Work in Progress III

Hi friends! First post of 2020! I hope you all had a happy and safe holiday season. Thank you for all the sweet messages and comments over the past couple of weeks checking in on me. I figured for my first post in the new year, I’d do a check in on the recovery and do a #finebyforty update, since I keep getting asked about it. Also, nipples for my thirsty friends! :)

Recovery

Last time I check in, I was pretty fresh out of the operating room. As I mentioned in that entry, post-op nausea was a major concern and, because of that, we approached sedation differently. I had a nerve block in my abdomen to cut down on the amount of sedation they gave me. It was a success; I had almost no nausea after the operation. What I didn’t anticipate was the abdominal cramping that hung around for a couple days after surgery. I spent a good amount of time like this: resting with a heat pad on my belly. It did wonders. Also…love that orange iodine line I’m sporting. It took so many showers to fully banish it.

I’m not about two weeks out from my surgery and I’m mostly back to normal. I’m not in any pain; just sore now. I was cleared this week to start light cardio; I’m still not able to lift anything over 10 pounds or do any core work for another month though. Aside from a setback where I popped a suture in the night and woke up to a Godfather-esque bloodbath in my bed, the surgery was pretty uneventful. Recovery has been pretty smooth too.

Huge shout out to my family, friends and my guy for taking such great care of me and the kiddo over the past few weeks.

The Journey

I was super bummed when I went to the doc in late November and found out that my umbilical hernia was worsening; I was even more bummed to find out that I had to stop working out immediately while waiting on my repair surgery. I had been making steady gains and had momentum going. With working out on hold, I knew that I needed to be extra diligent if I wanted to maintain my progress. With the help of people smarter than me, I came up with a diet plan to help me maintain over the two months of waiting for surgery, having surgery and recovery time.

I’m now over half way through that period. I’m happy to report that not only have I maintained my weight loss despite not being able to do cardio - I’ve continued to lose weight. Thanks to eating a sensible, balanced diet and lots (and lots) of walking, I’ve lost 7 pounds over the past few weeks.

Left to Right: January 2020, October 2019, December 2019

It hasn’t been easy. In addition to being on physical restrictions, I had to practice self-control and navigating the holidays. I’m not going to lie and said I was always successful; I dabbled with a little bit of everything. Candy, cookies, cake, pie, hot cider with fireball in it. I thoroughly enjoyed the season with my tribe but, wherever possible, I tried to find balance.

Milestones

Here’s an update on all the numbers. We’re continuing our positive trending across the board, which I’m jazzed about.

Measurement	Starting	1/8/20	Progress
Height:	5'11"	5'11"	No Change
Weight:	265 lbs.	223.6 lbs.	Loss of 41.4 lbs.
Body Mass Index (BMI):	36.7%	29.1%	Loss of 7.6% BMI
Body Fat:	36%	27.2%	Loss of 8.8% Body Fat
Visceral (Abdominal) Fat:	19%	11.6%	Loss of 7.4% Visceral Fat
Muscle Mass:	130.5	161.1	Gain of 30.6 Muscle Mass
Bone Mass:	5.6	9.2	Bone Mass gain of 3.6
Max Push-up Count:	9	44	Gain of 35
Max Plank Interval:	25 seconds	110 seconds	Gain of 85 seconds
Max Bench Press Weight:	45 lbs.	195 lbs.	Gain of 150 lbs.

And here’s my starting picture and a current progress shot. Ignore my mopey face in the current pic. I’ve had to wear a belly band 24/7 for support since my surgery - only taking it off to shower. I was bummed about having to band back up because that thing is itchy and uncomfortable.

I’m still swollen in spots from the surgery, but I’m happy with the progress I’ve continued to make. If you look closely, you can see my abs starting to come through. They’ve been MIA since my twenties, so I’m pumped about that. I’m swimming in most of my old clothes at this point. I went shopping for a few basics recently. I’ve gone from a XXL in shirts to a Medium in most brands (Large if it’s a slim fit shirt). My waist has gone from a 38 to a 32, the same as 25-year-old Ryan.

Sharing these two pics just for fun. Lighting matters, folks. These pictures were both taken within 5 minutes each other at the same club when I was out with my people seeing one of my favorite local bands last weekend. The picture on the left was taken in the club; I took the picture on the right about 5 minutes later in the men’s room.

