mark_chapman
****Newest entry at the bottom****
Date Weight Lost
12/23/2002 457 0
03/07/2003 389 -68
04/08/2003 369 -88
04/17/2003 365 -92
05/01/2003 356 -101 **** ;D
05/22/2003 346 -111
05/29/2003 343 -114
06/18/2003 337 -120
06/26/2003 329 -128
07/05/2003 322 -135
07/21/2003 318 -139
08/07/2003 315 -142
08/18/2003 310 -147
09/15/2003 303 -154
10/14/2003 299 -158 **** ;D
9/5/2002 - Had first appointment with Dr. Cooks office yesterday. What few fears I had were pretty much laid aside when I discovered that Dr. Cook had a real organized, informed, and caring staff. I have to get them my psych. eval and then it's waiting on insurance. I will update as I get more info. -- On another note, My wife is pregnant with our third child. She is now just leaving her first trimester and I have alot more to live for!!!
10/18/2002 We found out last Saturday that we are having a girl!!! We have picked out a name (Lillia "Lilly" Jewel Chapman). I have a date for a physical with Dr. Cook on Nov. 1st. I hear that it should not be long after that before I get my surgery date. I can't wait. I went to Dr. Cooks seminar last night. It was all covered in my initial consult, but was still interesting. I was amazed at how many MO there were in just this one seminar. The highlight of the night was that his patients support group was meeting that night at the same hotel. We got to meet some of them at the end of the seminar, and it was a very exciting and informative experience. Still anxious/impatient....
11/25/2002 Visit with Dr. Cook was nothing special. Just a typical Dr's visit. All of the ins. info was turned into
12/11/2002 I just got a call from my Doctor's office that they had been notified by
12/13/2002 I got a call late yesterday from my surgeon's office and they said that they had a cancellation and that I could be moved up a week if I wanted to. My surgery is the week of Christmas and I would not get dismissed from the hospital until Christmas day at the earliest. So I weighed my choices in my head and decided to keep my current date. I had just got through setting up my short-term disability information with my employer and being the week of Christmas will make it easier for family members to visit me. My wife is a teacher and will be off a week and a half and will be able to help me more with my current date. I've informed all of my close relatives about my surgery and I am happy to say that I haven't received one bad comment.
03/10/03 It has been awhile since my last update. As of 3/7/2003, I am down 68lbs. The better news though is that on 3/04/03, my daughter Lillia Jewel Chapman was born. She is beautiful as are my other two children. She can be seen at http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.hp.HPGuestLogin?username=chapmanm&password=70366665 . Things are going well on the eating side. The only real problem that I am having is with my gout. My feet and sometimes my left knee are constantly in pain. I have tried three different medications and have found that only one of them keep me tolorable of pain.
4/24/2003 Things seem to be going well right now. I am only 8 pounds away from the century mark and feel that I will reach that goal within the next month. I am able to do much more day by day. Last night, I was able to get on my kids swingset and swing a little with my 11 yearold daughter. I then chased my 4 yearold son as he rode on my riding lawnmower (blades off of course). It was a beautiful evening last night. If my wife and I could get on the same track, everything would almost be perfect. God has been good to me and I am blessed.
5/6/2003 Well, I reached the Century Club last week on 5/1 and am loving life. My wife and I are getting along better and I am really starting to get more active. I find that I no longer want to sit and watch the tele as much and that I want to get out and do more. I really used to like flea markets and yardsales and would like to start going back to them. This is a little over my 4 month mark and it has been a wild ride so far. I have gone through my closet and am pulling out stuff from the late 80's early 90's. People at work are commenting that I am dressing alot nicer these days. I bought a new pair of pants three weeks ago and they are already too big on me. Life is good, God is better. Later....
7/7/2003 Been a few on my updates.... Anywho, I am still doing great. I have lost 135 pounds so far and have +/- 110 more to go. I am feeling great, need to get more exercise, and am eating pretty good. I have never cared for any of the protein supplements and try to get my protein directly from the source. Home life is getting better, but I really need prayers for a career change/move. I had to buy pants again this weekend: size 48 down from a 66, and I can get into a 44, it's just not comfortable yet. Later...
