BigViffer

Hell. Yes. Too many times I have seen threads started by people going to the gym and it's just cardio. Nothing wrong with that, but I can't get excited about it. Doing squats? That is where it is at! I've talked about it quite a bit why I am a fan of the squat and the importance of it. I know you were taking pictures, but when doing squats you don't look up do you? There is a lot of completely false and dangerous "tips" on how to preform the exercise. Looking up is sure fire way to cause damage to the cervical spine when/if you start getting up into the heavier weights. Another good exercise to look into is the deadlift. Starting out you can use kettlebells.

As long as you understand that the best you will be able to do is minimize it and not prevent it, you should be too disappointed. I have pretty bad sagging skin on my chest, belly, lower back, and inner thighs. Unless I somehow find a way to take in 6500 calories and dedicate all of my free time to lifting, there is no way to fill all that skin with muscle. It's really going to depend on what you are wanting to get out of the gym. If you want to build muscle, your focus will be on progressively loading and lifting heavy weights. Cardio will deplete your reserves. If you are wanting to be lean and muscular, cardio first and just do what you can with weights. I have a regimen that I used the first year before I transitioned to heavy lifting. It's in the Guy's Room: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/361768-by-request-bigviffer-workout-routine/ I have since moved over to a Starting Strength routine. Much different without as much variety. But that is a pretty good starting point.

Wow! Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

OK, as promised here is some of my tracking I do for my personal satisfaction: Summary Pivot of my macro's by day. Also shows % of calories from protein/fat/carb and if I am getting too much of one. This one is my total calories consumed gross by week: Total calories consumed net after exercise based on my heart rate monitor: An ironic donut graph of my macro's by week: Monthly average weight: Weekly average weight: BM tracking! Weight lifting by exercise: Total work by muscle group: The food diary that all the macro graphs are based on: BM detail for the graph: And lastly the detail lifting diary: In case you cannot tell, I am an Excel nerd. By choice and profession!

When I get back into the office on Monday, I'll have to take a screen cap of some of my graphs. I'm willing to bet I track more detailed than anyone else on this forum! Every bite I've eaten since May 2015, BM's, weight lifting... All in table formats with pivot tables. Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

I'd rank the pain as equal with a shaving cut. More stinging than anything. Mine were always around my neck and under arms. Pretty much exactly where the polo shirt (that I used to wear frequently) collar and seams were.

You do realize that you posted on an 8 year old thread, right? That member isn't even active anymore. Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

Seriously?! You look like a kid in your avatar! I'42 and look haggard by comparison.

I'm not going to bother with research on the web for this topic, but I would be willing to bet money that they reason for men not doing it as much as women is actually pretty simple. Ego. I'm not saying that they feel attractive or handsome while fat, but to admit that they need a surgery to fix something it is a blow to the manhood. Same reason men will cut themselves with a power tool and use duct tape as a bandage instead of going to the Urgent Care. Is it stupid? Oh god yes. Is it true though? You bet'cha! I think this picture sums it up perfectly:

I just cut mine off at home. Sent from my phone. Please excuse brevity and spelling errors.

They don't stretch like they used to, no. When people say they have stretched their sleeve, most likely they have weakened the pylorus and food is getting pushed out of the revised stomach. Sent from my phone. Please excuse brevity and spelling errors.

@@sabrina14339 - well, you can't be as big as I was and not have excess skin issues. My arms and legs for the most part have pretty well filled in with muscle. Same with upper chest and shoulders. However, my lower chest, "belly" and the lower back are pretty bad in my opinion. I could probably go down a size or two in pants if I could afford to have the skin removed. The only health issues I am having are ingrown hairs though. While an inconvenience, it's not enough to put myself into debt since insurance will not cover that. The way I see it, I'm married and already have two kids AND I am in my 40's. The surgery to remove the skin really won't add anything to my life. Yes it would be nice, but I don't see it happening.

I was thinking the exact same thing @@QueenOfTheTamazons, those other threads are huge. They really should be restricted to the current year to keep the content current. My before picture is me at my biggest. I don't remember exactly how much it was, but I know it was over 330: And this is from a few months ago: It's too damn cold in the gym to wear a tank top nowadays! I'll have to take a few new ones in the spring.