Globetrotter

Hey everybody, So as I mentioned in another thread, I am doing the ADF, Alternate Day Fasting version of 5:2, it just works better for me psychologically, don't know if there will be any advantage loss-wise. Does anyone have opinions/advice on whether I should stagger my workouts to match my caloric intake? Like, should I save intense cardio for feed days, or do high intensity cardio on fast days on purpose, or does it even matter?

I look down the list of responses here and it's old home week, CLK, M2G, Sweetums, Oregon Daisy,FeedYourEye, Swizzly, we have all been here going through the business together and if I'm not mistaken, share roughly the same time frame. I was sleeved July 2010 and share the 3rd surgiversary with Coops. Coops, everything you said was so right on and to put your awesome accomplishments in perspective, to help you see just how great they are - The lowest I ever got was 164, and I've gained back up to I don't even know what because I'm genuinely frightened to get on the scale. It is crushing. I know a lot of it is my and my choices and what has happened in my life over the last 12 months, but I'm also battling against the Mirena, which I really do feel has helped pack it on. You think you are still overweight, do you know how much I would love to be "overweight" like you? I recently received a pretty devastating diagnosis that has left me reeling and one of the treatments for it is a type of steroid, and we know what those do ... But I apologise, I don't want to hijack this thread or steal your totally well deserved thunder. Coops, you just never give up and I admire the hell out of that, you keep moving forward and have such an awesome attitude, congratulations my sleeve sister! <3

green superfood powder, made with coconut water. Fiddleman has described it on VST, you can do a word search, I don't know how to describe it other than it is the stuff that juicers swear by for detoxifying and ultimate nutrition. I just made mine and took a sip and yeaach! like alfalfa dust in my throat, or sawdust!

About to have my green superfood drink, finished my shake a few minutes ago, does anyone know the hows of superfood drinking?

Haters gonna hate, end of story. Jealousy, fear, ignorance. Sometimes people who are a couple of pounds overweight comfort themselves with "well at least I'm not as big as her" thinking, and when you do something about it, it scared the ever livin $h!t out of them. You can't help/change these people. The people who love you or are just uneducated about it will come around as you start to educate them about it, those are the ones who will start asking the good questions. The others just have their own sickness to deal with and you gotta do what's right for you.

All you can eat sushi? That sounds terrible. I enjoy the small artfully prepared dishes.

This topic gets posted every couple of months, every time a new cycle of post-ops starts hitting their confidence stride in their weightloss, just do a VSG search on "dating". To tell or not to tell, that is the big question apparently. I have not told, but then again, I've never been asked. If I were point blank asked, I would not lie, but who starts off a date by talking about the organ they've had removed? I mean, if you are under 65 that is. ;P I imagine that it is easier for me, as a woman, nobody is going to question my miniscule portions (unfortunately! don't get me started on the psycho-social implications of THAT...) But for men, I imagine it is a bit more difficult, there are certain tricks you can do like anorexics do, cutting the food up strategically, hiding some foods underneath others, but that's probably not healthy and I don't recommend. Instead, just eat as you feel, stop when you must, and answer questions honestly - if asked. Also, dates ARE social occasions, you aren't there to eat really , so it is perfectlyl acceptable to do lots of talking and listening in between (tiny) bites. And if all of that sounds like too much - just eat Japanese! Teensy plates of beautiful sushi are my trick for first dates

Well, frankly, I'm pretty desperate and have nothing to lose by trying - except 70 unwanted pounds! It is just heartbreaking, when I think of how close I got ... my lowest (albeit induced by gallbladder attack diarrhea, sorry) was 164 and how how good I felt about myself! I could say that I was only 14 pounds away from surgeon's goal and only 25 from personal, it all seemed so possible! Now ... I am genuinely afraid to step on the scale, the last time I did it said 194 ... I know most of it is my "fault", but I really do think that getting the Mirena had something to do with it - my body is in a constant state of PMS/"pregnant", swollen sore breasts, cravings, weight gain...

