aroundhky

Butter...we do sound about the same. It worried me at first, because at 6-7 months out, it seemed like a lot for me to eat. So I was thinking holy crap, I'll be back to my old portion size at this rate within a year or two. But it has pretty much stayed the same since that 6-7 months out thankfully.

2 years here and I can definitely eat more than most sleevers and have been able to since about the 6-7 month post-op mark. But since then, it's stayed about the same. Typical dinner at night......( I don't drink close to my meals, and still able to eat a good bit) -whole grilled large chicken breast -1/4 to 1/2 cup green Beans -a bite or two of fruit or a bite or two of a bread

You're definitely not a slacker! Lifting goals of mine..... #1 - The lifting high/de-stressing I get #2 - Strength, moving heavy stuff #3 - Physique, or at least not puny looking #4 - Gets me out of the #%!$# office So for your strength goal, I would recommend a rep range of 4-8 reps each set....depending on the lift. That's the approach I generally take at the gym. Now if you do something like a set of deadlifts, power cleans, etc, I would stay 2-4 reps a set since that's a full body lift.

Depends on your goals or what you want from lifting and the type of lift. I know, can't always get a straight answer out of me Shiela.

"Globe"......I would recommend sticking to the compound lifts such as shoulder press, dumbbell bench press, squats, pull ups, dips, T-bar rows and even some light deadlifts if your back is in good shape. These compound lifts are really all you need to do to help retain the muscle (along with your protein). Make sure you get your form/technique down with light weights before doing heavier weights. The isolation lifts, for me anyway, are more for muscle building mode (along with the compound lifts) when you are at maintenance calories or slightly higher. How many days do you think you can lift a week? You can probably get by with just twice a week (say a Monday and a Thursday for example), if you are fairly thorough during your lifting session. I wish you the best in regards to your autoimmune issues and a speedy recovery!

Well said "Italian-girl"!!

"KayC".....if you are taking in the right nutrition/protein and not going over on your calories......I assure you it's not fat gain. Our bodies adjust and then readjust to the adjusting. Stay the course if you want better body composition (muscle vs fat). However, this doesn't always translate to lower numbers on the scale since exercising will often signal your muscles to take in and hold on to more water and lifting will often result in muscle gain. The scales, BMI charts and many surgeons are often short sighted. Hang in there and good luck!

Not sure I would put much stock solely into BMI charts and weight scales. But that's coming from someone who is still not really in the "ideal" range. Like "Nikki" says, everyone is different and carry it differently. You'll know what is a good acceptable range when you get there........regardless of the charts.

That sounds great....I'll have to try that!

"mike423..", there's a lot of information to consider before getting the sleeve and deciding to get it. With skin issues...lifting CAN help some, especially if you're a relatively low BMI'er that doesn't expect to lose 100+ pounds. Basically, the more weight you lose, the more loose skin you'll have.....at least initially. Building muscle can help fill in the loose skin, but only so much. Other factors/variables to consider are age, gender, water, diet, type of skin, etc. Wish you the best in your journey!

I drink a pitcher of beer while I'm working out at the gym. I take two big gulps between each set. Can't have another swig until I do another set....motivates me to keep lifting. Just kidding of course. I really try to limit my alcohol to maybe once a month and just maybe two glasses at most when I do. Really got to watch the alcohol post sleeve with the risks of crossover addictions. But I know that's not your real question. As for calories from it and exercising....I would probably try to have the alcohol on a night I knew I wasn't going to exercise the next day since it can dehydrate you. And good hydration is one of the keys to a good exercise session. As for the calories, there's some debate on a calorie is a calorie. My guess...... it is probably true as far as just pure body weight goes. But someone who weighs say 200 pounds gets X amount of calories from lean Protein, a few slow carbs (veggies) and good fats, will probably stay a little more fit and have a better physique (muscle) than someone who weighs the same 200 pounds, gets the same X calories from about all sugary stuff and saturated fats, which may tend to be stored as fat in the belly and other unwanted places. I really have no science or studies to back that up, but I'm guessing it's out there and I'm just going from my bit of research. With that said, I'd say have some wine from time to time, I do and it hasn't messed me up yet sticking to just once a month indulgence. Just maybe limit it, stay with clear alocohol, no sugar/juices and ease into it and gauge your body's response to it and adjust from there.

I was hot all the time as well pre-op but really didn't sweat much unless I exercised. Since the surgery, I'm a little cooler now, but I wouldn't say I'm cold all the time......wish I was.

