Tim H.

My mom will be traveling with me to Tijuana. Today she received a rejection letter for her passport because the birth certificate she sent was not the correct long-form birth certificate. We no longer have enough time for her to apply for a new birth certificate and a new passport. Has anyone here been able to cross back into the US with only a drivers license and a birth certificate?

You're beautiful

I spend about 60 minutes doing these routines. I'll try to go home and have a Protein shake immediately afterwards. If I'm not able to go home, I keep some Protein Bars in my gym bag and have one of those. I don't really care about bulking up. Just general toning. I always get at least 70g of protein...try to hit 100 on gym days. I like jerky and usually make my own, but I'm out right now. Might put a batch on the dehydrator this weekend. Thanks for the tips.

Thanks. I try to take two days off after Workout Three before going back to Workout One. That gives me about 72 hours to let my muscles recover between Pulling/Pushing days. It looks something like this: Mon - Pulling Day Tue - Off Day Wed - Lower Body Thu - Pushing Day Fri - Off Sat - Off Sun - Pulling Day Mon - Off Tue - Lower Body Wed - Pushing Day Thu - Off Fri - Off Sat - Pulling etc....

My main goals with working out are to gain some strength (I hated how weak I was in the months following surgery) and to tone up my body and try to combat this loose, flabby skin. My major problem areas are my chest (manboob alert), upper arms (very flabby batwings), and stomach. I know that no amount of working out is going to solve all my problems, but I'm hoping to see some improvement. Right now, I'm going to the gym 4 days a week. I cycle between the following three workouts. Any critiques/advice/tips would be greatly appreciated. Workout 1: Pulling Day 1. Machine Row - 4 sets (12,12,10,8) 2. Machine Pull Downs - 4 sets (12,10,10,8) 3. Machine Bicep Curls - 4 sets (12,12,10,10) 4. Assisted Pull Ups - 3 sets (10,10,10) 5. Lat Pulldown - 4 sets (12,12,10,10) 6. Rear Delt Fly Machine - 3 sets (10,10,10) 7. Dumbbell Shrugs - 4 sets (10,10,10,10) 8. Incline Pull - 4 sets (12,12,10,10) 9. Ab Machine - 4 sets (20,20,20,20) 10. Tricep Rope Pull Down - 4 sets (10,10,10,10) 11. Rear Delt Machine #2 - 4 sets (10,10,10,10) 12. Arm Extension Tricep Machine - 4 sets (10,10,10,10) 13. Dumbbell Rows - 4 sets (10,10,10,10) Workout Two: Lower Body Day 1. Sumo Squats - 4 sets (12,10,10,10) 2. Goblet Squats - 4 sets (12,10,10,10) 3. Seated Leg Press - 3 sets (10,10,10) 4. Leg Extensions - 4 sets (10,10,8,8) 5. Leg Curls - 4 sets (10,10,10,8) 6. Seated Calf Machine - 4 sets (15,15,12,12) 7. Standing Calf Machine - 4 sets (15,15,12,12) 8. Sled Machine - 3 sets (10,10,10) 9. Bar Squats - 3 sets (10,10,10) 10. Kickback Machine - 4 sets (15,15,15,15) Workout Three: Pushing Day 1. Smith Machine Bench Press - 4 sets (10,10,8,8) 2. Machine Incline Bench - 3 sets (8,8,8) 3. Machine Triceps Extension - 4 sets (10,10,8,8) 4. Dumbbell Military/Shoulder Press - 4 sets (10,10,8,8) 5. Machine Lateral Raise - 4 sets (10,10,8,8) 6. Chest Fly Machine - 3 sets (15,12,12) 7. Dumbbell Flys - 3 sets (10,10,10) 8. Dumbbell Chest Press - 3 sets (10,10,10) 9. Assisted Chest Dip - 3 sets (10,10,10) 10. Overhead Press - 4 sets (10,10,10,10) 11. Decline Press - 4 sets (10,10,10,10)

I'm really new to the world of weightlifting and working out. I had never set foot in a gym before November of last year, and I'm 35 years old. Now I go about 4 times a week. I started on the machines at some of the lowest weights because I was so freaking weak, but am gradually adding more each week. Last week I added dumbbell exercises to my routine and hope to add barbells soon. I can't afford a personal trainer, so I really just kind of developed my own plan after reading up a bit online. I feel myself getting a little stronger, but I wonder if I'll truly be able to make great gains since I'm so limited in the amount if calories I can eat. Right now I'm at about 1400 calories a day with 70-100 grams of Protein. I just bought some creatine monohydrate and will start taking that tomorrow. If I were to post my workout plan, would some if you with more experience critique it?

