2Big2Skate

Gum!??! One week out? C'MON MAN! Seriously though you might want to tell your doc. Swallow studies aint fun but it beats getting your staple line all fouled up. They can go get it if its lodged in there.

Yea we've all got our lumps from falling off the horse...hard. I wish you all the best in staying on this course of disciplined nutrition! (and i wish ME the same thing lol)

Are you looking for gym exercises? Or more at-home things? Upper arms you can do triceps extensions (basically anything that involves opening the elbow joint under load). Cable pull-downs are the most common. Or you can lay on your back on a bench and lift a weight from over your head to above your nose (dont drop it!). Some people throw light medicine balls to a trainer using a two handed overhead starting grip. I think that's the general motion you want. Inner thighs are hard. Some gyms have specific abductor/adductor machines, but from what I hear they don't work and are very embarrassing to use. Ice skating is a great tool for the area since you push away from your centerline then recover, over and over. So is tennis with the lateral bounding motion. You wont get bulk in the inner thigh area, but it'll burn whatever stubborn fat is there i bet. In the gym, I would say to generally build the quads and hamstrings and see if that doesn't improve the overall appearance. They're the biggest muscles in the area and they will burn fat locally and make skin more taught. Good exercises for these are lunges (holding dumbbells), squats, seated leg presses, leg extensions, and leg curls. Lastly, chat up any lady trainer you see at the gym. I bet they get this question a lot. All my best! jay

Jenn, How many calories do you think you eat a day? Can you chart it month by month since surgery? Even if its a guess? How are your portion sizes? How many meals a day do you eat? Do you graze? Logging your food is absolutely the right place to start. It sounds like you're looking in the right place. Be encouraged!

So happy for you! Congratulations to you both!

Cheeky, Do you use any tools to track your eating? If you don't, I highly recommend it. If you do, why don't you post a text log of it up here each day and we can all be your support group while you get back on track. I know a lot of people are linked up on fitbit and the websites. I know that accountability is a great friend when it's late and I reach for the fridge handle. Jay

Yes I was put on omeprazole 400mg once a day. I still had intense pressure in my chest which (after a swallow study and what not) they determined was acid. So they had me double it to twice daily and all my problems went away. Eating was easy. Where's your pain? Mine felt like pressure right under my sternum. I guess its acid crawling up the esophagus. Does it hurt when you drink Water? And when youve had nothing but liquids? (have to make sure you're not eating too fast or causing food to stack in the esophagus to know if its acid). For me, it was the worst with dairy, but even water caused it.

Your surgeon should give you a list of what they want you eating. For me, it was more calorie restriction, but they're all different. It sounds like yours wants you on a liquid diet. Do you have any paperwork from them with a list of acceptable things?

After WLS, booze is different. Your metabolism is obviously much different and alcohol hits you different. My buddy's mom had bypass and her "wine with dinner" turned into full bore alcoholism in seemingly no time at all. For me, I made the decision to become a tea totaler. I always enjoyed the flavors and feeling of a fine adult beverage. But with this new stomach, I really dont see much benefit there to outweigh the risk.

I was diagnosed with sliding HH as well. My doc said with the sleeve they're not correcting them if they're small. Something about the new smaller stomach wont be forcing up through the hole and everything fixes itself. That's my translation. I may not have understood it all. But he didnt add stitches.

I didn't intentionally misbehave and say goodbye to things. My attitude was, "ive eaten these things way too many times to count. Whats one more gonna do for me?" But I did slip up once and went way over my calorie limit in the two week pre-op diet. I also did some 'tasting' - chewing but not swallowing. It really helped me with those momentary urges when I'd smell something my wife made in the kitchen. The hands already on it, its in my mouth, NOW WHAT. Chew chew, spit it in the trash can. No harm no foul.

I think its volume/time. Premier are one of the thicker shakes. And if you're 9 days post op, I think it would take me half a day to drink one - if I had nothing else. How much did you put down and how fast. Your little space in there is about 2 oz right now.

What brand turkey jerky do you like? I LOVE jack links...

Age IS the problem - but its not my age that matters. There are a bunch of young punks in the league that like to show the grey hair's up. Then they take some liberties and we have to remind them that we can afford better insurance. It does keep the blood roiled up though. I admit I'm an adrenaline junky and I really miss the foxhole comraderie you get in the locker room. It's going to be hard to hide these scars though. I'm just going to have to fess up. Or tall them I had my gallbladder out or something. Sorry to get hijacked in your thread. I hope you're feeling better. Are you able to sleep through the night yet?