Sheila (M2G).....I think some lifting background is going to be better than none. Shocking the muscles a bit with something new like a more intense routine, varying types of lifts, etc is a good thing. The real concern is form and technique. Like "ItsMe" stated, injury, or preventing injury is your #1 priority throughout, so anytime you start something new, it's more of a risk, just ease into it, learn the lift and build up from there. I'm guessing the years at Curves will help some with this. But I don't know much about Curves or what it has to offer or their approach. As far as the fasting thing and working out goes....I don't really do that.....yet. Well, not fasting per se anyway. But I prefer to lift on an empty stomach. I've read stuff about fasted cardio and how it's good, but I don't really have experience with that. I guess it depends on how one defines fasted. With me, I'll eat just a little Breakfast around 7:00 a.m. and by the time I'm lifting at lunch, my stomach is good and empty (as I prefer), but I'm pretty sure I'm not in a fasted state at that time. Even though my stomach is empty, I think there are still some residual nourishing aspects left in my body from the breakfast I ate 5 hours before. I have no science to back that up. With me.........lifting on an empty stomach gives me tremendous focus and my best lifting sessions are when my stomach is empty. In the past, I would eat an hour before a workout and with varying type foods, but I still always had a less than steller lifting session and I was usually sluggish. My guess.....your body uses a lot of energy to process and digest food, and also sends a lot of blood to those organs to digest it...especially our stomachs. So if your body is concentrating on digesting the food you just ate, how can it give you what you need to get a good and complete workout? Just my idea, but I'm sticking with that. So, lifting/exercising in a fasted state, or at least on an empty stomach may not be a bad thing.......then get your Protein in about an hour after your workout. I guess it also depends on how you fast and what your schedule is for the fast and lifting. As "ItsMe" stated, the 30 grams or so may not be a quite enough protein. If so, those days that you fast and have trouble getting the protein in may be the better days to use Protein shakes to follow up the fast and help supplement it. Again, I don't really know how the 5/2 works, but I will try to check out your link and read more about it. Yes, check back in..........I'm curious as to how it goes and how you progress! Good luck!

SHUT THE F......................RONT DOOR!!! Really Georgia? A whole bag? You're bad bad girl!

Oh yeah......I'll have the low cal, non-carbonated Rock Star a couple of times a week. Not sure that's worse than a coffee, but I would probably better off without it.

Thanks again "ItsMe"! The whole muscle vs fat thing can be really tricky and confusing. For me, based on my experiences, this is what I've found...... FAT, quickly gained, slow to lose MUSCLE, slowly gained, quickly lost So losing at a big calorie deficit/low protein for me (as my first 2-3 months post op showed) meant some fat loss and lots of muscle loss. This equaled fast weight loss. But me losing at a 200-400 calorie deficit with around 90-120 grams of protein a day (3-20 months post op) meant some fat loss and no muscle/strength loss and even just a little muscle gain starting around 6 months post op. This equaled a slow weight loss, but my prefered method. Currently, I'm at about a 200 calorie surplus since I met my goal weight of 215 a month ago (which was too light for my liking). Now with this current calorie surplus, I'm getting in lots of lean protein still, but back to adding some good complex carbs and gaining strength/muscle slowly for the next few months until I'm around the mid-220's.....then I plan to maintain for a while.

Body fat measurements are really tricky. I went to the local university back in the winter/spring and paid $25 to have mine done. They used several calliper measurements from all over my body, some hand held device and I did the water test...which was quite interesting. They varied from 14% to 16% I think, but the water one was in between at around 15% or so, which they say is more accurate. So I approach it as just a way to see or measure progess....or lack of progress. When I go next time, if they are between 16-18%, I know I've added fat. If it's 14-16%, I'll know I'm about the same. But if they are between say 12-14%, I'll be pretty happy with that. Bottom line, body fat measurement is tricky, but I think that most relaible measurements are all fairly close to each other within 1-3 percentage points.

There a lot of variables to consider. But if two people with the same starting weight/body composition, same surgery date, roughly the same age, same metabolism, same calorie/protein intake but these different weight loss amounts........my bet would be that one is exercising and retaining muscle, the other is not and is losing muscle. But for the most part, I'd say yes, you are correct.

Carlotta............some muscle mass (especially first couple of months post-op at such a calorie deficit) is really unavoidable. I've been there.....I nearly freaked out after about two months when I became so flabby. This after working out and lifting hard for years....it was like all of my muscle wasted away overnight. But the more protein you get in early on while exercising (resistance training), the less muscle you'll lose during this rapid weight loss phase. You don't want to start lifting before your Dr gives you the green light, but once the Dr clears you, start back lifting, but ease into it. Also get in your protein during this time if you can, and you'll reduce the amount of muscle loss. I probably slacked a bit on both elements a little. But I still got in close to my daily protein goals and I worked out about twice a week. If I had stepped it up a little more, my muscle loss would have been a lot less. When the I started getting in around 90-100 grams of protein and lifting more, I recovered nicely after a few months of lifting hard. But some loss will happen, just try to get into a lifting routine fairly soon and get the protein in and it will slow...if not stop.....then just about all of your weight loss will be fat.

I'll have a beer or two about once a month. I know.......I'm a bad bad boy........ Also, I may have a couple of tortilla chips/salsa WITH my 2nd beer, if I have a 2nd one. By the 2nd one, I'm already feeling numb so the food with the liquid doesn't bother me and doesn't hurt. Otherwise, I stick pretty tight to what I'm supposed to do. But I can't behave ALL the time. Misbehaving every once in a while makes it easier to behave the other 98% of the time.

"Cowgirl" I wish you the best in whatever you decide! Good luck!