Congrats. I'm 10 months out. I've dropped from a 6x to a large in shirts and from a 48 to a loose 32 in pants. It's so hard keeping up with clothes. I bought a lot a couple months ago, thinking I wouldn't lose anymore. Oops. I was wrong. Goodwill has been a wallet saver for me

Highest weight: 380. Surgery day: 355. Current weight: 187. (Sleeved March 18, 2013 with Dr. Garcia in Tj, Mx). [ATTACH]40944[/ATTACH]

I had my surgery in March of 2013 with Dr. Garcia. It was a great experience. I've lost a little over 160 pounds, and I'm about 20 pounds from goal. I have had no complications at all. I do monitor my calories closely, and I keep in contact with Dr. Garcia through his Facebook page. He is wonderful about answering any questions I have. I've even emailed him copies of some blood work that I had done here in the states at my 6 month post op point, and he looked it over and have me some advice. I would not hesitate to recommend him. (I had another friend use him, and she is doing well too...no complications or issues.)

Everything is running extremely slow for me.

Tomorrow will be exactly 8 months since I've been sleeved. I'm down 150 pounds.

goo.gl/d2esDP I buy them at Wal Mart in the refrigerated seafood section. The link I posted shows what the packaging looks like.

I realize this might not be for everyone, but one of my go-to snacks from the beginning has been Louis Kemp imitation crab legs with a small amount of cocktail sauce. 3 legs are only 70 calories and have 6 grams of protein. My sleeve tolerates them very well. They last a long time in the fridge, and are pretty filling.

Has anyone else tried these? I really like them. They are exclusive to Wal Mart and can be found on the cereal aisle with the breakfast bars. They are $3.88 for a box of five. A little high in carbs, but not terrible. Per bar: 210 calories, 14g carbs, 7g sugar, 21g of protein. They also have a Double Chocolate and a Chocolate Mint flavor. I enjoy them all, but the Peanut Butter is my favorite. [ATTACH]19598[/ATTACH]

You're welcome. I thought they were a pretty good find.

I never had a regular exercise plan, although I do plan on starting one soon. Weight loss has slowed a bit now. Even though I didn't have a regular plan, I stayed active from the beginning and tried to do some sort of physical activity at least three times each week. Things like walking, mowing the yard, gardening, etc. I was outside a lot over the spring and summer.

I had my surgery 6 months ago today! I've dropped from 355 to 230. I've still got a long way to go, but I'm happy with my progress so far. [ATTACH]18544[/ATTACH]

Wishing you luck!

I'm doing great. I've had no complications and I've been losing weight consistently. I'm very happy with my decision. I hope you are too.

Timh_ok Diary is open. It keeps me honest

I had surgery with Dr. Garcia in March. I went through the Ready4A Change website. Very good experience. I flew to San Diego with a guest. Our plane tickets were about $325 each. We both had to have a passport card. We could have bought a passport, but the passport card was cheaper and worked just fine. They picked us up at the San Diego airport and drove us to Tijuana. We stayed in a hotel two nights, hospital two nights, then the hotel one more night. They drove us back to San Diego airport the next morning to catch our departing flight. The cost was $4700 for everything except plane tickets. You will also want to take a little spending money and money for tips.

This week I'm five months out from surgery. In the first four months, I dropped from 355 to 246. I've been stalled between 250-246 for the past month. I also ask myself, "Is this it?" I'm hitting protein, water, and calorie goals every day. I'm staying fairly active. So, I hope this next month will be better on the scale.