NewSetOfCurves

Lol! Thanks for making me smile! Hang in there, you'll lose it!!!

Thanks guys! I REALLY appreciate it!!!!

I agree! Just venting. It just seems there is ALWAYS an additional/hidden cost that the office failed to mention. I'm out of pocket and have pulled $$$ out of every corner to pay for this. Not many corners are left. Thankfully, all I have left is my final meeting with the dietician and I'll get my date. Thank you for for the pick-me-up

That is completely and utterly a great reason to celebrate, not goofy at all! Congrats!! Keep it up!!!

I can ONLY imagine, as I'm not sleeved yet. However, are you happy thus far, despite the obstacles you've had to face because of the surgery?

WOW!!! What a TRANSFORMATION JEFF & DEE!!!! Good for you guys! What an inspiration!

Check out the thread titled "best green superfood powder." Talks about powdered supplements with your fruits and veggies.

Thank you. FYI: I found some on Sear's website; however, for double the price.

Where are you?! Where can we send you care packages?!

I hear you on the $$$ for fresh foods! We are a family of 6 and all four of my kiddos LOVE fresh fruits and veggies. Instead of unhealthy snacks, I make little party trays filled with cubed or sliced chunks of fruits and veggies. I'll use low calorie plain yogurt or/and peanut butter as dips (kids really love celery and apples with peanut butter). Sometimes I'll make them a peanut butter and fresh banana sandwich on wheat or rye. For you parents out there, just FYI, my kids are loving this new healthy way of life. When I dice up the fruit on the weekends, I'll even place some in freezer-lock bags and freeze them for fresh fruit smoothies, or I'll freeze the smoothie and make them little serving cups of fruit sorbet (they REALLY love that). I'll spend anywhere from $200-$300 a week--on fresh foods alone--to keep my kitchen stocked. But again, that's for feeding a whole family. Stocking for a lone sleever or a smaller family should only be a fraction of that cost.

When you say that you add flavoring, do you mean via an extract? Flavored Water? Or what? You all have me really interested in this product.

Back in the day when fitness was my passion, one of the first things I learned was that an early A.M. workout (before breakfast), rather than a P.M. workout, was much more effective at burning fat. Why? Well, your body first burns off energy built up by calorie consumption. It takes the body about 30 minutes to burn up those stores before it begins to target fat burning. So, for those of you who’d rather hit the snooze button in the A.M., rather than get up and work out, remember that the first half hour of your afternoon/evening workouts are spent burning calories, not fat. Bottom line: workout in the morning and target fat burning faster! Article to support this: http://www.lose-weight-with-us.com/best-time-to-exercise.html

The best time of day to lift weight is in the evening. Why? Well, your body NEEDS calories in order to build muscle. Your body accumulates calories throughout the day, and—by the time the evening has rolled around—your body has acquired all the calories you’re going to get. For maximum muscle building potential, it is not a good idea to do any type of cardio before a weight lifting session. Why? Well, when you complete a cardio session you have not only exhausted your muscles, but you have efficiently and effectively depleted your muscles of its oxygen supplies. Why does that matter? It matters because building muscle is all about tearing and rebuilding. When you lift, your muscle tears; when your muscle tears, it starts to heal; when it heals, it accumulates more mass—hence, muscle building. Recovery is also a big part of muscle building. Your muscles need time to rebuild themselves when they tear. When you do not give that tear on your muscle an opportunity to rebuild or heal itself, you are effectively stopping it from growing. Bottom line: it is best to lift at night (before a cardio workout if you are an evening cardio person!) for maximum energy absorption and muscle building. Don’t forget to rest those muscles!

Thanks for info on casein. I was looking into it and read about it's ability to slow down the breaking down of protein for better protein absorption. So, you really didn't notice a difference when you started drinking it?

I'm so sorry you regret your decision . Do you mind sharing on here why?

My doctor actually recommends not drinking for a year after being sleeved. He says that your body absorbs the alcohol a lot faster and it takes very little to get you very drunk--making alcohol poisoning a definite possibility. He pleads with his patients that if they do decide to drink alcohol, to do it in extreme moderation, and DEFINITELY NO DRIVING!

Butterthebean is exactly right, your heart rate is your primary guide for determining calories burned. Even though the elliptical is typically a machine that will yield more calories burned, your feelings of working harder is a correct assessment due to the switch up and shock to the muscles. Your muscles are forced to utilize themselves in a matter that is unfamiliar to them--they haven't committed that type of exercise or stress into their "muscle memory." This is why shocking your muscles is so important, whether it's through switching machines, pace, resistance or weight. When muscles have committed an exercise into their memory, they don't work as hard and you don't burn as many calories.

You look great! Congrats!

Posted this last night...no responses, but I'm giving it another go becase im really interested in this product... Has anybody used this to help slow down the absorption/breakdown of protein? I've started an exercise regimen that includes 6 days of cardio (in the AM for maximum fat burning potential) and 4 days of strength training (in the evening for maximum muscle building potential). I'm still pre-op (5-6 weeks to go), but I've already began drinking shakes for breakfast and lunch, a small sensible dinner with protein and greens, and snacks between each meal consisting of 2% string cheese, nuts, and fruits (fruits only in AM to allow time to expend carbs)--caloric intake varies from 1200-1400 a day. However, I was thinking about adding a casein drink before bed time. I was looking at BioQuests Ultmate Casein (http://www.prosource.net/product_details.aspx?item_guid=CFE3CCC4-B3A8-4B24-919B-A559BE16F1D8). Anybody have any takes?

I happen to be a fan of the Muscle Milk's chocolate RTD's. Thank you for the suggestions!

Thank you. I'm happy to report that I've already dropped 24 pounds. When I was in college I was a certified aerobic instructor and weight trainer. I was into the shakes, egg whites, tuna, and all that nutritional stuff then. Lost my way after 4 kids and a full time job. Anyway, when researching slow release proteins, the casin products kept popping up. Must claim to slow digesting, enabling better absorption of protein. Of course, as most of us are aware, more protein = the potential for more muscle; and the more muscle we have, the more our body burns off that fat! I ordered one from prosource.net...I'll let you know how it goes.