Fiddleman

Wow, fantastic. Simply amazing. You have managed to transition into a beach body without surgery for excess skin. Wish all of us could do that.

I go to a support meeting with my wife once a month even though it is an hour drive one way. The reason is that it is a good chance to learn and also mingle with others who are also on the same journey. It is also a good time to have some face time with your NUT. It is important to go to support groups because of team building. You help others and they help you. Everyone will be at different stages of the process and helping out others is equally as important as your own enrichment. I see a lot of the same goals achieved with active involvement in VST , but it is still just an online community without actual face time with people where you can connect through physical presence. Just my 2 cents on the matter.

I don't see why not, especially if you have a magic WLS card to show them. If they still don't believe you or give you a hard time, you can always just lift your shirt. No free shows though if you happen to be female. Lol.

Good job everyone! The process is just as important as the goal.

How much is too much to spend on yourself when achieving goal? Not saying a Harley is too much, but now I want to up my original goal "present" to myself. Too bad the economy is in the crapper though. I am a violinist and have always wanted a decent pro violin (read 30k, 50k and up), but I don't think I am going to sneak that one by my wife! Lol. Now I think I will need to stick with my 8k one. Just so you know, I am a software developer by day for a major company, fiddler by night. One glory moment was playing at showbox in Seattle with my celtic band years ago. Now, I mostly hang out with jam sessions.

Heh, I ate about 5 of these at once last night. A small amount in my mind because they are small. I had flames jumping out of my eyes and smoke coming out of my ears. I also had quite a bit of coughing, throat constriction, etc. thought I was going to pass out from the reaction. fair warning, these litter buggers are potent. Perhaps more so to us sleevers. They are a tasty treat though if you like crunchy and 5 * spicy.

You do not need to give up wine. Just be aware of the calories and the effect even 1 glass will have on you if you think you can still be the DD. also wait until you allowed to take it according to your doctor. Most doctors say to wait 3 months post op.

Completed my run and felt a bit "rusty" from sore glut. Strange problem to have, but I do feel better post run then pre-run so that is worth it. I ended up doing a really long pre run jog (10 minutes) and also extra stretches. The aches did bother me psychologically more then physically while running. Thanks again on your suggestions. I am going to give myself more of a recovery ( no crazy hill climbing or back to back runs) in between the running days.

This may seem like a simple question, but I have not really been able to find a good answer yet. Recently my gluts have been getting more sore after during run or after during hill climbing on my treadmill. For example, yesterday I ran 35 minutes and the did hill climbing on my treadmill at 4.0 MPH and 10% incline for 35 minutes. Today, my gluts are really sore. Is that normal or am I lacking proper muscle support in core? I also notice I clench a little in the gluts when running even though I internally think about relaxing them if I feel tight there. I have been trying to do additional stretching of my hip flexors before and after running, but this does not seem to relieve the soreness in the gluts. I am planning on running today for 1 hour in about an hour so would like some advice if you have it on additional stretching or types of strength training that would help with relaxing the gluts.

Perhaps you can find them from Amazon.com. They sell everything.

I would find it challenging to eat at a Mongolian grill because of the noodles. I would think you would want enough solid food experience behind you before attempting sans noodle. The reason is because if you do not use noodles then you are going to need to substitute veggies. And veggies are challenging to eat until quite a few months out, at least that is the way it was for me. I would stick to Orkney, chicken and seafood and skip the beef. Beef is hard to eat unless you have experience with it for a while. It was 6 months before I could eat beef comfortable. Now the other thing to consider is quantity as you are going to be able to only eat 3-4 ounces where normally one would fill up 1-2 bowls for a heaping plate some Mongolian food places make you eat everything in the dining area. If this is the case, it wouldn't be cost effective at all in my opinion. You should be able to add veggies into the mix if you are comfortable with eating them. Be sure to load up on the protein though because you want to eat that before the veggies. Be very conservative with the sauces you use because most of them are high calorie,except perhaps garlic water or sauces like that. Good luck!

I did have that experience up to 3 months. Now it takes no time for me to drink a Protein Drink, especially after a hard workout. And I do not feel stuffed any longer. It is almost like drinking Water for me.

Or even the margarita flavor crystal light.

Will try that. Thanks!

Sounds yummy. I miss the red lobster cheddar biscuits they bring out in a basket before the meal. it used to be one of my favorite resteraunt a pre sleeve because I loved all the different shrimps you get in the shrimp feasts, especially the coconut shrimp. If I go there to eat again, I might order some grilled shrimp, hold the butter, or some salmon.

The PPI also helps with perceived hunger. Even if you do not have it now, you may develop it later due to acid production. Not all acid production results in an acid reflux scenario ( never got it myself) but I have found that sometimes a PPI will help with my hunger. I have been taking a PPI daily since surgery for seven months and do not plan on stopping not only because of perceived hunger and potential acid reflux, but also because it protects me from any potential issues caused by taking NSAIDs for inflammation (note- did not take NSAID until post 6 months). Congrats on your success so far. Your numbers look very good, especially for daily protein goals. Not all of us were able to do 600-800 by 3 weeks out (myself included), so more power to you. You will, however, want to be careful about letting the calories creep up too high just because you can. I have found a good clean protein of between 3-4 ounces every 3 hours keeps my hunger and insulin levels stable all day long. No spikes and no crashes. For reference, my calories today at 7 months are between 900-1200 and I am quite active (15-18 running miles 3 days a week and strength training on alternate days). My carbs are still mostly low, but I do try and eat some small energy squares before running (about 120 calories and good carbs consisting mostly of a nut mesh). despite many NUTs encouraging folks to get protein from real food i still enjoy 2 shakes a day, 3 if I have an extra one after a long run. I am still losing (recipe for success: develop highly active exercise plan, 120+ protein, 100+ oz water, always eat clean - make good food choices and minimize carbs for every planned meal). in fact, dropped 5 lb from 2 weeks ago and am practically at goal ( will probably gain back 5-10 lb in muscle before stabilizing my weight). Hope this helps. As an aside, I thoroughly like my Canadian friends up north and enjoy long road trips to banff, jasper or other destinations. Except for that one speeding ticket I got up there...