Who is this small human looking younger and healthier each and every day? It's me...It's me!!! Sometimes I cannot believe what I see looking back at me in the mirror. It is almost as if I am looking at myself 10 or 15 years ago.

Here is an update on my progress. First and foremost let's talk about my liver. My formerly very, extremely sick liver is looking pretty good. It is about 3/4 the size it was before surgery and continues to shrink. The 3 enzymes of note GGPT, SGOT and SGPT have all gone down. SGOT has dropped 15 points, SGPT dropped 52 points and GGTP dropped 51 points! That is pretty impressive and is evidence that the surgery is accomplishing the goal. While those levels are still high, they are closing in on the normal range rapidly.

My weight is now 129 and I am down 37 pounds. I haven't been at this weight in 20 years. I still have about 24 to go to reach my goal weight of 105 and BMI of 22.7. Remember, I am 4'9". Those numbers are right in the middle of the "normal" range for me. Right now my BMI is 27.9. That is classified as overweight but NOT obese by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

After doing some measuring I have lost a total of 52.75" from my body. 15 of those inches have been in the last month. Weight loss slows down after the first 4 weeks. That's because your body starts getting "real" food again and continually adjusts its metabolism. It fights to hold on to body mass as you lose so it takes more time. I am 8 weeks and 2 days post surgery and I am making really good progress.

I am making progress in what I can eat as well. Chicken, Tuna, Beef, Beans and Cheeses are staples. I always eat a lean protein with a carbohydrate. I enjoy pretzels, crackers and thin bread if is toasted to a very crispy state. This week I added fruit. So far I have tried bananas, blueberries and V8 juice. I bought a peach so that is next . Dairy products are a mainstay of my nutrition. I have to say I was never really very thrilled with that food group but I have grown to like dairy. I drink a milk-soy protein shake every day as well as having cheese, yogurt and regular Lactaid milk. Protein and calcium are the big areas of focus.

Physically I feel as if I have been re-born. Seriously. I don't think I knew how lousy I felt until I didn't feel lousy anymore. I have so much more energy and stamina now. I don't find myself constantly taking breaks from physical activity. I am consistently walking (I've even jogged 50 yards at a time a few times), mowing the lawn without stopping and I am going back to the wellness center for some alternative aerobics (like a seated stepper), beginning weight work and flexibility training. The trainer, Kevin, had me working with one of those big balance balls. I don't know who was laughing harder, Kevin or me. All I can say is that is not as easy as it looks.

My shoulder blades have reappeared and I think I saw/felt what might be a rib the other day....maybe......School starts next week. The challenge with that will be timing my eating and pacing my day to include exercise.