they just don’t have time for it, but trust me; you do. YOU own your schedule, and YOU need to make sleep a priority. It makes not only exercise and weight loss easier, but it makes functioning during the day easier, helps emotionally, and your productivity will rise. You can do more in less time with more sleep which then negates the need to skimp on the sack time (for those who aren’t aware, “The Sack” is what we call a bed in the Marines). Hit the sack every night for at least 7 hours. Try for 8 or more if that makes you feel more rested. Some will need more; some will need less. Find out what the right number is for you, and strive to hit that every night. The quality of life you get from a good night’s rest is not to be underestimated.
We all fall down. Whether it’s literally falling down on a run or figuratively by falling off a diet or falling behind on a workout plan. Everyone falls. I fall all the time. But what I would rather be defined by is not how often I fall, but how I keep getting back up. It’s all about resilience.
Resting between sets. Sometimes, it’s tempting to just stop, but I never do.
In the Army, we have resilience training every year. Why? Because the Army feels that it’s important for us to receive continuous training on how to deal mentally and emotionally with the challenges of not only our garrison work, but of combat. How a person frames their ability to get past obstacles defines the result. An example of this is how you think you will do on a strength test. If you think you can’t do it going in, it’s likely you won’t be able to. On the other hand, pumping yourself up, psyching yourself up for a big lift makes it much more likely you can succeed.
I tried losing weight many times in my life before I was finally met with success through Whole30 and the Paleo Diet. Each time prior, I was always doubtful of either the program’s efficacy or my ability to follow through. As a result, I wasn’t as disciplined and I failed over and over again. Somehow, I tried one last time, but the difference this time was that I went into it with determination and a better mindset. I possessed pure determination to succeed. I told myself I would not fail, and I didn’t. I told myself I could not have cheat meals, cheat days, or succomb to temptation (or what I call sabotage), and I didn’t. I decided what my reality would be, and it came true.
This is a really powerful mindhack. Heck, it’s a lifehack. You can create your own reality by telling yourself that you will accept nothing else but your goal, and that you will do whatever it takes to get there. You’ll take however much time it takes to get there, but you will get there. Nobody can do the work for you; it’s all on your shoulders. There will be people who try to derail you or talk you out of the hard work; Don’t let them. You can create the best version of yourself you can, and you do that by believing in yourself, in your ability to get the work done, and your ability to dust yourself off and to get back up when you do fall.
You get to decide your future. Is it sedentary or active? Adventurous or safe? Are you going to sit on the couch and eat chips or are you going to take the time to make healthy food that your body will use as fuel to live your best life? It’s all about choices, and they’re all in your power to make. Sure, it requires resilience to reach a goal, but you can do this. We’ve all fallen down before. Just remember to keep getting back up.
Sherry and me after our ride yesterday. Some light rain showed up at the end.
After I lost 110 lbs and got back into fitness, the first thing I did was push-ups and walking. Eventually, that walking turned into jogging which turned into running, but I never really had fun with it. I wanted to do something physical that was both good for my health and fun. That’s when I remembered I had a mountain bike in the garage.
I used to love riding bicycles as a kid, and something I tried (unsuccessfully) in the past to lose weight and get fit was to ride a bike. At my heaviest (328 lbs), I would get on the bike and ride around the neighborhood. With my poor health and lack of fitness, I was only able to ride for 10-15 minutes at a time each day, but I tried. I worked hard and got my stamina up to about 20 minutes, but after each ride, I felt wiped out. Eventually, I quit riding because I never saw any weight loss and had nothing but soreness and defeat to show for it.
After I lost 150 lbs, I began thinking about mountain biking again. I used to love it so much as a kid that I figured I’d enjoy it again. I was right; I loved it! Also, my experience at 175 lbs was MUCH different than at 328 lbs. I was able to pedal with ease, I could make tight turns and slow ascents with ease, and since I was already running, my legs were in better shape and I had the stamina to go for an hour or longer.
I had used the same old Raleigh mountain bike for over a decade, and the old bike has served me well, but the deraileurs were showing their age and often jamming. The chain was getting close to needing a replacement, and I had lost a cover from my forks which allowed contaminants to enter the chamber. While it’s technically ridable, it’s a failure waiting to happen on a trail. So, I decided to get a new bike.
Right now, due to COVID-19, there are few bikes to be found in bike stores. I had initially wanted to get a TREK bicycle, but I couldn’t find any with a medium frame anywhere local. Heck, I couldn’t find the one I wanted anywhere online, either. So, I went to a local bike shop (where we bought the last 7 bikes we’ve owned from) and while they didn’t have the bike I was looking for, they did have one that would fit the bill. It was a little beyond what I wanted to spend on a bike, but in the end, I decided that since I tend to keep them for a long time, I would splurge.
My bike, the Gunship, and me after my ride yesterday.
I ended up getting the 2021 Scott Scale 940. It’s a carbon framed bike with lots of nice features, and I really like how it rides. There are two things I am going to change on it; I will be changing out the pedals later today (I dislike the metal pedals the shop put on them for free) and I will get a retractable seat post so I can lower the seat when doing aggressive biking and then release it back to the “Up” position for seated biking.
What I’m really planning to do with the new bike is to go out on my non-running days to build up more cardio and for a more relaxed leg workout between my standard StrongLifts/running days that has less impact on my joints. I need to build my stamina up for my two-week training coming up in April for Warrant Officer Candidate School where we will exercise every day.
I’m fortunate that Sherry is being a good sport and rolling along with me. She’s not been a huge fan of riding bikes, but as she learns more, she tells me that it’s getting more comfortable for her. I hope she can learn to enjoy it like I do some day. I really enjoy taking our bikes with us on our Overlanding trips and having another activity available to us that not only gets us some exercise, but allows us to get out and about without having to pack up the entire vehicle.
Now that I’m fit, I enjoy breaking up my runs and weightlifting with bike riding. I love kayaking, but that’s harder to do easily from home, so bike riding it is. Try to find something you enjoy that is physical to help you get and stay fit. Losing weight starts in the kitchen, but keeping fit happens in the gym and on the road. Whether it’s bike riding, kayaking, hiking, rollerblading, or rucking, find something you can enjoy to keep you active and it won’t feel like exercise. You’ll just be having fun with benefits.
Paleo Marine 