I'm so proud of Ben

Ben's high weight was 380 and he had gotten it down to 325 by the time he had his first clinic appointment with Duke this summer. He worked on that until he was able to have surgery and got down to 303 the morning of surgery on 12/11/08. Today, he weighed in at 275.  Any way you slice it, he's headed in the right direction.

Today he was given the green light to move from the liquid diet to the soft foods diet, which at Duke generally means anything that is fork tender and isn't stringy or sticky, doesn't have seeds or skins and exclude caffiene, carbonation, rice, or pasta.... And boy is he EXCITED!?

He's already experiencing some WOW moments...

* He doesn't turn on the stove with his tummy when he sets something on the back burners.

* Just since surgery he's gone down from a size 46 pants and 3X shirt to a size 42 pants and 2X shirt.

* He's lost one fat roll from the back of his head and no longer has a double chin!

* He's off all of his BP, Cholesteral and Diabetes meds and his numbers are all looking great!

* He's wearing a pedometer and kicking up his activity to ensure he gets in 10K steps a day.

I'm so proud of him and wish him continued success as he makes this incredible journey.

 

Yayyy, Ben!!  That is so fantastic, Barb.  But with a live-in inspiration like you, how could he be anything other than a success?!  You both should pat yourselves on the back.  I'm proud for you both!

Go Ben Go!!!!!!!!  He sounds like a real champ. I hope he lets you post photos of his progress.
Myrtis

You are very kind, but he's the one in the boat rowing, I'm just sitting there calling out the pace ... LOL.

Thanks for the support.

You are doing wonderfully, btw!

He's a bit camera shy, but I'll try to convince him.

I'm so glad Ben is doing well!

Thank you!

I am proud of him too! I am also proud of you for being such a supportive wife, awesome caregiver a total inspiration! You guys rock.

Way to go Ben. Can hardly wait to see you both at the support meetings.  How about some pictures???? 

Deborah

We look forward to seeing you too! We'll all give you and Angela a real send off as you get ready for your upcoming surgeries.

I'll see if I can get him to pose for one month photos... He's a bit camera shy, but we'll see.