7/22/03 I was near my Surgeon's office and went to weigh yesterday. Newest loss, down to 318 from 457 for a total of 139lb weightloss. This has been one amazing trip. Dr. Cook is having a yearly bash on 10/30/03 and myself and another patient have been asked to do the catering. I am looking forward to this. It is strange, even though I cannot eat like I used to before, I still really enjoy cooking. Not just what I can eat, but cooking anything. Dr. Cook's assistants are thinking that maybe we can do a Halloween theme hince the gala's date. Life get's better with each passing day. I am able to do more and last longer doing whatever. The things that used to make me out of breath I can now do with little effort. My gout is still an issue, but thank God for medication. Later...
9/11/2003 As I write this, I am in remembrance of 9/11/2001. I remember that day and the emotions that poured out across our great nation. I remember the President's speechs that day and then for the days to follow. I remember him saying "This battle will take time and resolve. But make no mistake about it, we will win." Like 9/11, each of us on this journey has had our own terrorist attack us and our bodies. We were slowly being killed by fat and other weight related issues. Our towers/bodies where attacked and were beginning to crumble. We too embarked on a mission to rid that terrorist/fat from ourselves, and like the nations battle, our battle too will take time and resolve and we can be sure that we will WIN! We too mourned the death of our great friend(food). We too have now seek out our enemy (fat) and wish to eliminate it from our lives. We too seek to embrace a day of peace and to be truly free of our own limitations. This surgery that we undertook was just the beginning of our taking back control. This was just the start of seeking and eliminating the terrorist of fat. This was a new embarking of the rest of our lives that we will always remember. This is our new day!!! God Bless you all on this journey wherever you may be on your path. Here's wishing you wellness and an abundance of health. Like the remembrance of 9/11/01, it's time for each of us to say "Let's Roll"! Mark Chapman (NC)
10/08/2003 I am currently on a plateau from hades, but know that I will get through it. I need to excercise more. My last bloodwork came back low on protein, low on calcium, and low on vitamin b. I have never been able to do the shake thingy, so I am eating meat and nuts like a mad dog, I have doubled my dose of b12 and to be honest, just started taking my calcium more regular. On the calcium note, I am not sure if I am taking the right one. The label does not say whether it is calcium carbonate or calcium citrate. I will probably need to invest in some alternative form of calcium. I will say that I am eating more carbs as of late and that is another thing that is probably got me on this plateau. I will say though that I feel better than I have since I was a teen. I can get up and do so much more now. Just the other night, my twelve year old daughter was riding her bike. As she came by me, I just took off running after her and was able to keep it up for twenty seconds or so. Might not sound like much, but I haven't actually ran in well over 20 years. I was wearing cowboy boots on top of that. Boy what losing over 150lbs can do for a person.
10/15/2003 I am finally back in the 200's. 299 to be exact. It has been at least 15 years (if not more) since I have been this low. Life is still good and it gets more and more interesting day by day. Things are still a little rough around the edges on the marriage end of things, but they are getting better too! I know that we all say that we are the same person now that we were when we were larger, but I don't know that I believe that much any more. I find that I am becoming a more self confident person now. I speak up more. When passing someone on the street/hall, I now look them in the eye whereas before I used to look down at the ground and hope that they ignore me. I actually look forward to playing with my kids instead of worrying that I will have to just watch them. I am becoming more firm in my convictions and learning that life is more than just black and white. Life is now so full of color!!! I am not the same person, I am better! May God bless you!
04/18/2006 Whew, it's been a few days or so since I've updated my profile. I guess like so many, when you get down and get more active, you don't hang around as much as you use to. As far as my weight, I've gained back 30 pounds. I know that it is all my fault though. I never have gotten into the exercise thing seriously and to take that back off and then some, it will now be totally back up to me. I can do it though, it just takes a little more time. I will say that I have no regrets about my surgery and would do it all over again. It is not a wonder cure, but it sure can give you a boost in the right direction.
