Fiddleman

Anyone know if ON makes a good whey? I assume it is because their casein is top notch. I currently take and like synth 6 because it is a good mix of different protein types and it tastes good. However, I am considering the ON gold standard whey if others think it is good for muscle building and tastes good.

Thank you for your kind words.

You got me - I guess my thinking is very old school in terms of male, female, family and career. It is the way I was raised. It does not make it "right" or "wrong." It just is.

I took the family / career /male /female implicit quiz Results: Your data suggest a strong automatic association of MALE with career and FEMALE with family. Pretty typical. My responses were spot on and fast until block 7. Then I started to get my answers wrong and also slowed down in my response time. Clearly I have a typical association of male to career and female to family. Who would not?

Why single this poster out? I have seen a lot of referral posts like this; specifically, one not too long ago with regards to Bariatric choice which many members took advantage of. Yes, i placed a 100 order because it was all useful stuff for my wife and I. Yes, the original poster got 20 in credit for each referral and each buyer got a 20 deduction if they spent a certain amount. It this particular offer a blatant violation of the posting rules? Not sure about that because it is not any different from all the other referral posts which were not called out. There cannot be different application of the rules.

There are going to be days when your energy is "normal" and days when your energy is "low" as a post op. it is a normal response as you just went through major surgery and the first 6 weeks are critical for healing. The healing will take a lot of energy from you. Try and accept that there will be days when a 10 minute walk feels like too much. Both my wife and I went through the same experiences. Listen to your body. Drink even though you may not be thirsty. Eat even though you may not be hungry. Walking with your dog daily is so therapeutic for both of you. I am sure your dog will understand if you have to cut out a long walk as there will be another opportunity tomorrow. At least that is the deal I made with my dog when healing after surgery. Do not worry. You will be feeling great and full of energy in no time. Just give the healing process a little time.

Eating a low carb diet does help reduce belly fat as does cutting down on general inflammation in the body. High levels of inflammation is linked to high levels of cortisol. Cortisol tends to cause storage of fat around around the organs known as visceral fat. Visceral fat around the belly was one of my major issues pre surgery. No longer though. There are a few simple dietary changes you can try. First, make sure you are eating healthy dietary fat every day. You know, the omegas from fish or perhaps from olives, avocados and nuts. These sources of good fat will help you feel full faster by triggering the satiety hormone. Omega 3 is also easy to source from supplementation. The molecularly distilled variety is the best. Look for high sources of the active ingredients. Around 1000 mg is a good target to start out with. I take about 1 tbsp daily now to combat inflammation from exercise. Eating foods high in omega 3 also makes you smarter as a majority of the membrane connective tissue in the brain is omega. Omegas are an essential nutrient for a healthy body, yet the body cannot manufacture it. You must source it from food or supplementation. Next, look into good complex carbs that are low on the glycemic index. Foods high on the glycemic index tend to trigger a spike in the insulin response. When the glucose levels fall again, the body releases cortisol which leads to storage of fat around the organs. Such good complex carbs that are low on the glycemic index are steel cut oats. Apples are ok, but tend to be mid point on the index at around 55. Bananas are high on the index so be careful about those as with other sugary fruit. And always stay away from the obvious carbs like bread, ice cream, etc. Third, consider green tea because it is a super antioxidant for fighting the inflammatory response. Both hot green tea and cold green tea you can buy in the bottle will help.green tea is also an excellent source of theanine, a nootropic which helps you to relax and is said to improve focus and memory (there is a whole field on nootropics, for another discussion). Relaxation is key to keeping the cortisol levels lower. Theanine can also be purchased in supplementation form from most health food stores like Vitamin shoppe, GNC or even regular grocery stores. You can do core fitness work, but there is no way to target fat with exercise. Once you do eliminate the visceral fat around the belly, then core work is essential for strengthening and toning that region. There are so many interesting body exercises you can do to strengthen the core. Do not feel you need to do crunches.

Thanks - I do not know anyone local using ON so will see about small tubs or sample packs of it from either online or local retail. I do have to say that the deep double chocolate is a secret affair of mine every night. love it!

