Andrew L.

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I Took my daughter with me to deer camp this weekend, she is my good luck charm. Shot one of these pests on the way there.         It was getting late with about 30min of light left so we headed straight to the blind first. We were there about 15 min when some doe's came in while looking up the hill the whole time. I told my daughter there was something else coming in. Well, I was right and ready!    This year, I situate the blind in a slightly different location at the edge of a water hole my Dad and I have been hunting for years.  The new location has better all day shade and I feel works better for how the deer come to water.  There is a small cedar tree on one side and I cut a small shooting window through it for my blind.  We put my Dad's blind up for both of us to hunt out of and it is much bigger, I didn't take that into account.  The buck came in that one spot that was a tight shooting window.  He had his head down drinking slightly quartering to us but it was a dream shot at 20 yards.  When I shot, I saw my arrow kick left and I instantly got sick to my stomach!  I said oh know about the time the arrow struck the buck in the left eye and buried to the fletching with the remainder of the arrow exiting the buck's neck.  We watched him run off and waited replaying the shot over and over whit my daughter. My little girl kept consoling me which was sweet but I knew it was a horrible shot and the odds of recovery were slim.  When we exited the blind it was dark but with the flashlights we started to see exceedingly good blood in about 20 yards and after about 30 yards I knew I had hit a major neck artery. We went to camp and called a buddy who was sitting in my ladder stand a few miles away.   It took him about 30min to navigate the rough roads to camp so we waited and the three of us went back to track.  We quickly found the spot where we stopped tracking and basically walked to the buck from there, I didn't post all the blood trail but it was substantial and you could see pools where he had coughed blood up.  Horrible shot but it turned out in our favor this time.                What an awesome day to share with my daughter and best friend who had a kidney transplant exactly one year ago today!      This buck was taken in Keno unit and is likely a benchleg hybrid but sure has a lot of Blactail characteristics.     I was shooting a Hoyt Vortec set at 75lb with 340 spined ICS Hunters, 125gr Rocky Mountain Ironheads sharpened by me(they don't get much better! :) ) arrow weight at 475gr traveling around 275fps.   On a side note, my daughter and I were laughing and joking about the number 13 associated with this buck.  The year is 2013, she is 13 years old, I have been hunting with this bow for 13 years, this was the 13th day of deer hunting for me this year and the deer was shot on Friday the 13th. :)   Thanks everybody for the well wishes for my buddy, it was a heck of a way to celebrate 1 year on a new kidney and a new lease on life.  It is two years sense I initially weighed in with my Bariatric Surgeon's office to start my journey.  I am 150lb lighter than I was then and enjoying life...more good things to come.

There is an area about 20min from town that I hunted and fished with my Dad when I was younger. I know the area well and enjoy kicking around those parts. At a recent local trail group meeting, I saw some maps of the area with single track trails marked out between and including some old logging roads. They did not have a lot of information but talked about how good the system was. Being that I know the area, I buddy and I set out to find this new trail system and enjoy the day.

A few pictures from where we parked.




Up and over the mountain we went....I sure don't remember that can 4 climb on the quads. I took a few shots from the other side of the mountain.





We checked out a bunch of side trails that we know go to the water edge looking for these "trails". We took a break at a great spot on the water.




Mike looking thinking about a nap.



More shots along the way.




At about 10mi in I was hearing a noise from my rear end and feared my rear floating hub was acting up. We decided to head back to the truck and abandon the trail search. I stopped by the LBS on the way home and asked the manager about the trails and had him look at my bike. He laughed and said there was the first scheduled work party in a couple weeks to start cutting those trails in. Apparently I was told a story about the trail system to be...we had fun anyways.

On a side note, I am absolutely in love with this Heckler...great bike and it climbs like a goat compared to my VTone that it replaced.

My buddy made a comment when were were stopped by the lake, he stated that I was getting healthier by the day and it is frustrating that he can not keep up with me.  We were comparing our gps times on the climbs and I was beating him on the climbs by 5 to 10 min each time....he is now very motivated to get in better shape.  I helped him get myfitness pal and endomomdo set up so he has a place to start.  I feel great, more good things to come.

So, I did not post my one year update so I will lump these two blog posts together.

 

 

 

 

I had my one year checkup just shy of my anniversary and I have nothing but good things to report. :) At my checkup the Doctor was extremely pleased with my progress!  At the start of my insurance required 6 month monitoring period, my stats were as follows.