The guy on the left looks super unhealthy and is the stuff of nightmares. :) The guy on the right is cute tho.

The first pic was a good reminder about why I’ve taken the path I have with my fitness journey. I have intentionally not focused on losing weight; the emphasis for me has been on building muscle and improving my health. In the past, when I’ve tried to manage me weight, I’ve always lost too quickly and ended up looking like a deflated balloon. I don’t want that. And I don’t want to drop to a weight that doesn’t fit my frame. I’ve tried to replace chub with muscle.

Like I’ve said before, this isn’t a diet or a temporary change for short term results. This has been a total lifestyle change for me and I’m so thankful to see my progress continue despite this injury and setback. I can’t wait to be fully released in February and get back to hitting it hard (but safely). I have big gials for 2020 and some of them will hopefully take place on the rugby field.

Specs

This one goes out to all my glasses wearing friends. I’ve been wearing glasses all day, every day since I was in first grade and couldn’t read the chalkboard from my desk. They are a huge part of my identity; so much so that my phone doesn’t recognize me without them. :)

Taking a page out of Elton John’s book, I decided that it was time to up my eyewear game and try some different styles for my frames. I am only sans glasses when I sleep; I wanted different options without dropping a ton of money. Every time I’ve gotten new frames and lenses from a local source, I’ve dropped $150-$300 out of pocket. Even options like Warby Parker (a store I love) averages $100-$200 per pair. That made having multiple pairs prohibitive, especially when my prescription changes a little every year or two. I tried two retailers known for affordable eyewear. I thought I’d stop in and share some thoughts.

Note: this is not an ad, paid endorsement and there aren’t any affiliate links in this post. Just the facts.

Zenni Optical

Website: zennioptical.com

These live on my desk, under my monitor. I only purchased one pair from Zenni because, even though they’re affordable compared to your local doc’s office, they were pricier than other options. I bought the Browline Glasses 195425 Tortoiseshell. The frame was only $15.95, but I spent an additional ~$75 on lens upgrades (added blue light blocking, coatings, etc). These are my work/computer glasses, so I wanted to do the most to protect my eyes from strain and fatigue. I didn’t mind paying more since they had a specific function. In total I spent $99 on these with tax and shipping.

I’ve used these daily for about four months now and they’re great. The frames are holding up great and I do notice a notice in eye fatigue after switching to lenses more focused for screen work. I’m not exhausted at the end of the day. I’d recommend these for sure.

EyeBuyDirect

Website: eyebuydirect.com

Guys, this is where I get excited. A friend recommended EBD and I am a stan. On my first order with them, I got 5 pairs of glasses (with prescription lenses) for $88.18 with tax and shipping. That’s about $17 a pair, which is insanity.

I’ve been living with the EBD glasses for four months as well, and they’ve held up perfectly. I am more careful with them because I didn’t add any coatings or protection to the lens (I couldn’t justify spending $20 per pair on glasses that cost $17). I also mainly ordered plastic frames because they hide the thickness of my lenses better than thin metal frames would (you can upgrade to thinner poly lenses; I chose not to). All of the pairs I ordered from EBD are sturdy, holding up great and look like I spent $100 or more at another retailer. All have gotten compliments.

Warning: a lot of douchey selfies ahead, where I’m making awkward faces because that’s how I roll, y’all.

The frame below is Chilling in Tortoise and this is the set you see me in most often.

And here we have Peninsula in Red Floral (there’s a subtle flower pattern on them that looks similar to tortoise until you get closer).

The Morning frame in Gray Clear is below.

I don’t have any recent pictures of the following pairs, but these are the rest of my frames from EyeBuyDirect.

The pair below is Central in light brown.

Bright Side in Clear White is hanging out below. Word of caution: these skew pink when on your face because they pick up on your skin tone. This doesn’t bother me at all, but wanted to add that disclaimer.

And then we have Juno in Matte Green.

Summary

I would recommend Zenni and EyeBuyDirect without any hesitation (and I have a bunch). Both offer affordable, well-made eyewear on a budget. If you’re an every day glasses wearer like me, you’ll love having options to choose from without breaking the bank.

It was a crazy trip looking back at pics of the past few months trying to find pictures of the frames in use. They arrived right about the time I started seeing results from the lifestyle changes I’ve made. The left picture was taken in August and the right one was taken in October.