I read an article today warning people about going to Tijuana for bariatric surgery. The gist of the article was that "you get what you pay for" and "American doctors are better" and "don't be stupid and go to Mexico" and several other extremist/ill-informed comments. It was the type of article that if read by someone on the fence about having surgery could be the thing that turns them off. This really bummed me out because seven weeks I went to Mexico and had bariatric surgery and it has been the absolute best decision I have ever made.

Seven weeks ago, I weighed 394 lbs, wore size 56 pants, 4x/5x shirts, sweated almost constantly unless I was perfectly still, ate an obscene amount of food, never exercised and generally felt like crap all the time.

Seven weeks ago, I got on a plane and flew over 3000 miles to another country to let a surgeon cut into me with absolutely no fear whatsoever.

Seven weeks ago, I was privileged to be cared for by a staff that was courteous, friendly, and as thorough as any medical staff I have EVER dealt with in the United States.

Seven weeks ago, I changed my life.

So where am I seven weeks later? As of this morning, I weighed 338.8 lbs, a loss of 55.2 lbs! I am down to a 48 pants size and 3x shirts. I exercise almost every day and have even started running(!). I eat probably half a cup of food for each meal and am getting probably less than a sixth of the calories I used to eat (and it is all fresh, home cooked food, no take out/fast food.) I feel better than I have in YEARS.

And it is all going to keep improving. That is the crazy thing. As good as I feel right now, I know that I will feel even better in seven more weeks. I will get to my goal and I will live a life that I have never actually known. It's intoxicating to even consider.

I wish that I could talk to the person that reads that article and decides against going ahead with Lap Band or something else and tell them not to believe everything they read. Research your doctor regardless of where they are because that good reputation is something that CAN exist across the border. It is possible to go to Tijuana and come away changed for the better.

I am living proof.

I started solids this past weekend and so far, so good! I have no experienced any PB'ing as yet and have been feeling full on very small portions. And the scale has backed this up as I have been able to lose close to 5 lbs. so far this week. So all in all, the transition to solids has been successful.

But let me tell you what has been the most exciting thing I have discovered since moving to solids: flavors. It has been astounding the things I have been able to taste. I think there are two reasons for this rebirth of flavor in my life.

One, having been on a three week liquid diet (with only a week's worth of creamy soups at that) I think damn near anything would have tasted good. Let's not kid ourselves and pretend that a bowl of broth sets our mouth's ablaze. That three week food vacation seems to have "reset" my taste buds to some degree. Even things that I am very familiar with somehow have a stronger taste than before, which I guess could be mental, but still!

Two, it occurred to me that my previous diet was very, very, very stale. I was living off of a mixture of pizza, burgers and subs. That is all I ever ate. And there is only so much flavor available from fast food/delivery places. Not only did this diet contribute directly to my weight problem, but it seems like it killed my ability to discern subtle flavors in things. That problem has now been solved.

So far, I have enjoyed some delicious roast beef hash with egg, some tilapia, broccoli, watermelon, steak and that is just the beginning! The foods on the horizon will be both flavorful, healthy, portioned properly and will, ultimately, lead me to my goal.