BigViffer

Yeah, I'm an animal alright. I'm like a pumped up and pissed off tortoise! I make slow progress, but I'll get there eventually. I had the sleeve, so I cannot give you my experience as testament. If you are looking to build muscle, it may be more difficult than it is for me but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. You must continue to think long term. 5 years down the road where will you be instead of in 6 months I want bulging biceps. If all you want it to keep your current level of strength, sure you'll be able to do that after the first 6 months. You will lose muscle mass in the beginning. It is unavoidable, but it isn't gone forever. Follow the plan and stay determined and you can accomplish great things.

First off, congrats on the weight loss and good on you for the hard work; You look incredible! Second, I completely know what you are talking about when looking in the mirror. I don't see me at the starting weight reflected back, but I keep thinking there is someone else looking back. Like perhaps they are just in front of my reflection! It's not just the mirror either. Even when referring to myself in conversation I still describe myself as a fat guy or big guy. People that don't know me for very long have a confused look on their face. It just takes time I believe. I am becoming more comfortable everyday though!

According to my surgeon, the honeymoon phase is typically the first year. Typically within that time frame your caloric intake is so drastically reduced that it doesn't really matter if you are eating well or poorly, you are still going to lose weight. (Naturally ones results will be better if eating well and following the plan remain consistent) Know the adage, "Time heals all wounds"? Well like any scar, the sleeve continues healing and becomes more pliable as time goes by. And before anyone jumps my @ss, no... I am not saying you can stretch your stomach. You can weaken the pylorus and force food through it but you won't be able to stretch a properly made sleeve. Also, as we get further out from that first year, old habits can return and people can eat around their sleeve or bypass. So to re-cap, the honeymoon phase is when the weightloss is easiest. Maintenance phase is going to be tough, just as tough as life before the sleeve. Best of luck to you.

My normal gym has the weight room closed for remodeling so I have taken a break from weight lifting and started focusing on cardio. Averaging about 8 miles on my lunch hour. I usually leave the cardio room looking like this: The good news is that with the extra cardio I've been doing, I'm down to a size medium shirt... It sounds weird even typing that. I'm even in a size medium underwear, but I shall spare you all those pictures! Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

@ - you forgot the mic drop at the end. lol, in all seriousness though - I was reading your post and I had to keep checking if it was something I had typed out. You and I appear to have the same mindset and think alike. Well, rather, when I was in your position and in regards to WLS. No, you may not be popular in the beginning. Neither was I. Matter of fact, I was called a bully, asshole, jerk... and some other choice words. I love the fact that many of those people are no longer on the forum. Some washed out early while others moved on to bigger and better personal disasters. So while you may not be popular with many, I think you may be my new buddy.

What do you get when you cross flatulence and Peanut Butter? A fart that sticks to the roof of your ass! Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

http://www.bariatricpal.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&section=search&do=search&fromsearch=1 Short answer - ask your surgeon. Long answer, read the above threads.

@@OKCPirate - I never used the bands, but I have seen people do it. I also tried the assisted pull-up machine, but it was just was too easy or no help at all - no perfect medium. So I just resorted to negatives and choosing back exercises to strengthen the supportive muscles. For those not familiar with negatives, basically you drag a bench up to the pull-up/chin-up bar; stand up on the bench and grab the bar in your preferred method. Jump up so that your chin is above the bar and just hold on as long as you can. Don't let go though as you weaken, let yourself start coming down as slow as you can stand it. Rest however long you need and repeat.

@@BigTink2LilTink - big news today man! 2, count them, 2 honest to goodness wide grip chin ups with palm facing away! It's a brave new world people.

Kicking ass Tink!

I like to think of myself as a pretty grounded guy, not actually vain about my appearance; however more and more lately I have found myself identifying with the people that have had skin removal. I have worked really hard and I believe I have some pretty good muscle development, but I can't see a lot of it because of the excess skin. On top of that, I am getting ingrown hairs, rashes, and these strange... hickey type marks. I don't know how to describe them, but when the skin gets folded while I am sleeping I wake up with long red lines all over me torso. I hope your procedure goes smoothly and I can't wait to see the results as I am truly curious.

It's been almost a month on my new regiment. I don't feel any significant strength increase, but I do believe I'm seeing a physical response. I'm going to keep doing it before I pass judgement. Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

I never could get into the Protein shakes. However, once I discovered Protein powder cakes I consistently hit my protein goals. There are several recipes out there, and many on here as well. It's just your favorite protein powder, some non-dairy liquid coffee creamer, and some baking powder. I also added natual Peanut Butter or bran to change it up. Either more protein or added Fiber being the goal. Also, if you don't already, learn to love fish. Tuna from a pouch or can is great as are the bags of frozen whitefish filets. Bake them and you have a protein dense low calorie dinner.