September 2011

Height = 6'0"

Weight = 358.5

Lean Body Mass = 189.6

Body fat mass = 168.9

BMI = 49

Body Fat % = 47.1

Pants Waist = 52

Shirt Size = 2-3xl

At my check up in April 2012 my stats are as follows

Height = 6'0"

Weight = 234.6

Lean Body Mass = 181.7

Body fat mass = 52.9

BMI = 31.8

Body Fat % = 22.5

Pants Waist = 36

Shirt size = L-XL

So, the Doctor keep reiterating how pleased she was that I lost 117lb of fat mass and only lost 7.9lb of muscle mass. Not to mention my blood work came back perfect, off blood pressure meds, no sleep apnea, back and knee pain is greatly reduced, and I can shop for cloths at any store .....I'll take that. :)

 

I talked with my insurance agent in March to see if I can adjust my life insurance policy.  At the time, my work's life insurance would not cover me due to my high weight and co-morbidities so I purchased a policy on my own. He stated that after one year post surgery to come in and we can take a look at the policy and get me a better rate.  The nurse came by for the health screening and was amazed by my stats.  

Pre surgery

Highest Weight = 370

Blood pressure = 158/98 which is why I was on medication....not good

Resting heart rate = 82 Also not good

13 Months Post OP

Weight = 222

Blood Pressure = 118/75

Resting Heart Rate = 48

I am completely off meds and the nurse was very pleased with those numbers.  According to my new BMI, I am no longer obese...just overweight. :) She asked if I was a runner and I stated I ride my Mountain Bike a couple times a week as well as Wrestling and BJJ....she said it shows. :)

All in all things are going great.  I am continuing to loose but really am hoping I level off around 215-220lb.  I am incorporating more food and trying to learn to maintain as opposed to loosing.  Thanks all for the support so far on this journey....more to come.

I have trained in the Martial Arts most of my life starting in Japanese Jiu Jitsu when in middle school.  I began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the year of 1993, just out of high school.  That year I had to drive 250+ miles one way to Portland, OR to the closest BJJ gym and train.  Needless to say I could not support those trips for long and have been inconsistent with my BJJ training.

 A few years ago I met Randy Stacy when he transferred to the local Air Base, he teamed up with one of the local schools and the built a grappling room for us to train.  I started training BJJ consistently in the year of 2010 but due to my size I did not progress as I should have.  In 2011 I took time off to prepare for surgery and to follow my prescribed 6 month monitoring period.  Surgery happened in April 2012 and I took nearly 4 months to fully heal, once the doc gave me the all clear I was back on the mat!!

BJJ has been vital to my success, the guys push me daily and have wooped, armbared, and choked me into shape.  This past week, I was awarded my blue belt in BJJ which is an accomplishment 20 years in the making.

Below are a few pics of my progress and weight loss.  

With my weight loss, I have grown so much on and off the mat....it is amazing how much differently I can move between being 370lb and now at 230lb.

Don't give up, you can achieve your goals....now I am confident my Purple belt won't take as long.....we will see in a few years. :)

 

I took my daughter for her first skiing trip on Friday to celebrate hitting my goal weight.  The snow started out frozen and tough in the am but the afternoon it was about perfect.  We both ended up with sunburns and good memories.....and being a couple days before they close for the season and on a week day we just about had the place to ourselves.  There were maybe a total of 40 people on the mountain and on the steeper runs I had them to myself.....good stuff.  At one point she wanted to rest in the lodge so I made a few quick runs, two runs each on two separate lifts and I was the only one there...crazy.

 

I could not have though of a better way to spend the day, finally able to show her how to do one of my favorite activities.  She is going to be a good ski buddy for years to come. Her smile pretty much sums up the day.

 

 

Well yesterday I weighed in and the scale read 229.8lb!!!!  I thought that was great but decided to wait until today and try it again before officially calling my goal reached.  Well, this morning the scale read 229.4 so I say it is official.  Below are my stats.

Height = 6'0"

Highest = 370 (6/2011)

At time of 6mo monitoring = 358 (9/2011)

Day of surgery = 328.8 (4/12/2012)

Current = 229.4

So, I am just under one year out and have reached my goal weight that was expected to happen at 18 months.  At my last doctor visit I had only lost 5lb of muscle from when I started so the doc was very pleased.  I can tell you this journey has been very positive, not only in my life but in my families as well.  I have gotten back to some of the activities I loved when I was younger and honestly feel I do some, if not all, of them better now.  

During this journey I have reevaluated my goal weight and feel that somewhere between 210 and 220 would be a very good place for me to end up.  My sights are now set on 215!

I did have a difficult time in the beginning and it really took me 6 months to fully heal up, relearn how to eat and to get my energy back.  I started working out at the 2 month mark but felt exhausted for the most part.  I really was having second thoughts and wondering what the hell I did to myself but that soon passed.  Around the 6 month mark I stopped loosing and plateaued for almost two months which was very frustrating, the doc and nut kept reassuring me to stay the course and it too passed.  My weight loss has been a series of plateaus and drops, usually it would run in a 2 week cycle but most always I say a net loss throughout the month.  From the first if this year to now I have only lost around 15lb but the weather has kept me from mountain biking which contributed to some of my losses.  I stayed very active with wrestling and BJJ throughout the winter but missed the bike.  

I quit attending support groups around the first of this year.  For me it was an 80mi drive to listen to a group of folks talk about ways they can cheat and how to eat foods they are not supposed to.  I tried to give valuable input to new folks but was always over run by those giving, in my opinion, bad advice.  I have found this site as well as some Facebook groups to be a great resource and highly recommend others seek them out if you have questions.

