WillInAtlanta

I didn't convert from a lapband...but have you been to one of the classes at emory jc that dr Johnson and dr hart have? After I went, I got a call like 2 days later to schedule an appointment.
I started this process quite a few times in the past, but I can honestly say that both dr Johnson and dr hart care and they want people to physically be at their best in the end. It's been a pleasure dealing with both of them.
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WillInAtlanta, I just want to make an observation that your first 2 paragraphs in the orginal post are full of wonderful joyous things, and then we get to this little issue in paragraph 3. I am not trying to belittle the discomfort you feel about the current state of your physical body. It is very real & I have been there myself & still fight it regularly. But I just read the other stuff and thought, "wow, that's great that he's found someone & they're both into each other. so, why let the issue get in the way of your joy!"
I know it isn't always easy to accept our bodies at every size, but the truth is we will never be perfect. No one is. And if someone else (like your man) can love us at any size., then I feel like we deserve to show ourselves that same love.
You deserve to be happy! Ain't no muffin top gonna stop you!

In 20something years of off and on working out, I haven't ventured much from treadmills and ellipticals. What are some things that I can do to work on my core?
Thanks in advance
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Never depend on motivation to get through exercise. For some, it's a job just like the 9 to 5. When i was utterly sick of the gym I found this quote and saved it:
"No motivation however does not mean I won’t do the work. work needs to be done. I will never rely on motivation. Too risky"
Full post on her blog: http://paulinefitnes...m/?s=motivation

I see this topic come up from time to time in here and I am FIRMLY in the hire a trainer camp. But I wanted to share an NSV that I had this morning. 24 sessions ago the trainer I hired did a baseline test on me which left me exhausted and wondering WTF did I get myself into. The baseline test was the following:
200 meter walk
12-9-6 of Squats, Pushups and Rows
200 meter walk
My time was 13:34 seconds.
Today we repeated the baseline test to see improvement and if you are like me I love me some numbers and percentages! I did the above workout in 9:30 seconds for an improvement of AT LEAST 32%, BUT I modified the workout with the above to make it even tougher!
I RAN both 200 meters...instead of walking
For all the squats I pushed DEEPER instead of wimping out half way down
Pushups were lower on the bar instead of higher where it was so easy...
Rows were on the rings and feet flexed
So my point is while I push myself harder each session with my trainer, this is proof positive that I am healthier, faster, stronger!
So if you were waffling or had a question about whether it will be worth it, I urge you to consider it.

Thank you, Will! I appreciate the kind words. And I'm happy to be inspiring folks on here since I have been very inspired by others as well. Keeps us all motivated & on track for sure. Congrats to you & Good luck on your journey!

You look great! You're definitely an inspiration to me. I'm only 8 weeks out
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I hope everyone had a great day. I was overwhelmed with emotions all day. It was such a historic day for gay rights. It makes me so happy that my marriage is now federally recognized.

Glad I bought one of these t-shirts in my partner's size 6 months ago - now it's mine!

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks, i did go to work this past Tues and Wed for partial days, was good to be in the office for awhile and then enjoy the longer weekend. Did have a social dinner to go to on Friday, so I just had onion Soup and just drank the broth and had a very small amount of cheese. Now doing some pureed foods. Getting liquids in but not all Protein yet, but now that i can do some foods that helps, in fact did some poached eggs today, and do a small JIf Peanut Butter cup with SF pudding - doing mashed potatoes with very finely chopped turkey cold meat slices with some gravy. Tomorrow will do some chili pureed. Only issue is that some things go in ok, and then come out quicker and faster and wetter (sorry) than I would like. i guess that is my stomach adjusting to the switch from just liquids to foods and it just trying to be somewhat normal again
I drank diet sodas like crazy (at least 5-6 cans a day) pre-surgery now mainly do some milk, Water and reduced sugar grape juice - i don't crave my soda but do miss it, and maybe one day I will try a small amount again, but not in any rush
I am lactose intolerant - which seemed to be intensified after the surgery - which really impacts the Protein drinks and shakes, so I am hopeful that will get better over time
The best part of course is that i am now down a total of 38 lbs - 18 before surgery and 20 since - so that is working , now i just have to stay focused on the drink and the right foods etc

Looking great buddy!!!
I see you're losing layers of clothes too - you'll be posting nude photos in no time!

I just recently had my 3 month follow-up visit with my surgeon. It wasn't always the easiest over these past few months, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I am now down over 90 lbs. I am pretty amazed by the results thus far.
I figured I would share some photos for the first time -- after many years of never wanting to share any full body photos at all.
I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but so far I am really pleased with how well the gastric sleeve has helped me transform my life.

Surgery was Monday at 8 am. Only took 1hr 20 min. dr said it went fast as all was good. Took pain Med only till Tuesday at 5 am. They took drain out and then was released Tuesday and home by 6 pm. Slept well most of night on both sides...I do not sleep well on my back......up most of today, gas is around but walking helps......not overly thirsty so hard to get all liquids in....so far did 1/2 bottle of Water, 1/2 sugar free Popsicle, a few bites of Jello and lots of ice chips. Not in pain but certainly tender. Everyday I hope keeps getting better. But so far it's been expected.

