tekjr1

Thanks for the advice. I have been doing some intervals and I have gotten faster. I ran 2.8 today in 35 including 5 minutes of warm up walking. Immediately went into pool and swam 1000 yards and followed up with a leg workout. I'm slowly getting there but for the first time in many years I am considering myself an athlete.

Congratulations, I'm one year out from VSG and have lost 110. Yesterday I registered for my first sprint triathlon. I train 5-6 days per week in the gym. I run, swim indoors and bike on the road. I strength train every day. My 5k time is a little slow, 38 minutes and I consider the run my weakest event. Any words of advice for a very new "Bariathlete"? Congratulations again, I know what you mean about the scale, its not hear as important as my fitness goals.

I hesitate to weigh in here but I'm curious if anyone else is in the same boat as me. I'm one year out and have returned to a very active lifestyle. I'm currently training for a sprint triathlon in September. I normally do about 1.5 hours of cardio per day in one of the disciplines (swim, bike run) and another 30 minutes of strength training 5x per week. On the weekends I usually ride my bike (racing pace 16-18 mph) for 40-60 miles. My nutritionist/RD has told me to get at least 1800 calories per day and 120-130 grams of carbs. 130-150 grams of Protein. I still have about 35 pounds to lose after dropping 105.

I'm 10 months out of surgery and have started getting active again. I have run in 3, 5k races and have completed a couple of 35-40 mile rides. I have committed to a local sprint length triathlon. Currently, I am focusing on my swimming and will be working on my brick training soon. Good luck, I know how I'm also a little nervous about the whole thing. I've told myself that I am participating not competing. I'm doing it for me as my 55th birthday. Hope you do well.

I too have to motivate myself to run. Its not my favorite discipline but there is nothing that gives you that same feeling as running. If you work your body hard enough it will reward you by producing "feel good" hormones that I have never been able to replicate with other cardio activities. I bike and I swim which I enjoy more, but there is a reason they call it a runners "high". I run for the feeling it gives you.

Techynerd, it sounds like we have adopted similar post surgical lifestyles in regards to being active. I am training for my first 5K run (in over 15 years) on Thanksgiving. I get to the gym 5-6 times a week and participate in a variety of fairly intense cardio workouts. I run 2-2.5 miles on the treadmill about 3x per week and do a lot of rowing on the ergometer. I attend 2 cycling classes each week. I have hit a stall for the last month. I have lost 90 pounds in 6 months and hit a wall. I know I'm eating correctly and definitely being very active. I record my food in MFP and take in about 1500-1700 per day. My Bodymedia fitness monitor says I usually burn about 3000 per day. I should be losing. What did you do when you hit these stalls? Congratulations on your success. I wish you long term successful consistency.

I'm very much a fan of the Clif Builders Bar chocolate Mint. Beware they are a little high in calories (270) and carbohydrates (30g). However, this is what I eat before I go into the gym each morning and complete a cardio workout that usually lasts 60 minutes. My Dr does not recommend them for all of their WLS patients but they have told me that with my activity level they are fine if I limit myself to 1 bar per day. Beware they are very good!

I tend to agree with you. I record 85-90% of everything I eat in My Fitness Pal and regularly hit that 1500-1700 number. I definitely think there is a possibility of gaining muscle. Although I can't run the entire 5K yet, I am up to somewhere between 2-2.5 miles. I am completing an entire 5K on the treadmill 3x per week. I know my legs feel more toned and probably muscled. I'm not getting too worried about it. 7 months ago I would never have dreamed I would be running in a 5K on Thanksgiving day. Thanks for the advice. Good luck with your own journey.

Greetings, wanted to inquire about similar experiences. I underwent sleeve surgery on April 1st. I've dropped about 90 pounds and have become very active once again. I aim for a minimum of 300 minutes of fairly intense cardio weekly. This includes training for the Couch to 5K and preparing for a 5K race on Turkey Day. I am eating within the bariatric plan. About the only thing I eat that my Dr's Nurse Practicioner is not wild about is a Builders Protein Bar every am before I go to the gym. That particular item has 30 grams of carbs but she agrees that with my activity level, it should not be a problem. I have been holding steady for about 4 weeks. I fluctuate about 1 pound but the scale is not dropping. There is a good possibility I'm gaining some muscle from the running and intense rowing. I am running about 2 to 2.5 miles (treadmill) 3x per week. I monitor my calorie expenditure with a Bodymedia fitness monitor. I am taking in about 1500 to 1700 calories per day and burning over 3000 per day. Has anyone else been this active and experienced a similar stall that has last this long? Thanks,

Sorry about the discrimination but I know men and women lose weight at different rates. I was hoping to get input from my own gender for comparison purposes. I've noticed there are quite a few females that post in the guys room. My question is what has been the average weight loss at your 2 week follow up? I have gone down 13 pounds in 14 days. I'm fairly happy with this but I see some that are over 20lbs down in 2 weeks. I'm wondering if I'm already doing something wrong. I am adequately hydrated and getting all my fluids since day 1 postop. I am exercising in the gym 4-5 days per week concentrating on cardio. I just went off of full liquids and started pureed foods. I am monitoring my caloric intake and have been around 800-900 calories per day. Thanks for any advice,

I'm 5 months out and have not tried a beer yet. I have had some Makers Mark on the rocks 3 or 4 times since surgery. My tolerance is definitely impacted after losing 75lbs. I am hoping to have a beer again some day in the future. I can't imagine life without being able to enjoy a beer or two occasionally. I am a former brewer and beer judge and am passionate about the subject. I will probably order a draft lower carbonated style though. Yes I know about empty calories but I balance that in the gym.