I do not know if I got lucky or not, but casein, I believe, was a contributing factor to losing the last 50 lbs to goal when combined with a fairly rigorous running exercise program. Now I drink / eat my casein every night for 6 months now and love it as a little "treat." I no longer run as much, but am working on strength 6 days a week in one form or another. Perhaps somebody knows here whether there are any negative artifacts from taking casein as a bed time snack. I do not know of any. And currently I do not skimp on the portion. I average about 2.5 scoops in about 12 oz of Water because I like it thick and creamy. That is about 60 G Protein. You do have to eat the " pudding" a little slower because it does cause restriction once the viscosity reaches a certain threshold. As for my morning Protein shake (5:30 am), it is about 40 g and my recovery shake after working out is about 50 g. I push above 200 G protein daily when considering shakes and regular foods, yet my muscle growth has stalled for a while now. Oh and sometimes I will have an extra Ostrim stick or a Protein Bar if hunger comes on. Weight either is stable or drops to lower end of range 173-178. I lift heavy 2x a week and do full body strength based workouts 3-4x a week. all workouts are 20-30 min. Calories are between 2000-2500 daily. Go figure. Maybe I should start eating the "mass" protein where each serving is 600-800 calories. However, I do want lean muscle and not fat added. Everyone I see compliments me on how good I look. I want to be stronger though and have more power. I certainly am eating the right diet, doing the right types of heavy compound lifting and busting through the challenge of full body exercises to promote the optimal environment for muscle growth. I know, i know, be patient...

Hunger as a post op affects us all. There is no way to avoid it. However, we can make smart decisions about the quality of food we eat and types of food we eat depending on time of day. Reaching for an Ostrim stick or something else that is a lean protein will satisfy hunger without causing a spike in insulin response. Eating your good carbs in the morning will help create energy for the whole day and not lead to conversion to fat (do not eat carbs after lunch). Try and eat low glycemic index carbs. Eating a small portion of lean protein (100-200 calories) every couple hours will keep your insulin response regulated throughout the day and hunger at a minimum. Do not forget the good fats. A tablespoons of healthy fat (fish oil for example) will help your body minimize inflammation and also help with triggering satiety. Inflammation is directly linked to storage off fat because of increased cortisol levels. I like to have a table spoon of cold fish oil every morning (flavored). Exercise in some form 30 minutes a day. Little tips like these make it easier to go day after day without having to deal with long term hunger and scale creep. This translates into a healthy long term prognosis.

I started taking it at month 6, one month before I hit my goal. Try it out at night and see if it helps you.

Thanks Curvy - I work out really hard, take my rest day, eat a ton of protein (almost 200 g) and am not bulking out past a certain amount. My weight also seems to be stuck at average of 175. This is good for my height (5'11") and I am really athletic fit, but all I want for Christmas is some lean muscle and muscular bulk. how hard does this need to be? I mean my caloric load is 2000+ a day, eating every couple hours, lifting really heavy a couple times a week, doing brutal hiit strength training on the other days and I still cannot seem to gain any more weight or lean muscle. Ok, whining over.

Around - super impressed with your bulk out and overall body conditioning! I wish I had the genes to do that.

Yeah Laura, no scaring the new post ops with your Grimm style bed time stories of sleeve failure. Just pulling your leg. We kiddies want to hear the good stuff. lalala, it is all unicorns and rainbows.

Typically the doctors talk about 60% of excess weight. I think that statistic is wacko anyways. Everyone I run into is not contributing to the 60%. I think it is all a mind set. If you really want to lose 100% excess, you will. However, it does take work.

You can do it! Good habits take 21 days to form and your body needs to adjust to the new form of "fun." Give yourself some leniency and know that all this hard work is going to pay off in many ways, not all of them physical.

Yup. - the casein Protein has really served me well. The only question is whether to try a new flavor or not. I love the Gold Standard double chocolate, but have been mentally toying with the idea of butterscotch or banana if they exist. Definitely eating casein has been nothing short of a win-win for losing weight pre six months and building muscle post six months.

Nice! Mt Pilchuck is such a great, and very popular, hike at the entrance of the mountain loop highway. It is in my back yard, literally; I can see it from my window. You might also like the hike on the other side of the valley called goat flats (three fingers). Or if you travel east on the mountain loop highway to barlow pass, mount Dickerman and gothic basin are quite beautiful hikes and a tad more challenging. Glad to see posts like this from fellow hikers!