Sleeverino

Optimum Nutrition mixes nice and thin. Not too expensive off the internet. I particularly enjoy the mocha Cappuccino. Not sure if it tastes like "mocha cappuccino" but it is pretty good by Protein drink standards. One serving also mixes nicely in as little as 4 ounces, which is a plus--get it down and get it done with. Edit: I am referring to the "gold standard whey"

Synthesis of fat cells releases estrogen. For a few weeks after surgery I felt like I was going through puberty again. I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch Bridges over Madison County or fight my dad. It passes pretty quickly.

The anesthesia used during surgery is a gas pumped into your lungs via a tube down your throat. Perhaps you are still sore from that?

They wheeled me into the room and I got up and left for a little while pretty much immediately. It didn't hurt, but I was pretty dizzy from the anesthesia. The biggest pain was walking that IV tower around. Frankly I was just really afraid of being stuck in that bed. I passed my surgeon's PA in the hallway and she was actually fairly pleased to see me up and about. After that I was instructed to walk every 2 hours. I was tired, but I did it. I was motivated by the promise that it would help the gas. That was not the case. No DVT though.

Sounds like you got it all worked out man. Good luck with everything.

I take the same. I take the 2 multi, the d and the b12 in the morning. A calcium when I get home from work and a calcium about 3 hours later before bed.

I started at week 6 with my Doc's OK. I was STRUGGLING when I started. I don't know if I atrophied from not lifting or it was from not eating for so long or what--but I could barely throw any weight around. I'm pretty much back to "normal" now...and I have put back on a noticeable amount of bulk in under 2 months that I haven't seen in a few years. The numbers on the scale kept going down except for the expected stalls during all of this. I can't tell if it will have any impact on loose skin or not yet, but I am reminded that each pound of muscle on your frame adds 10 calories burned per day at rest...and that benefit is amplified exponentially with the addition of exercise. A word of caution though: working out made me pretty hungry. If I don't get a fair amount of protein in then I feel like a grizzly bear in late November. So I need to watch it. I do 3 days of heavy lifting a week and about 4 hours of martial arts training over 2 separate non-lifting days. I don't count calories but I'd put my daily intake at around 1500, depending on the day. I'm 90 days out from surgery and down 100 pounds (70 post surgery date). Seems to be working fine.

6 Weeks. I was told "you'll feel like you can before that but you can't." I felt like I could before 6 weeks and moved a couch. I couldn't. It hurt pretty badly and I was really afraid I herniated my abdominal wall...fortunately I didn't. Started lifting at 6 weeks with some abdominal soreness, by 8 or 9 weeks it was like I was never cut open.

Some simple carbs might give you that ATP boost you need. Half a banana pre-workout works wonders for one's Krebs Cycle.

I was at a wedding this past spring that was held outdoors. Folding chairs and the huskier among us do not mesh. I made a fair attempt at doing some sort of shaolin monk partial sit/partial leg squat maneuver over the chair for the whole ceremony so as to not crash through that puppy during the vows. Not sure if anyone noticed, but it was uncomfortable and had me feeling less than proud of myself. Had a "what are you doing with your life" moment at that point. Realized that my previous efforts were coming up short, started looking into the band, and ultimately realized the sleeve was a good option for me. I had always thought that even though I was extremely overweight (BMI >50) I still wasn't weight-loss-surgery-overweight. Not really sure why or how I had convinced myself of that, but the decorative white folding chair respectfully disagreed. Shortly after I came around as well.

I did a trial about 2 weeks after the surgery and didn't have a problem. The only issue was noticing that I wasn't getting enough Water in. Energy-wise I would have been good to go a week before that I think. I never did have any pain. Bar prep isn't that bad--it's more the anxiety of the whole thing than actual academic difficulty. A lot of my colleagues burned the midnight oil but I've always been more of a crammer. Either way, much like law school itself, it starts out a little overwhelming but you quickly hit your stride and it becomes just another day. Just remember to sip a lot...you'll be OK. Remember also: having completed law school, you have proven to the gods of jurisprudence that you are able to withstand enough misery and psychological torment to function in this profession. Nothing can get in your way now.

My understanding is that it claims to be the "equivalent" of 30 grams of Protein in a serving. Call me a natural cynic but I'd love to know who decided and how they come to that conclusion. I'm wiling to bet the "equivalency" is based upon the company's claims of improved absorption and the like. The only study they link to in this regard is one that didn't even involve the product. And not for nothing, but one tablespoon converts to 15 grams...even if it was 100% protein with no filler. It may well be a fine product---I have no idea---but there is some fuzzy math going on.

You might find yourself sore for a little longer than you ordinarily would but beyond that I doubt there's much to fear. A lot of the problem with lifting and the corresponding nutritional advice is that it is mostly discussed by people who have been doing this for years and are trying to eek out 2 pounds of muscle mass in 3 months. For someone just starting out, you will make progress...I don't care what you eat (or don't). I'm no expert but my best advice would be to watch for drop offs. For example, if you bench 275 and the next time you go back to the gym you can only do 250 then you should back off a bit. Soreness will tell a lot of the story too. I've always heard that novice lifters shouldn't hit muscle groups when they're still screaming from the last workout and I tend to agree. Just listen to your body.

It kind of feels like going through puberty again. I'm not sad or particularly angry, but I am on edge and "amped up". I want to drive fast and challenge strangers to arm wrestling contests. The whole thing feels strange. There are a lot of hormones stored in fat and as you're losing they flood your system. Your body attempts to compensate and next thing you know you're all out of whack. It's helped me considerably to just sit down for a minute, and mentally go through the physiological processes that are taking place. I've found that once I go through it in my own mind the feelings taper off for a little while. For now it's tolerable, but if I find myself looking to buy a Camaro or wearing a Jethro Tull t-shirt I'm calling the headshrinker ASAP.

Sleeved October 6, the only issue so far is hunger. Hasn't been that bad but I am really looking forward to solid (albeit soft) food at the end of the week. The gas pains have gone away but it took longer than expected--probably 10 days or so. No issues drinking. I can put away about 4 ounces in 15 minutes without issue. Down 29 pounds from surgery date and 63 total. I think about 50 of those pounds were in my neck, because I looked ridiculous when I put on my shirt and tie for work this morning. I can fit a whole fist in the collar. Another thing too: I cannot believe how well I'm sleeping. I haven't slept through the night in years until about a week ago. It may have been that my cpap needed to be readjusted and I just didn't realize it. I took a nap without it a few days ago and my wife commented that I didn't snore at all. It makes me think that I'll be waiving goodbye to my sleep apnea shortly on down the road, which I am very excited about.