COsleeveDude

If you feel like you're not losing enough or have stalled, move your VST ticker down a couple of pounds. Your brain will trick your body into giving up the weight. I swear it works, give it a try and post your results here.

You just gotta stay away from adding a lot of butter, sugar or cream to it. Oatmeal is great for digestion and cholesterol control I'm a lazy cook, so I have packets of the Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal in my cupboard. When I am really craving carbs I will sometimes eat a packet, but not every day. Probably once or twice every week or two: http://www.quakeroats.com/products/hot-cereals/weight-control/weight-control-variety-pack.aspx

Don't buy a treadmill. Anything worth buying will cost you at least $1,500 new, and then you have to maintain them. Go with a recumbent exercise bike or an elliptical if you're going to exercise at home. I would really recommend working out at a gym if you can. It is probably cheaper overall because decent home equipment is expensive. And the gym fights the number one exercise killer: boredom. Exercising consistently requires changes in routine to keep your mind and body from getting bored. Good luck.

The dented scars don't heal the same as raised scars, from what I've heard. For example, the surface treatment like ScarAway or Mederma won't help because they work by flattening raised scars. If it doesn't fill in some by itself you'll probably have to see a plastic surgeon if you want it "fixed." But, the scars overall get a lot better as time goes by. Even only 3+ months out my scars are starting to fade some. I got a massage the other day and the masseuse said she thought after a year the scars wouldn't be noticeable.

Get your mind out of the gutter. How many chicken breasts is everyone able to eat in one setting? One? Two? More?

I think the advice against gum chewing is a bit overstated for sleevers. A lot of the advice gets carried over from RNY. Chewing gum is definitely better than eating your hands. Manage the risk and chew some gum if you need to.

Sorry to hear about your friends. Did the smoker smoke before the surgery? I smoked years ago, but I haven't had any cravings for cigarettes for a long time. I think I would rather be fat than smoke. And I did put on about 30+ pounds when I quit smoking. My biggest "common" concern would be alcohol, but not necessarily because of addiction or alcoholism. It is easy to start going out more once you drop a few pounds because you feel more social and feel/are more attractive. Alcohol can add a lot of calories, and drinking can lead to other things like overeating, poor food choices, smoking, DUIs, sleeping with ugly people, etc.

One of the fringe benefits for men. I do enjoy breasts, but not my own. The double standards we apply to ourselves...

You can see them if you really want to. The before pic in my profile.

At six weeks you're past the timeframe most doctors seem to give for lifting restrictions (usually between 4-6 weeks). You probably just overdid it with the lifting.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but couldn't a heating pad promote infection and/or slower healing? Maybe I'm in the minority here, but take the painkillers while you have the excuse.

It's a balancing act. you just don't want to use one with too much sugar or too many carbs. You might want to start off with the low-cal and see how much you get in. If you need more Protein or calories to get to your goals you can always switch it up. Now I drink straight protein. Once you get a few months out you will probably be looking for the most protein with the last calories and carbs. Good luck.

Bide your time until you recover and then consider a change once you've had time to think things through. My philosophy is that life is too short to waste the good years in your 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond with people who take more than they give. Good luck.

Good luck.

Mmm baby. Here's a taste: http://www.hulu.com/watch/4184

Don't knock it until you try it.

Slept like crap without using the pain meds (for sleep, not pain) for the first few nights. I think sleeping sitting up would've been worse than lying down, but everyone is different.

I started lifting a little over two months ago, and my weight loss has definitely slowed way down since then. I am eating a few more calories and a lot more Protein. But, I lifted when I was younger for football, so my guess is that I am still losing fat while putting on more of the muscle I used to have. My pants size is still shrinking, for example, and I can already see a big different in the size and definition of my muscles. I would recommend not focusing on total weight loss or rate of weight loss as much as calorie intake, protein intake, physical fitness, how your clothes fit, and how you look naked. To me, the weight is just a number. I would rather be in shape and have some more muscle than weigh less. If you weigh less but have no tone, size or strength, to me, what's the point? But that's just my view. My next step is to go and get a body mass measurement (Bod Pod or DEXA), and then follow it up in 6 months to 1 year to see how my approach is working. Good luck.

