Weight Loss Program...

As you see this post, dear readers, I am starting on my 3rd day in my medically supervised weight loss program. It's called an HMR Bariatric program. The way it works is that for a period of time, I eat only the food the program gives me. As the weeks pass, I get to add in fruits & vegetables, and then lean proteins and grains. There are multiple tracks to this HMR diet, but the one I'm on is Track 1. In this track, I have to drink at least 3 shakes and eat 2 entrees a day, every day. I did the calculations and it looks like I'm on a 1,000 calorie a day diet. I also have to make sure I drink at least 64oz. of water each day and take the HMR vitamins twice a day.

It's a simple formula. And fairly easy to follow. The shakes are vanilla flavored and a little too sweet to my taste, but I can deal. Some of the entrees are good, some aren't. I'm still trying new ones to see which I like. Then I will customize my weekly food orders accordingly. I get to add some outside stuff, but not much so for right now, I'm just sticking to the HMR foods.

Also as part of this plan, I have to attend weekly classes. Every Tues night. I get weighed in, and also I get a checkup by a doctor. Last night, I went to my first class. The doc was on vacation, but since I haven't completed a full week on the diet yet, I wouldn't have seen him anyway. I did get my first weigh in. The last time I was weighed was this past Wednesday or Thursday. I was at 500lbs. At my first weekly weigh-in, after only 2 days on the HMR meal replacements, I was at 495.2lbs. Two days into the diet and I lost 4.8lbs!! I'm officially impressed.

The diet isn't really all that difficult to be on, honestly. My biggest temptation, soda, was killed a couple of weeks ago, just after I got out of the hospital. I had switched to eating more healthy, and then I slipped and got a bottle of Coke. I drank it and it tasted like battery acid! For the first time in my life, since I started drinking soda, it didn't taste good!! So, after that hurdle, my biggest worry about the HMR diet is whether or not I can afford it. But, as time goes on the costs drop, so I just have to endure as best I can. There are also plans in the works to increase my finances slightly which can help, if they pan out.

The one thing I really wasn't expecting is the amount of support I'm getting from my friends & co-workers. I tend to operate on the assumption (yes, I know about the danger of assumptions, but they still work) that people are most involved in their own lives, which makes sense and is quite natural. And that they rarely take notice of others because they are too busy dealing with their own problems. Which also makes sense and seems fairly logical. Yet since I've gotten out of the hospital, I've been working on changing my ways and becoming more healthy. And a lot of people have been taking the time to make encouraging comments, give me helpful suggestions (as opposed to forcing fad diets and unwanted advice on me), and listening to my concerns in order to help me address those concerns. Frankly, it's been quite touching and overwhelming. I have an amazing group of friends.

I know that road ahead of me is long, and things are going to get harder for me. But that's just life. I've always known I could handle that. But it's nice to know that I have such good people around to help me out. I know what you're thinking and I can emphatically say No! I am not turning into some bubbly, overly cheerful, beauty pageant wannabe. No matter how much weight I lose, I'm still going to be a misanthropic cynic with a penchant for over analyzing every day situations. I'm still going to be an stubborn & occasionally obnoxious know-it-all. But, if you can tell the quality of a man by the people he associates with, despite my natural personality quirks, I'm still a good man.

Previous Weight: 500lbs
Current Weight: 495.2lbs
Weight delta:   -4.8lbs