Hey Coops, how is the boxing going? Today is a fast day, I plan on chain-chugging hot herbal tea all morning, have a very late lunch of a protein shake, a green superfood powder drink, and then dinner of a salad (what's up with the salad cravings lately, or maybe it's the fat in the dressing I'm craving?)

I took 3 weeks off after VSG before returning to my desk job and even that was too soon for me. Also, I believe that sitting still for too long after surgery leads to adhesions, maybe get one of those giant balls to sit on at your desk?

I'll add something to this: Things I Miss. At 3 years out (surgiversary in July), I no longer experience some of the honeymoon wonders of VSG. I miss being stuffed to the gills after only 1 scrambled egg, I miss the straight up disregard for food, the lack of desire. I miss weight just sliding off, like clockwork, no matter what else was going on I could step on that scale every other day and I would be down a pound a half. But there are still things I love: I love that I can do a reset, I can go back to mushies/liquids/low cal and after 3 days my restriction is back. I love that I can order a normal portion of food when I'm out with my friends and not secretly wanting more or ordering big dishes plus appetizers plus dessert, instead I order 1 item, eat 1/3 of it, and have great leftovers for the next 2 days! I love being able to drink a protein shake and be genuinely full from it. I love that, even on so called non-stop eating days when I feel like a grazing cow, I'm still only taking in about 1200 calories. I love that, even though head hunger is a real issue this far out, I also have learned the tools to cirmumvent my brain. If the sneaky brain wants to make me eat uncomtrollably, I can be clever too - when I feel that sort of thing coming on, I quckly stuff myself with raw salad greens, baked or boiled chicken, and cheese - and don't drink. These foods have proven to be stickers with me, as opposed to sliders. Hopefully I can head off the psychological food anxiety at the pass and by the time the food has digested, I'm no longer in danger of making a grievous error.

Just saw your pics, the sites where the drains are, are they going to make "dog ears" that are going to have to be corrected later? Also, you showed pics of what I think are your thigh incisions, but not of the actual thighs themselves, before and after, to get an idea. I'm most concerned with my thighs and arms, because the abdomen can be dressed and disguised but the arms and thighs can't. Maybe it's just the way I've lost the weight but my upper thighs are just empty shriveled pudding skin and no matter how thick the fabric, they look quite misshapen in pants, more like a pair of funky arms rather than legs :/ I have to wear a long leg body shaper several sizes too small and loose legged trousers in a stiff fabric in order for my legs to look nice.

Is it still considered a fast day if you have 800 calories, not 500? v_v I was fine and good all the way until dinnertime, I really wanted salad, but I knew that if I went to the DIFAC to get some salad, that I would not be able to get out of there without also getting high fat dressing and a portion of dinner. I had about 1/3 cup beef vegetable stew with about 1/4 cup rice, salad with caesar dressing, and a green apple for dessert. This brought my cal count to 800 for the day. So, I guess I failed another fast day v_v

coddled or soft-boiled egg, a colorful smoothie, cottage cheese with cinnamon and honey, a very soft scramble with lots of butter.

no pain with toys, hmm? Interesting... perhaps that is because the toys are self-directed, and who knows your body better than you ... So often we take the responsibility on our shoulders as women, is there a slight chance that ... it's his technique?

Hi there sweetums! I thought I was such a genius when I "invented" the mustard vinaigrette, only to discover that this is the essential vinaigrette the French invented centuries ago :/ oh well, it's delicious!! your favorite oil (olive, walnut, coconut, etc.) a very strong unadulterated mustard like stone ground pepper vinegar to taste, balsamic if you want to get fancy!

Actually, the website said that there was no significant difference between 5:2 and 4:3, but that ADF did show a marked increase. Psychologically speaking, for me, it is easier to do ADF, since I don't get "used to" the higher eating.