I just ate a cold delicious juicy pear for my afternoon snack.. 96 calories and the exact right amount to satisfy. The old me would have needed to eat two pears and a couple ounces of brie, and half a dozen rice cakes to even feel like I've had a snack. I've always wanted to be able to have a single 100 calorie snack and feel 100% satisfied! It's like a dream come true!
I just have to say how much I LOVE my sleeve! It just makes me feel so NORMAL!

I'm only four weeks out. pizza used to be one of my favorite foods and there was a time in my past that I could eat half of a large one. Today I see myself passing over the pizza for a better Protein source.
Can someone pass me a box of tissues?

almost 3 months out and 1 without the crust at the end.

Five weeks out and pizza is just a vague memory.

Cardio gets the fat off! If you’re in the early stages of this weight loss, I just want to share and point out, that the best thing you can do to see inches lost and pounds keep coming off is Cardio! And tons of it. Cardio can be boring. I’ll agree. But it’s soooo effective in getting the heart rate up and also building the endurance required to get through those intense weight training sessions when they are added into your exercise regimen.
I have been doing some tests on myself just trying to figure out my body. I am a gym rat at this point nearly 7 months post op. I do a lot of strength training and cardio. I notice some weeks I just don’t have the energy reserve to weight train, but because my endurance is so great I just go cardio crazy just to say I didn’t sit on my a** all week. This usually happens about 1-2 weeks before my menstrual comes along. I notice during this period I lose pounds (somewhere between 4-6 pounds in a week if I go consistently 5 days straight at 1 hour each day). Then when I jump back into my weight training, there is no loss, but rather a small gain (usually about .5-1 pound) but inches are loss. I’m guessing this is because muscle is replacing fat, and a pound of fat is much fluffier than a pound of muscle, thus why weight stays the same but body looks and feels smaller. Unintentionally I have been playing this game with my body, and it happens to work! Bodybuilders would call this cut and bulk phasing. Where they’d do massive weight training and eat like crazy to bulk up and gain some serious muscle, then do massive cardio and cut calories to cut some serious fat. They play this game alternating week by week sometimes longer, and this is what creates that chiseled ripped look. You bulk up for muscle, and cut to get rid of excess fat!
In spite of it all, if you’re beginning to work out, don’t overwhelm yourself trying to weight train. Leave that for later when you’ve plateaued and want to switch up your regimen and jump start your metabolism. Just get into cardio for now. Your intake is already limited. The cardio will do its job for you. Become comfortable (not bored) with it. Switch it up. Try walking 30 minutes a day. When that gets easy, try a treadmill at the same pace but with an incline. You’ve doubled calories burned that quick! When that gets easy, jump on the elliptical (low impact and easy and burns a ton of calories once you get your breathing right). When that gets easy, add the stair master. Incorporate programs like 0 to 5k to increase endurance. Just work on that heart! It is essentially what burns fat and boosts the metabolism. Once you’re good with that, start weight training. You’ll have the endurance necessary to get through the workouts, and you’ll begin to tone and build muscle.
The best thing for your body at this stage in the game is to get active. Don’t just sit around because your stomach is the size of a tennis ball and wait for the weight to fall off! Be proactive! Nothing worse than a skinny fat person! Meaning a person that is in the ideal weight range as far as BMI but has a body fat % of over 30%. Believe me, most skinny people are fat! Also don’t get bogged down with BMI charts. They are very misleading. For example, a man 5’8 at 200 pounds is considered to have a bmi of 30 which is obese. But what if he is only 8% body fat (like most bodybuilders)? Is he really obese or unhealthy? Or in vice versa, a female that is 5’5 at 130 pounds and 38% body fat. Her BMI is 21 which is in the normal range, but she is unhealthy. Build muscle, burn fat! And the best way to jumpstart that is cardio. You will look better and feel better.. hope this helps you guys, especially the beginners!

My surgery date was May 13th 2013......
Pre op weight - 263
Date of surgery - 257
Current weight - 225

Cigna is a stickler for the details. I was denied on my first round because my 3 month span with the NUT was only 89 days and they wanted to see 90 (thanks feb for being 28 days.) I met with my NUT immediately, they resubmitted, and I was approved days later. I was sleeved 5/23
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I was sleeved 5/23
My SW 419lbs
My current 357
Lost 62 lbs so far.

Well did the final pre-op yesterday, tomorrow is my all liquids and then Monday at 8 am it happens - nervous, scared, worried, but I know its the right thing to help me get back on track.

Haven't been on in a LONG TIME! I posted some new pics! For some reason they are all F*#K@D up as far as being upside down, etc and I have rotated them and saved them but they still revert back :-/ but you can rotate them to view them. Anyway just wanted to update and share my progress...I am down to 170! 5 lbs to my original goal! I'm thinking I may try to get to 160 though depending on how i feel/look at 165. Hope everyone is doing GREAT!
Johnathan

I feel the exact same way! I am on day 3 of my 10 day preop... its been hard but my driving force is that I know I will be better off. Good luck to you!

Surgery scheduled for July 8th I'm in Cumming GA. I start my 2week liquid diet Monday! I have been ok with everything so far but now I'm unsure?!?!