A quick intro and Hello

Everyone calls me J.P. There are three things that I love and cherish more than anything. My wife, my dog, my guitars. Or is My Dog, My wife then guitars....no...it's my guitars then...oh well, you know what I mean:) It is truly my belief that Mr. Fender and Mr. Martin are but two who have made the world a better place by their artwork and expert craftsmanship. Music is the language of love. Period. End of story.

Yes, I love my children and grandchildren but we gave them life, love, support, an education and now they are all off on their own to become the best them they can be. I will always be their dad/father but I am no longer their parent. Read the definition and know what you are talking about before you flame me for this statement/philosophy. Parenting is defined as being the caretaker of offspring. My parenting is done. When they became adults, moved out, and quit spending my money they were no longer my offspring.

They're my adult children and I love them dearly. My advice is free, when asked for -- but there is a separation and unfortunately there are too many 'helicopter parents' who can't seem to realize or remember that they had a life, dreams and aspirations BEFORE the kiddies came along or that the kids need to struggle and overcome to know their limits. I say have your own life -- yes I raised grandbabies for 10 yrs and know what that entails-- but refocusing back on your life and passions will model healthy aging for your whole clan. Dying is not the problem---- not living your life is.

Anyway -- I digress from the joy of finding other 'lightweights'! My highest weight was 254. I'm almost kinda real close to 5'10" (okay---5'9.4"). I barely made the BMI delineation of 35 w/Diabetes and hypertension to qualify for surgery. I had my surgery 10/25/2016 and surgery weight was 225. Surgery a1c 7.8 BG 187. Today is a few weeks after my sixth month anniversary of surgery. Height 5' 9.6" I grew!! or better said I stretched--bought one of those teeter tipper hangy things and it seems to be working. My current weight is 191. A1c-5.1 BG rarely above 130 postprandial. Am off injecting insulin and am not on any diabetic meds. Hoping I can soon stop hypertension meds but can't seem to control that as easily as the diabetes.

My decision to have the surgery was almost 100% based on my diagnosis of Diabetes. On 3/31 Doc took me off insulin when my a1c came back as 5.1. On 5/3 my follow up a1c was 5.3. my Doc said "J.P. in the 18 yrs of practice I can count on one hand the number of people who've gone off of injected insulin -- for all practical purposes you are in remission if not cured!" Good news but wrong about the cure. Let the carb hound get a hold of me and up, up, up the weight/diabetic scale I go.

The choice of the surgery is by far one of the better decisions I've made -- the '76 Pacer wasn't! I see it as a built in portion control. If I'm chewing food and hit my VSG limit the food has to be spit out. No more overeating. I've tried --when I can't ingest anymore then my mouth won't let me swallow. I don't feel stuffed, I don't feel like I'm going to explode (which were all common before VSG) I just can't eat. The surgery also help me to my current BMI of 26 and Body Fat % of 22.

Wife and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and she says I look better than I did on our wedding day. Even if she is stretching I take it as gospel. Love ya, Sarah!!

Since last August 4th Molly (my mini black tri aussie) and I have walked 2.7 million steps, almost 1400 miles and I have walked up 1000 flight of stairs -- that's twice as high as a 747 flies. Don't ever doubt that the surgery is a tool and your attitude, not your aptitude will determine your altitude.

Anyone else wanna fly above jetliners with me?

We lightweights may not have as much poundage to lose but isn't that a good thing? I am now no longer concerned or will measure or talk about my weight. I am no longer obese and almost not considered overweight. Normal --- my God what is that? My focus now is on body fat %. If I weigh 220 again and have an 8% body fat reading -- this is one happy, strumming, singing, walking Virginia reeler.

May God grant you what you need as versus what you deserve and may you walk through hell before the devil knows you're there.

Peace

JP

Welcome aboard, JP. I so glad you're having a great journey.

--gina

Welcome to our LW site JP!! We've had a few men over the years join us and they've been very successful. A few husband/wife teams too but the men are usually more successful and can stick it too it longer.

I've been trying to get my hubby to loose a few pounds but he's not agreeing to it....LOL. He's 5'10.5 and weighs in around 240 and it's all in his stomach.

I'm not sure how I'd feel if my DH (darling hubby) listed his golf cart/guns above me...... He retired last May and and is constantly exploring on the 200+ acre's that surround our neighborhood. I think the golf cart is one of the reasons he has gained some weight since retiring.

Glad you joined us!!

Everything for the guitar?it's worth every string and chord!
Spending time with my children helps me take my mind off my problems. I love playing with them. I used to struggle with helping them with their homework. But recently, I found https://papersowl.com/examples/culture/ which helps me with this. So now, even preparing homework is a pleasure for me.