On this past Monday, January 11th my wife took me to the hospital for emergency surgery to have my gallbladder removed. I was told I could begin light yoga this week, and start ramping up the workout intensity next week. No Jiu Jitsu until 4 weeks post-op though. Looks like BJJ Fanatics will be my new best friend again for a little while.
Prior to this whole thing, my weight made it up to 230 lbs. At 6'3" my electronic scale put me at 25% body fat. For those of you who are unfamiliar with body fat percentages, let's just say I didn't exactly have washboard abs. But hey, I thought I looked pretty good from about the collar bone up!
I've got a history of heart disease in my family. My maternal grandfather died of a heart attack in his 50's, and my uncle (same side of the family) died of an aortic aneurysm.
I figure this is my wake-up call.
The doc sent me home with a page of dietary guidelines, "Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Food Tips To Cut Down on Fats".
- Eat plenty of fruits & veggies
- Use lean meats and low-fat dairy products
- Eat fewer fried foods
- Eat plenty of breads, cereal, rice, pasta and beans
- Add less fatty extras
I figure diet is a good place to start, so I switched mainly to plant based, whole foods this week. I've played around with this style of eating once before with fantastic results in terms of weight management, blood test numbers, and overall just feeling good. Lord willing, maybe it will speed up my return to Jiu Jitsu, or at lest ease the transition back into training!
