Reaping the Rewards of Extreme Weight Loss – Brian’s Blog

It's been nearly a year since I underwent Lap-Band surgery to lose weight, and even though I still have yet to reach my goal, the rewards of losing 135 pounds are starting to roll in.

I still need to lose 14 more pounds to reach the overall goal I set for myself when I had bariatric surgery last year. My surgeon said that it would take me about 18 months, but I'm on track to do it in 12. I'm told that my results aren't typical, but I'm very happy with them.

A lot of people think that bariatric surgery is a "magic bullet" when it comes to weight loss. It's not. A person has to deal with a strict regimen of diet and exercise for it to work. The patient has to be on board with the program and the surgeon's instructions. It hasn't been that tough for me, but I can be pretty disciplined when need be.

On Sunday, I got to reap one of the rewards of nearly a year of hard work and dedication.

I played basketball in my driveway for hours with my eight-year-old son.

You might think it's a little thing, but to me and my boy it's huge. A year ago I couldn't keep up with him at all. I kind of pushed him away when it came to physical activity. He's an ADHD kid, and is always on the go. My son played YMCA basketball this winter, and really enjoyed it. It was great to see him learn and develop his skills on the court.

So on Sunday, we played for hours.

To me it was a treasure beyond measure.