Butterthebean

The Antijared has some loose skin there but nothing too awful. He's done well. But frankly, there isn't much you can do. Take care of your skin, keep it healthy and hydrated.....yeah, that might help a little, but it's no guarantee. How much weight you have to lose, age, genetics....they are the contributing factors and you can't control those things. And resistance training....well, if you build muscle to replace the fat, that will help fill out the space vacated by fat loss, but no one is ever going to be able to build enough muscle to replace all of the lost fat. That's just a fact. So again, it just depends on the elasticity of the individual. And not to burst bubbles, but you can do toning exercises till the cows come home....your muscles will thank you, but it doesn't affect your skin. Skin cannot be made to shrink by working the muscles underneath. And someone can say they did X bicep curls and didn't get bat wings....but that doesn't mean the curls had anything to do with it. Sorry to be pessimistic, but just trying to keep it real. Be healthy, lose the weight, live a long life...the skin is an annoyance, but it's better than the fat.

It's great for pulling the hair off your legs.

With the powdered sugar? That would have been so worth it. I need a cigarette.

Oh....and I quit having any sort of cramps, along with dizzy spells I was getting from standing up suddenly, when I started adding propel zero to my water a couple of times per day.

I will drink at least 24 oz of water before a workout like mine above. 32 oz before a long run. Meaning I have to start drinking 45-60 minutes before hand. And yes, in the last few months I've taken to adding BCAAs to my water before a morning workout. Then meal replacement shake right after. Usually Met-Rx.

Some days I think he used a basketball for my bougie.

Wow....how in the world did I miss this thread when it first came out? I gotta give it a bump. Laura, I never chewed anything and spit it out.....but I did lick the seasoning off some wheat thins, and then my sweet lab mix ate the evidence. We both were happy....it was a win/win.

Mine is track sprints. I'm doing week 2 of C25K right now but sprinting all the runs and slow jogging all the walks... So it's.... Sprint 60 seconds, Slow jog 90 Sprint 90 Slow jog 90 Repeat 5 times. Oh Fudge....do you know what your aorta taste like? I do. The last couple of slow jogs end up being walks...trying not to vomit. But the result has been much faster mile times on my regular long runs. And a recent first place 10K in my age bracket because I was able to find a high gear and hold it the last mile and a half of the race.

The fact that you're researching and asking questions indicates to me that you'll likely make a good decision....just my opinion but I think you're on the right track.

Yes....picking the right surgeon is important. But also....morbid obesity is much more likely to kill you than VSG. I think the smart thing is to do your research (as you are doing) to reduce your risk as much as possible...then go for it knowing that you're giving yourself the best chance to live.

I have 2 Bob Harper DVDs and after doing them, I really want to kick Bob in the nutsack. His smugness just flies all over me. I have heard though that Jillian Michael's front side/back side work out DVD is excellent.

Fiddle...I have to side with Laura on this. I did a random google search for excessive stiffness. This was the first link I got... http://www.freemd.com/s1/excessive-muscle-stiffness.htm The first cause of excessive muscle stiffness on this list is drug abuse. The second cause is drug side effect. The third is fybromyalgia....I doubt you have fybromyalgia. I'm not saying supplements don't have their place, but it doesn't have to be complicated. A good Multivitamin, and intake of proper macro nutrients will just about do the trick for the average person. You seem to be looking for the exact recipe to bring about peak performance. I think that's admirable, but it comes close to looking like "magic pill syndrome". Who here hasn't been guilty of that in the past...looking for that magic pill that will make our excess weight suddenly fall off, or the pill that will make our hair grow out, our skin tight and sexy....or whatever. All I'm saying is... be careful you're not slipping over that gray area where looking for a little help becomes excessive. And now that I'm through lecturing you....go to the doc and get your blood work done. Besides the fact that you're a healthy guy, you've also got some symptoms you need to discuss with the doc. Good luck my friend.

<trying so hard not to make a crass reply to this>

I had this same feeling every single week. I'd look ahead and think "no way can I run that added time." But every week, I surprised myself. Taking rest days allowed me to build my endurance each week. The people who devised that program really knew what they were doing. You're going to be surprised at what you can do. Surprised, amazed and proud.

Also Bluto...good for you for not accepting anything on faith. There is alot of broscience on the internet, and this site is no exception. Question everything, do your own research, learn and share. That's the best we can do.

Okay Bluto...here's the deal. Yes you can absorb the Protein. But protein synthesis is the real goal. Without it, no muscle regeneration. The study was done at UTMB back in 2009 showing that more than 30 grams of protein per meal did not increase protein synthesis. So, you can eat more, but it will not benefit you except in adding excess calories. Being on my phone at the moment, here's the best link I can find to the info... But yes...as you say, NOTHING is cut and dry when it comes to healthy eating, weight loss and fitness. For every concrete study you can find proving the sky is blue, some researcher some where will try to prove it's green. That's where real world experience of so many people in the field comes into play. Their experience, while anecdotal, can also illuminate successful strategies that scientific studies fail to do. http://www.utmbhealth.com/wtn/Page.asp?PageID=WTN000504

It's not the yoyo dieting, but the muscle loss from dieting and fat regain. The main article assumes someone is following that pattern of losing muscle and fat through extreme calorie restriction then regaining only fat. Of course, that is quite common. Overtime less muscle equals lower metabolism. But it's easily reversible by adding muscle through strength training.

Great plan!

Sounds good. But there are some studies that state you can't absorb more than 30 grams of Protein at any one sitting, so possibly you're not absorbing all those nutrients. You might be better off drinking half now, then half a couple hours later.

Terrific. Great loss and good luck with the 5K. Be careful, those races can get very addictive. Getting that bling after the race....crossing that finish line.....the cheering spectators.....it gets to you. Have fun and let us know how it goes.