My advice to those thinking about surgery or that are currently struggling is to stay the course.  You have the tools and have been giving the knowledge to be successful all you need is the will to see it through.

I thought I would share a few pics of my progress to date....enjoy.

Pre surgery

A work in progress

Reaching a goal - My XL shirt and 38 waist pants are getting too big...bring on the large!!!!

Thanks all for the time and support....more to come.

Andrew

 

I can't tell you how long it has been sense I was able to go downhill skiing and spend all day on the mountain.  One of my Jiu Jitsu training partners asked if I wanted to hit the slopes so I thought about it and said why not.  I dug all my gear out of the garage and my ski parka out of the back of the closet(yeah it crazy big on me now)man was that stuff dusty. He had a pair of show pants for me to borrow and I had all the gear I needed.  I did not sleep a wink the night before, it has been far too long!

Heading up for the first run of the day

My partner in crime

My jacket is way to big on me now....I could not zip this up when I started my journey last year.

Coming down the mountain

I still have it. :)

http://youtu.be/cVtjGHrwv6

(copy and past into a new tab)

You get the strangest looks from people when you pass the while skiing up hill. :)

My buddy after taking a hard spill....trying to clear a triple jump his board toed into the face of a jump and cartwheeld him on his ass....I tried to get a video but was out of frame...it was an epic crash. :)

I could not have asked for a better day, I even came home with a sunburn....can't beat that!!!  This is the first time in almost 12 years I have gone skiing...hard all day long and feel great.  I am loving my journey and all the activities it has allowed me to pursue!....more to come.

 

 

I thought it was about time for a progress picture update. I am down 130lb from my highest weight in late 2011 and am 10lb away from my original goal of 230lb. I have reset my goal weight at 220lb to make it an even 150lb weight loss total. :) Thank you all for the support thus far, these last 20lb are defiantly the toughest.

I am really ready for the weather to break so I can get back on the Mountain Bike!!  Good thing I have such a good gym to train submission grappling while the weather is bad.

I went back for my 6 month checkup today which actually occurred 9 months post surgery due to scheduling conflicts. In September of last year I had my initial weigh in and start of my required 6 month monitoring period. My stats were as follows.

Height: 6' 0"

Waist: 52"

Shirts: 3xl

Weight: 358.5

BMI: 49.0

% Body Fat: 47.1

I did not loose much on the monitored diet and exercise program but during the liquid diet phase pre surgery I dropped over 20lb. At my two week check in my stats weer as follows

Weight: 320

BMI: 43.4

% Body Fat: 45.0

The past few months have been rough on me and I have only lost around five pounds. I knew things would slow down but dang this has been rough. If anybody has seen my profile I got serious with my Jiu Jitsu, Submission Wrestling and Mountain Biking. I was on the mat at least five days a week and rode on average three days a week...Loving it. Now that the days are very short and I go to work and come home in the dark I have not been able to ride as much and have been limited to weekends. On my visit today my stats are as follows.

Weight: 247

BMI: 33.8

% Body Fat: 27.4

Shirt: L-XL

Waist: 36-36

I told my doctor my sob story regarding stalling the past few months and she really put things in perspective....She said, look, you have lost 90lb in the past 9 months and done this by only loosing 5 lb of muscle! She kept saying she has never seen such a large fat loss and minimal muscle loss so I must be doing something right....ok...ego back in check. Just wanted to pass the good news along and encourage everybody to stick with the plan....it works...not always as fast as we would like but it works.

Oh, I can't let a post go without sharing some pictures from recent rides...we did a 18.5mi loop around Brown Mountain in So. Oregon on Sunday..it was tough with the snow but still a blast!!

 

 

Good times!

Well, I have been stuck at 255lb for coming on two months now and it has been wearing on me.  This last week I really buckled down and got down to basics, three protein shakes  a day and a high protein dinner to try and break through.  Last Saturday we went on a mountain bike ride and I caught a cold so I wasn't very active all week...it was below freezing and we had some snow to deal with but it was a GREAT ride.

 

A rare picture of me, I am usually behind the camera.

A childhood friend of mine rides his mountain bike to work almost every day over some great trails and a couple tough, steep ridges.  I was at his house checking out his new Santa Cruz Blur when he made me an offer on his trusty Giant VT1 that was too good for me to pass up!!!  We went for a quick impromptu ride and I came home with a VERY well build and fun bike.

A picture from the trail he rides to work....terrable isn't it.

It poured down rain last night so everything was slick and muddy...giving the bikes a well deserved bath.

I am one very happy camper right now, the wife is over the pictures and me talking about the bike already!  After taking a well deserved hot shower when getting home I jumped on the scale and was also very pleased to see I was 248lb!!  Good by 250, you will not be missed.  I cam on cloud nine right now and wishing the snow on the radar will hold off so I can get some riding in.