Warning: No Poker Content

Editor's note: If you're looking for poker content, you might wish to skip this column, as it pertains to a very personal subject: weight management.

Happy New Year! At this time of year, many of us are setting our goals for the new year and reviewing how we did with last year's goals. My goal for 2002 was to lose a significant amount of weight, but, of course, that had been my goal for the last 30 years.

In 2002, I finally took the plunge and lost 100 pounds. Since changing the photo for my column recently, I have been flooded with questions and comments about my weight loss. I would like to share my story in this column, in hope of helping others this year.

I have been overweight since I was a child. About four years ago, my friend Russ Hamilton encouraged me to go on a liquid diet with him for obvious health reasons. Following about seven months of liquids only, we each had lost about 85 pounds, most of which we regained in the next few years after resuming eating. Last year, I got a "wake-up call" from my doctor, who told me I would need a knee replacement eventually if I did not lose weight. Despite my weight problem, I had not suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes, lower back pain, arthritis, high cholesterol, or any of the other health risks associated with obesity, but I knew it was just a matter of time before these things would catch up with me. I didn't want to cause my family and friends pain by becoming severely handicapped or even dying due to my weight problem.

Russ was having the same thoughts, and we made a pact to do something to lose weight. Several poker players we knew, including Jack McClelland, Kenny Guinn, Jack Keller, and Craig DiSalvo, had enjoyed great results from gastric bypass surgery. The more research we did on the topic, the more eager we were to undergo the operation. Finally, Russ and I decided to go for it, and scheduled our surgery dates. On April 1, 2002 (April Fool's Day, how appropriate), I underwent gastric bypass surgery in San Diego, California; Russ' surgery was two days later at the same facility. I was very lucky, as I experienced virtually no pain from the operation, and was able to walk a half-mile three days after my operation and resume dancing within a week. Unfortunately, Russ had a few complications that caused him some pain for several weeks after the surgery, but he was a real trooper. We then reversed roles as I had digestion complications for a few months and he had a complete recovery and was able to eat with no complications.

There's no need to bore you with the details of the surgical process, so let's just say that the surgeon sections off a very small portion of your stomach that becomes your new stomach. The intestine is then hooked up to the pouch so that you can digest your food. After the surgery, you are no longer able to consume large quantities of food.

The surgeon required us to stay in the vicinity of the hospital for 10 days post-surgery in case there were any complications, so we rented a local house for our recovery. Jan Fisher volunteered to come along and be our nurse during the recovery period. Jan wrote a daily newsletter about our trials and tribulations for our friends that turned out to be 10,000 words of very funny stuff. (Contact Jan at [email protected] if you want a good laugh, and she will forward the newsletters to you.) She e-mailed it to friends, who then forwarded it to friends, and before we knew it, there were about 100 people on the daily distribution list. Russ, Jan, and I walked on the beach during the day, played some poker at night, and kept each other laughing till it hurt.

Many of our friends have had the surgery in the past year. The list includes poker players Rich Korbin, Howard Lederer, Dick Stevens, Don Barton, Dan Lumello, and Robert Williamson. I don't want to give the impression that the surgery is without problems. Some of us had temporary complications, but others had virtually no problems. There is no norm and everyone recovers at his or her own pace; however, we all had faith that within a few months after the surgery, we would be in very healthy states. We each have lost at least 100 pounds and are thrilled with our decisions to have the bypass surgery. I wrote this column in November, and at that time, Howard Lederer was our role model, having lost about 140 pounds (he works out in the gym every day, as does Don Barton). Those who had diabetes no longer have the disease. Traveling is so much easier. People always are asking, "Is that really you?" We are having fun wearing new clothes and experiencing our new lifestyles. In short, if we had the decision to make again, we all would do it again in a heartbeat.

This was a difficult column to write, but one that I believe is important. Everyone who is mentioned in this column is willing to share his or her story, in hope of helping others change their lives for the better. Although I still have some weight to lose, I believe that the immediate risk to my health is gone. Please feel free to e-mail me if you want to know more about the gastric bypass operation.

Hmm, it's time to write my 2003 goals.

Now, let's play poker!