I know there are tons of threads on this site dedicated to poop, bowel movements, diarrhea, constipation, and all things crap related. But I wanted a thread where we men can discuss it. You want to make a joke? Go for it. Want to talk serious, I'm all for it. If you are a woman that wants to chime in for a female point of view, sorry - I posted it in the Guy's Room on purpose. I'm really wanting to make the Guy Room more active and also more relevant to just us men. I have always had "issues" when it comes to #2. I was hoping that the surgery would somehow magically cure everything, but alas it has not. But I believe I may have actually discovered something that helps me. Let me reiterate that. It helps me. It may not help anyone else, but I can now say with confidence that it has helped me. A little backstory. Since I was a teenager, I have always taken an inordinate amount of time to go #2. When I was finally done and I start finishing up, lo and behold round two would start. It was not unusual for me to spend 30-45 minutes on the toilet. I have always just accepted that was the way I was built since my dad is almost the same way. I thought it was because of our diets. But since surgery I can honestly say that I have never eaten healthier. Measured either by nutrition or by portions, this is as good as I can be about my diet. I have seen people on here talking about the Squatty Potty and thought it was stupid. I mean borderline ridiculous. But there comes a time when one will entertain the idea if they are desperate enough. So I started reading up on it. Reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but there are some that are decidedly "meh". I found a two pack on ebay for $35 delivered and I figured I might as well try it for that price. I also started using an app on my phone called "Everybody Poops!" to track how often and how long I go. I know, it sounds stupid, but my BM's have become so infrequent that I was becoming concerned. I had the app about a week before the Squatty Potty came. I figured that would be a good baseline to measure the effectiveness of the stool. The first couple times I used it, I felt clumsy and foolish. But I continued to use it since I paid good money for it. I can now use it properly and not feel like a moron. I was lucky if I went 3 times a week before, but now I am going about every other day, and a couple times I have gone twice in one day! At first, I did not think anything was really that different. I still took a long time in the bathroom and nothing was really any easier. But as I got better at positioning myself, so did the results. According to the app, I am down to about 15-20 minutes. I am also no longer straining on the toilet. I think the first couple tries I was just really constipated still. Now I getting to be pretty regular. And on top of that, what I am leaving behind is of much smaller volume than before. I believe that means that I am fully evacuating finally. I don't like to be graphic, but this is for everyone's benefit so I guess it will be OK. I am no longer leaving huge logs. These are longer but more narrow and tapered. I no longer have to use exorbitant amount of toilet paper either. But the best thing is the general feeling of "emptiness" that I have afterwards. Guys, I know we all like to joke about taking a crap and being manly about it. But if you are truly deep down concerned about it, I heartily recommend you try out the Squatty Potty. I am not affiliated nor am I being prompted by anyone to post this information. I'm just a guy who has had an issue with BM's for a long time and I believe this has helped me. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

We have both of of those flavors, but I think it's from Starkist and Bumblee. I particularly like the Thai Chili and garlic one.

Excellent point! I have blood work done every year as part of my physical, have for years. In the first year after my surgery it was more frequent of course, but I will have to continue getting it done every year.

That is a guideline yes, but it is by no means the definitive answer. It might work just fine for the OP in the beginning too. That is unless she can't have too much potassium because of interactions with blood pressure meds. Or she can't have Vitamin K because of warfarin use. Or she has gout and it interacts with something in a multivitamin... See where I am going? For most people, a simple multivitamin will be fine. Me personally? I need more B12 and Vitamin D but less Iron because of my arthritis medicine. Once she has blood work done, she can have a custom vitamin plan established.

There isn't going to be a list that tells you everything you need because it will vary from person to person as well as where you are post surgery. When you get your blood work results periodically, that will be the list you'll need to go by. Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

We did this just last night. My wife has an air fryer and she made mozzarella sticks with pork rind "breading".

@@Sharon1964 - I'm more of a Stud Protein bar now instead of the muffin!

You had a hematoma. That black blood is just dead blood cells that did not get absorbed back into your body. lol, I had to wear a maxi-pad taped to my stomach I was bleeding so much. So I was bloated and swollen, moody from hormones, and I was wearing a maxi-pad while walking around the house in stretchy comfy pants.. I was totally a woman for a couple days.

Just found this thread, and it's so cute! Everyone has these happy and uplifting lyrics! However, I'm over here like: Of course the bolded text is also what I have for my signature line, so this is nothing new. There are more lyrics to the song, but those excerpts are the ones that have resonated with me for 20 years.

I was talking to my wife about my workout routine and she was complaining about not knowing how to do certain things properly. But our schedules differ most of the time so she jokingly said that I should take pictures. I thought it funny at first and especially vain, but the more that I thought about it the more it started sounding like a good idea. I admit that it will feel very arrogant and shallow to take pictures of me working out, but it might possibly be helpful. What say you guys? Do you think it is vain and egotistical or do you think it is a good idea?

Here is a few threads/posts that may help you: This thread is very much applicable to your question: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/370974-post-sleeve-working-out/ Once you have ramped up after several months of gym use, this thread may be of some use: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/361768-by-request-bigviffer-workout-routine/

I think from the neck down I look a lot better, but there is no denying that I look old in the face. I've also noticed that even though I did not have any issue with hair loss, my has silvered drastically this past year. Don't know if it is related or coincidence.