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_21792234 Review: Technology helps with fitness goals POSTED: 10/17/2012 10:27:24 AM MDT UPDATED: 10/17/2012 11:16:23 AM MDT ByMICHAEL FELBERBAUM AP Business Writer This undated image provided by RCX5 shows the Polar RCX5 heart monitor.... ((AP Photo/Polar, USA) ) 1 2 3 » RICHMOND, Va.—Many of us know firsthand that losing weight and staying fit can be tough. For me, I started a journey a little over a year ago to get in better shape before my 30th birthday. While diet and exercise were the ultimate keys to my success, technology played an important role in keeping me accountable, tracking my progress and making my workouts more effective. Now that I've reached some of my fitness goals, I'd like to share the tools I used. These will be more important to me than ever as I try to maintain my weight loss and improve my strength and endurance. (Cue the "Rocky" theme song). ACCOUNTABILITY: Diet and exercise are the most important parts of losing weight or staying in shape. Technology helped me keep tabs on what I was eating and how many calories I was burning. I used MyFitnessPal, a free service that lets you maintain a digital diary of your food choices, cardio work and strength training. The service is very simple to use. Because you can update entries using a phone app or a website, you have almost no excuse not to enter the information no matter where you are. Apps are available for the iPhone, the iPad and Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices. When first using the program, you're prompted for such information as weight, height, age and activity level. That's used to create a plan for how many calories you should eat and what percentage should come from Protein, fat or carbohydrates. You can also set your own parameters. You then enter what you're eating (and drinking) for Breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as Snacks, throughout the day, and the app records the calories, fat, protein, carbs and Vitamins. MyFitnessPal has an extensive list of fresh and packaged foods to choose from. Choose an apple or a can of Campbell's Soup, and MyFitnessPal will add the nutritional information to your count. The database also includes popular recipes found in magazines, so you don't have to enter the ingredients individually. You can even copy an entire meal to another day if you're a creature of habit like me. Or use your phone's camera to take a picture of a barcode and have the app look up the nutritional information for you. But food is half the battle. MyFitnessPal also lets you enter your workouts and strength training. Just as you do with food, you simply select the activity, such as cleaning, walking the dog, taking a spinning class or, for me, playing ice hockey. Based on your personal health information, the service calculates the number of calories burned. While the numbers are only estimates, they provide a pretty solid guideline. Once you're done entering your information, you can look at charts, graphs and lists of your diet and exercise to get a better view of your day or week. The app will project your weight in five weeks and tell you whether you're eating too few or too many calories on any given day. You can even connect with friends and relatives who also are using the service to help keep you even more accountable and get ideas of different foods to try or activities to do. PROGRESS: While recording my food and exercise choices became part of my daily routine, tracking my progress helped motivate me to stay on track to getting in better shape. For this, I enlisted the use of the Withings WiFi Body scale ($159.99). This is no ordinary scale. It not only measures your weight, body fat, lean muscle and Body Mass Index, but it also connects to the Internet so you can keep track of your measurements through its website or an iPhone app (iPad and Android versions are coming soon). You can see how you compare to your personal goals and recommended health zones. You can have the scale automatically share your data with other online health coaching programs, or post results to a blog, Facebook or Twitter. There are no subscription fees. The scale can track up to eight different people, with separate accounts for each. A new version of the scale will be able to connect directly to your phone via Bluetooth. For those with iPhones or iPads, there also is a companion blood pressure monitor that hooks directly to your device and lets you know how your rates compare with normal ranges. EFFECTIVE WORKOUTS: Logging how many calories you burned during any activity can be a constant guessing game. Many gym-goers rely on general numbers that the treadmill, bicycles or elliptical machines provide, but those aren't always accurate. There are several options to help track your daily exercise routines. After trying a few different wearable monitors, including the Nike+ FuelBand, I found the most helpful tool was a heart rate monitor. Basic monitors in the $100 price range can encourage people to get active, while options costing more than $400 are available with accessories that can measure how far you're running or how fast you're cycling. I tested a Polar RCX5 ($349.95 for a basic set, with accessories for GPS and cycling available). After entering my height, weight and age, I strapped on the elastic band around my chest and clipped in the heart rate monitor that transmits data wirelessly to a unit on my wrist. After you choose a sport for that workout, such as running, cycling or swimming, the Polar times your workout and tracks your calories burned based on your heart rate. It also estimates what percentage of the burned calories came from fat. I found that moderate activities seem to burn more fat, but fewer calories, while higher-intensity workouts burn more calories, but less fat. Some of the machines at my gym picked up the information from my monitor and displayed my heart rate. When running outside or playing ice hockey, the heart rate monitor also gave me a better idea of how many calories I was burning (more than 1,000 calories in one hockey game). When you're done with a workout, all of the exercise information you record can be transferred through your computer to Polar's personal training website, where it's analyzed and tracked to help you reach fitness goals and train more effectively. Knowing about how many calories I burned during a given activity helped make my workouts more effective and understand how I needed to fuel my body accordingly. EXTRAS: Let's face it: Going to the gym can get kind of boring. But listening to music, or watching movies and TV shows on your mobile devices, can help keep you motivated while working out at the gym, jogging with the dog or getting pumped up for a hockey game. And even then, it's important to have the right equipment. For me, the PowerBeats by Dre ($149.95) stood the sweat test and still provided great sound and the option to answer phone calls and control volume from the earphones. In the locker room, I paired my iPhone to the Jawbone Jambox ($199.99) to stream music via Bluetooth before and after ice hockey games. This season's postgame song is "Closing Time" by Semisonic, as our games typically end after midnight. ——— Michael Felberbaum can be reached athttp://www.twitter.com/MLFelberbaum

You can find a lot of low-carb whey proteins at GNC. This is one I've used before, it's affordable and tastes decent. Only 3g carbs, 1g sugar per serving. http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3267268

Lifting weights. Decaf coffee. Sex. Hamburgling.

I would rather pee my pants.

Looks like research shows both work for type 2 diabetes, but bypass may give you an increased chance of better results. Gastric bypass vs sleeve gastrectomy for type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21339423 RESULTS: Of the 60 patients enrolled, all completed the 12-month follow-up. Remission of T2DM was achieved by 28 (93%) in the gastric bypass group and 14 (47%) in the sleeve gastrectomy group (P = .02). Participants assigned to gastric bypass had lost more weight, achieved a lower waist circumference, and had lower glucose, HbA(1c), and blood lipid levels than the sleeve gastrectomy group. No serious complications occurred in either group.

That's actually a pretty slick move by your surgeon, one less scar to see. I wonder if tattooing to cover up scars will become popular. My surgeon put one of my five holes in my belly button. I was pretty impressed with that, looks like it was the biggest one.