In addition to changing my lifestyle to ADF, I am also making the major lifestyle change and total change of approach to exercise by bringing Body for Life and Strength for Life on board. 500 cals today, maybe less.

three days now I have tried to fast, without success. day before yesterday was supposed to be a 500 cal fast day, I think I had closer to 700. fail. Today was supposed to be a fast day and I had 1400. mega fail. so tomorrow will have to be fast day

When I recently went home on R&R I took only one small backpack, I hate luggage. So I only had the bare minimum, the clothes on my back and some pairs of underwear. I celebrated my 3rd surgiversary this month and it is still a thrill to be able to walk into any cheap store and just select a tee shirt off the pile At target I just went straight to the juniors section where there was a pile of soft deep V neck tees "the boyfriend tee" lol, and just grabbed a large, trusting that it would be just fine. And it was! Didn't even try it on till after I came back from R&R. love that!

Okay, deep breaths ladies!! It is actually quite touching how this worry comes up, like clockwork, here on the forum every few weeks, with every batch of new sleevers (this month I'm 3 years out). Here's the deal: Though invasive, lap band surgery is nowhere near as traumatic as VSG, and the weight loss is different. Your body is recovering from major surgery, you just lost 80% of one of your vital organs, it's going to take time. If you had just had your appendix removed, or gallbladder surgery, would you be humpin' it up within a week? As for sex drive: once you have healed physically and the weight loss has begun in earnest, you will ABSOLUTELY see a change. A very funny, slightly alarming, change. As you begin to lose fat rapidly your body is flooded with all of the estrogen that was trapped in the fat cells, making you super super horny, a sexual T-Rex, a Sex Rex, if you will . This usually happens around month 2 and you will be back here on the boards, posting about how you have become a sex maniac and you are draining the life fluids out of your SO and omg sex is SOMUCHFUN!! That lasts for about 2 months on its own, but if you are instilling good exercise habits during that time, once you have lost a significant portion of your weight and have also become fit from all the exercise, you suddenly discover SKINNY SEX, and then there will be the phase of posts about that here All the positions you can suddenly do, the stamina you have, the sensations you receive because he can now go deeper than before, etc. etc. So, in summation, this is all perfectly normal, there is nothing wrong with you, have some open dialogue with your SO, and above all, take tender care of yourself and give yourself time to heal.

Yeah my first thought upon reading the OP was cervical polyp, with the pain you are describing it doesn't sound like a dryness issue which would hurt from chafing, but not be this screaming pain you describe. Defintely definitely go see a gyno. And you know what, a therapist too: I had no idea how many issues I had been masking with food for so long, until I had lost 130 lbs, was super awesomely fit, and dating hot dudes every night of the week. Then suddenly I realized, though the suitcases are smaller, I have a lot of baggage!! lol. For us women with sex, it all starts in the brain anyway.

How are your sun salutations? I too have a lot of tightness in the back of my thighs and calves and achilles, if I begin my sun sals with a simple bend at the waist dangle, I can actually see my hands getting closer to the ground as my spine releases. And, as much as it is not a favorite of mine, the longer I stay in downward dog, the better it is for me. They say that your position hasn't really begun until your body starts talking to you/protesting, that's the point where you are supposed to breathe into it and go deeper. Also, a Xfit trick - the tennis ball mash-out: take a tennis ball, lay down on it, positioning it under the stiff spot, and then gently release your entire body weight into it, breathing into the (good) pain. Once you are acclimated to it, gently roll around on it, really mashing it into the fibers. Hurts so good!!

Research your fats, as they are not all created equal. High MUFA's (mono-unsaturated fatty acids) are awesome, beef fat and vegetable oil - not so much. Also, when you eat your fats is key, what you eat them with, and their ratio to your fiber intake. You might want to try the 5:2 method, many of us are starting to see positive results.

I know one of the administrators eats above that, and FeedYourEye does as well.