I'm about 5 months out and have now lost 78 lbs. I too have slowed down considerably to about 2lbs per week. For about 3 weeks I hit a stall and did not lose anything. I too am eating around 1200 calories per day with an emphasis on 80-100 grams of Protein. I know what I'm burining each day because I track my workouts with Bodymedia monitor. I am in a deficit of about 1500 calories per day. I have been told to expect this but just keep plugging away. Keep up the good work, its a marathon.

I'm about 5 months out and down about 78 pounds total. The rate of loss has slowed to about 2lbs per week but I'm eating a variety of foods and consuming about 1200-1400 calories per day with a emphasis on getting 80-100 grams of Protein per day. I work out 5-6 days per week getting at least 1 hour of cardio per day. Currently I'm training to compete in a 5k run on Thanksgiving day. I have also eliminated 98% of white foods from my diet (flour, sugar, Pasta, potatoes etc.) I just hope to stay consistent and continue to progress with my current good habits.

Congratulations, you are running! I just started the C25K program also and I'm on Week 2, Day 1. I wished I could run for 35 minutes consecutively at any speed. I know, I know, patience and perseverance, right? I am trying to be ready for a Thanksgiving day race in my town. Right now, 90 second intervals seems like a lot of running. Maybe I should slow the pace just a hair. Thanks, just reading your post gives me motivation to keep it up.

Had surgery on 4/1 and I am down 25 pounds from day of surgery. About 35 altogether. I exercise 5-6 days per week in the gym usually getting about one hour of cardio. I am taking in about 800-1000 calories per day with about 70 percent coming from Protein. I track everything I eat on My Fitness Pal. I get my full allotment of Water on most days. This weekend I had to travel and when I weighed in at the gym on Monday, I had gained 2 pounds. Not too worried, but after a steady 4.5 pound per week loss I have been scratching my head how I gained. I was disciplined on my eating habits while away. Could it be water retention or exercise related? Thanks, TEK

I track everything on My Fitness Pal. I usually start the am with an Intek Protein drink mixed with Skim milk. That is 240. I will typically have a Greek yogurt around 10 for another 100. Lunch varies but usually some type of lean protein weighing around 4 oz which can be up to approximately 200-250. Dinner is similar to lunch. I can only handle about 4-5 oz at a time, but I get hungry about every 3 hours. I can easily hit 1000 calories but that is the upper limit. With my workouts at the gym, I am usually in a 2400 calorie per day deficit. Which puts me at about 4.5 lbs loss per week. I definitely feel restricted but I have bonafide physical hunger about every 3 hours.

I'm not real worried. And I guess I should not complain because I did not have a 3 week stall. Maybe this is it, regardless, I know if I continue my healthy habits I will continue to progress towards better health. I try to weigh myself twice a week. I will weigh again on Friday and I bet I'm back from where I started.

If your Dr can give you your BMR (Basil Metabolic Rate) and you can track your calories expended each day through exercise it is simple math to figure out how much you will lose each week. You must burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound. I personally have a 2400 calorie per day deficit which equates to about .6 pounds per day or about 4.5 pounds per week. I get 1 hour per day of cardio and track my calorie expenditure through a Body Media monitor and track my intake on My Fitness Pal. In the end it is input vs output.

At 2 weeks post op, I was also feeling I was dropping a little slow compared to other reports on this board. It was averaging out to about 4.5 lbs per week. I have been getting all of my Protein and exercising (60 minutes of cardio 6 days per week). I have a Bodymedia Fitness Monitor that tracks my calories burned each day. I also use My Fitness Pal to monitor my caloric input. Guess what? My numbers are exactly where they should be. I have a 2300 calorie deficit each day. Multiplied by 7 (days in the week) equals 16100 calorie deficit each week. Divided by 3500 ( the number of calories burned to equal 1 lb of fat loss) equals 4.6 pounds per week. Once you are off liquids, try to get an idea of number of calories going in compared to how many you use each day. The numbers should be fairly close.

OK, I think I have this figured out. It really is just a numbers game. I wear a Bodymedia monitor which shows how much energy in the form of calories I burn every day. My daily average is about a 2400 calorie deficit. You must burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound. If I take my daily calorie deficit average, multiply by 7 and divide by 3500, I get appx 4.5 pound of loss per week. This has been very close to my actual results. In the end it is just an input vs output scenario.

I'm getting somewhere between 800-1000 with the majority being Protein. My Fitness Pal is a great app for tracking. My Dr told me the same thing, not to worry too much about calories, just get in the required protein. I am getting in about 100 grams of protein per day.

Tigermouse, Correct me if I'm wrong but are you referring to your drivers license to operate a motor vehicle or are you referring to some type of regulation that pertains to scuba diving. Your original post mentioned your "divers" license. I am a former commercial diver and I was curious about regulation pertaining to commercial underwater operations. Thanks,

I have a hard and fast rule not to weigh myself every day. It will make you nuts and you will increase your stress level 100 fold. I try for once a week and I'm usually happy.

I actually feel pretty good. Knowing that I am completely hydrated tells me that I'm not seeing a loss of Water weight. One pound per day is considered fast in any book. I am tracking my calories in and calories burned with a Bodymedia monitoring device. You wear it on the back of your left tricep and it monitors energy expenditure in calories burned. I log all of my foods I eat into a data base and download the monitor at the end of each day. It lets you see if you use more than you take in and a breakdown of your exact nutrition, such as how many grams of Protein you get daily. The monitor tracks steps taken and several other pieces of data. Check it out on Bodymedia.com. I love mine.

Maybe for purposes of not lifting weights until the risk of hernia has passed. Otherwise, how can doing cardio workouts be harmful unless you have another medical issue that restricts you from exercise. Muscle is heavier than fat so therefore any gain in muscle may show up as a weight gain but it is advantageous in the long run.