This is a good reminder for all that we should use the time immediately after surgery, when the restriction is the most evident, to form new habits and better behavior patterns. Not just small meal planning and eating but exercise, Water intake, and supplementation.

I stink at golf. What a waste of time. When I do go, old morons dressed like clowns yell at me and I almost get in a fight every time. Don't tell me to stop looking for my ball. It's MY BALL and I paid a lot of money for it. Unless that's YOUR Water it's sitting in, then I'm going to keep on looking. Go around if you're in a hurry, jerk. Some people. Ive been hurt worse in Hockey than just ribs. Mostly in "non check" house leagues. Full check is a lot less dangerous. People play with their head up and respect each other. I swear these once-a-week recreational goons come out looking to stab somebody. Especially if the flyers are doing well. That just eggs them on. The doc cleared me to resume skating soon. I'll post some pics when I start playing with a puck again (since its not only my weight loss goal but also my boardname!)

Just curious Jay, you said a couple of times you were busted up playing hockey.....What kind of hockey do you play...yikes!!!!!!!! Ice hockey! The only kind! =D I got busted up once in college pretty good (on a hit I initiated no less). And then when I was 28 I went into the low boards funny and got a hairline in one, plus some good spraining in the area. I didnt notice it due to adrenaline. But later that night I went to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack!

Thanks for posting this.

RJ, I feel for you. Nothing hurts like ribs. I've been through it from getting busted up in hockey a couple times. I remember it being winter and having a cough. I thought I was in hell. (If you don't have strong cough medicine... GET SOME-you can count it towards your liquids =D) I hope you can find a comfortable position to give you some peace to sleep. All my best, Jay

I highly recommend doing a session or two with a trainer. Think of it as "Introduction to the Gym 101" - well worth the money. It's important to learn the safe ways to work out. A common way to go is to break your workouts into bodyparts. When you workout, you are fatiguing and damaging muscle. It repairs itself and gets bigger and stronger in the process. But that limits what all you can do in a given session. Many people who are looking to build mass do a push/pull/legs routine over three separate days. Push muscles are anything that moves the weight away from your body (chest, triceps, shoulders). Pull likewise would be back, biceps. Some like to do shoulders with legs to spread it out. I will tell you that for people who are focused on weight loss and toning, over building mass and grunting, you can do more general full-body workouts with more reps and lighter maximums. The "time under load" depletes the cell's energy stores and will ramp your metabolism nicely. Another tip: to lose weight, work the biggest muscle groups, as they are more metabolically active. So I try to throw in something for hamstrings and quads every day. Finally, don't be afraid of free weights (as opposed to machines). They come in all shapes and sizes and many believe they give you a much better workout because the movement is not restricted for you. In other words, they coopt other muscle groups just to achieve balance as you lift them. I use a combination myself. Get a pair of gloves if you want to try them, it will make your experience better. This site has a list of dumbell exercises with pictures to show you the right way to do them. http://www.myfit.ca/exercisedatabase/search.asp?muscle=Dumbbell&type=Free_Weight_Exercises As with anything else, listen to your body. Write down your goals, by body part. Take notes, determine your strengths and weaknesses and make a plan to address them. If you feel weird, just put headphones on with music you enjoy, and tune the world out. There's not too many things that feel better than leaving the gym after a good workout!

I think they told me 103 meant trouble. Below that is probably all the other repair work going on inside your body. I know I felt warm a couple days after getting home.

Does this person struggle with their weight? I would say something like "Weight loss is simple, take in less calories than you burn, over an extended period of time. I've found a way to make a sustainable lifestyle out of that and I'm happy to share ideas with you. But you are being rude and I do not enjoy the constant badgering. Please change your tone or I will have to let my boss know you're making me uncomfortable, and I don't want to do that."

I'm a side sleeper and it took a good two weeks before it was comfortable.

I had two as well. I shortened it so it wouldn't prick my shirt. If it moves a lot, the area gets red and agitated. It's not a big deal if they have to go in and get it. Whatever it is they're trying to fix would mean your'e getting sliced again anyway.