Second Chances: Blessings from Above (Week 4 & 5)

During week 4, I was able to get down to 228, and as of today I am down to 226 which is a total weight loss of 30.6 pounds in 35 days. It was a little depressing because the weight is not coming off as fast as it was, but I am still making progress. I started to take into account the changes that I had made over the past week or so. I have increased my caloric intake becuase I am acually starting to feel hungry now that I am working out again. I started exercising this past week and in the last five days, I have mowed the yard, taken three exercise classes at the gym, and Tara, the boys, and I went to the middle school to run for 30 minutes. The other issue that I have noticed it the fact that I have not been very regular so I think that this coming week on the advice of Dr. Tara, I am going to start taking some form of fiber on a regular basis.

Waist: 44 (loss of 4 1/2 inches)
Biceps: 15 (loss of 1/2 inch)
Chest: 46 (loss of 3 inches)
Neck: 16 1/4 (loss of 3/4 inches)
Hips: 44 (loss of 3 1/2 inches)
Thighs: 26 (loss of 1 inch)
Calfs: 16 1/8 (loss of 7/8 inches)

A little over 14 total inches lost since the surgery.

The best news to report is that Tara has also been very supportive throughout this entire process, including losing a total of 9 pounds over the past 30 days.

Much Love and Respect,


Byron Lynn

First Day of Preschool

Do I really have a child old enough to be going to preschool? What is happening? Well as you probably guessed, Phoenix LOVES school. He goes two days a week. He did get a time out on the second day....but he will get used to it all. (We have the Clift family traditional door knob picture too Aunt Brandi.)

Second Chances: Blessings from Above (Week 2 & 3)

Not a lot to report for the past few weeks. Weight loss and been slow and steady, which I am told is good.

At the end of Week 2 I had lost a total of 22 pounds. Tara and I drove to Dallas, TX to see the surgical team and have my 2-week post operation visit. Dr. Varela was please with my progress and released me to go back to start to exercise (no lifting any weights) and go back to work on the 1st of September and also told me that I could start eating anything that I would normally eat that I did not need to cut with a knife. Of course, the first thing I wanted was some CHICKEN! Had to bake it because my Church's days are over, but boy it tasted good after two weeks of broth, jello, and pudding.

As of the end of Week 3, I've lost a total of 25 pounds. I went for a walk with Phoenix on Monday night and today I took a class at the gym (only for 30 minutes). I can still report that I am not really hungry. So one of the things the doctor told me was not to eat if I wasn't hungry, but to make sure that I take my vitamins and have at least a Carnation Instant Breakfast, Ensure, Glucerna, or Boost each day. Additionally, he said that when I was hungry to eat proteins first (fish/beans/chicken/beef) before other kinds of foods, and only eat until I feel full (which is only a few ounces at a time).

Can remember if I reported this earlier, but I asked the doctor how much of my stomach was removed and he said that in my case they only removed 2/3's of my stomach as opposed to heavier patients in which they remove up to 85% of the stomach.

Much Love and Respect,

Byron Lynn