BigViffer

If you are paying close attention to your intake, have you also been paying attention to your output? Are you regular? Are you urinating on a schedule? Are your BM's rock hard? Is your urine dark? As has already been mentioned, it could just be a stall. Perfectly normal. As is the emotional extremes you are experiencing. Be strong and weather it and just be patient. If you are doing what you are supposed to, things will turn out for you.

I don't know if it is odd or not, but I do the exact opposite. If I find the user to be a total tool, Soup sandwich, drama queen, or mouth breather; I don't bother with a reply. If I have any experience or applicable knowledge AND I deem the person worthy of any effort on my part, only then will I bother with a reply. I got into a bit of a back and forth with a newb a long time ago about "being better than anyone else". Needless to say we didn't see eye to eye on the issue. I judge people by their words and actions on the forum. That will dictate my words and actions in turn. Doesn't make me popular much of the time, but I can endure the slings and arrows of the sappy ones with great fortitude. It would be an interesting social experiment if we could deduce the poster based upon their content, but ultimately I think it would devolve into a rampant pissing match.

I find that the best way to beat a dead horse is to stand with feet about a shoulders width apart, grab the riding crop with both hands, and then bring it up and directly behind your head. Be sure to engage as much of your deltoids and lats as possible so that you are getting the most "umph" in your swing. Using your abdominal muscles to stabilize your body will ensure that all of the energy in your swing is transferred to the dead horse. Since this is an opportunity to exercise as well as ensuring that the dead horse gets a proper beating, take all necessary steps to ensure you have good form throughout the beating. Come over your head and down in front of your chest in a straight line so that you are evenly working both sides at the same time. If you decide to dole out the beating with a woodchopper stance, be sure and alternate left and right for an even amount of reps so that you are not cheating yourself. When you find that your dead horse beating is no longer focused on the carcasses rear flank or your strokes are slowing, it's time for a rest. Maybe re-hydrate yourself with a Gatorade. Once you are rested, resume beating the dead horse immediately and with great verve. Repeat this process for eternity.

This should be a feature. On all the other forums that I use it is either in the upper right corner or the very bottom of every page. Right now, I have to open Tapatalk and mark the forums read there. It's a bit of nuisance.

@KristenLe @Dub - I'm glad you two were as confused as I. I seriously was left scratching my head!

Well... this is so far out of left field I had to go back through my comments to see what in the hell you are talking about. So perhaps you are talking about my posts or threads I made when I was a new member of the site. I still stand by my observations from that time, so I'll take your judgement. I could go into a long tirade designed to insult and belittle you like you tried to do to me, however I honestly don't think you are strong enough to take it. You sound as though you are holding on by a thread as it is. If a rude answer is enough to break your heart, I would hollow you out with a well thought out retort. In all seriousness and with no malice in my words, you need help. You are right to question whether you should have the surgery; you don't sound as if you are mentally and/or emotionally strong enough to handle the tumultuous months post surgery.

lol, you should go back and read some of my earlier posts. My attitude wasn't so well received in the beginning. As for the men supporting each other, I know I have made that my focus on this forum. We men in general tend to be a competitive sort for all the wrong reasons. Here on this forum, we all have one common goal. Not to get buff or get larger muscles, but just to be healthier in general. If I can encourage other men or show them that there is hope, I feel as though I am contributing. Then, when I am having a down day or feeling off my game, they will most likely step up and do the same for me.

I don't know if I am considered a vet or long time member yet, but I can relate to some of them. I have only been a member of this board for a little over a year. The number 1 thing I see that brings out the negative comments from veteran members though is newbies asking questions that have obvious answers that could be answered by either looking at a few threads only a couple of weeks old or using the search feature. Threads like: Soda/Pop consumption Stalls at only X weeks out Can I eat pizza? Can I drink beer? I've eaten half a deer carcass and I don't feel full I don't want to read the literature my surgeon gave me and I am too lazy to call them so I will ask the question here just like a hundred other people that have done the same. Drama queens/kings and pity partiers that don't want to change and are only looking for justification for not changing their lifestyle. In those cases, when you see them over and over and over, it's hard to either take them seriously or not be jaded. Then there are the people that create profiles merely to spam or cause uproars. Me personally, I just avoid posting for the most part. I did not join for support rather I joined for information. I have made friends with a couple and as a consequence found support, but that was a lucky result of my contribution to the forums. My advice, get what you need and ignore the rest.

In the previous thread, I added some of my hard driving metal that I use regularly in the gym, but I discovered a "new" band that I just can't get enough of. There was a thrash metal band from the early 90's that I loved that I had the chance to meet the lead singer recently. He now does mash-ups of all things. The song that I just can't get enough of now is a mash-up of No Diggity and California Love:

We all have to start somewhere. I've been there and remember it well. Don't worry too much though, I do an hour with a 10 incline and 5 resistance after dead lifts and squats. Granted I am over a year out and go to the gym religiously. Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

@@yguess don't be too discouraged yet. You are going to be going through a lot of changes very rapidly these first few months. I can tell you though, take lots of pictures of yourself and take measurements. I wish I had more "before" stats on myself. It really is the best motivation.

Bands. Just because no one has mentioned them yet. The rubber bands that you can get at walmart for $20 are priceless. My gym has them and I use them all the time for arms, forearms, back, shoulders, traps, and chest.

@@BigJnav3 - jesus man, I'm not going to lie; I am completely envious of your forearms. Mine look like dead branches of tree from Sleepy Hollow by comparison!

Be very careful getting carried away with the body bag. You run the risk of fracturing the small bones in the hand and/or wrist and that will screw up the rest of your weight routine! I would recommend looking for the speedbag. You cannot hit it as hard as the body bag, and it is a great arm workout. The shoulders and triceps will be screaming in short order. Another great thing about the speedbag is that it teaches rhythm and patience. Once the bones in your hands have increased density from increased Calcium, Vitamin D, and exercise... then move on up to the body bag. Also, those energy pre-workout supplements are forever banished from my routine. I remember using them before my workouts and thinking the same thing as you described. Nutrition and vitamin based pre-workouts=good. Energy preworkout drinks=bad. If I need the extra enegry, I'll carb-load with some bran or shredded wheat! Not trying to preach Dub, I'm just not very good at saying things without sounding gruff. I think its great all you are doing. I just want us all to succeed with as few setbacks as possible.

Oh yeah, I've got major excess skin. It's beginning to become an issue with ingrown hair and rashes. Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

Forgive my vanity, but my wife took this picture of me folding a towel this morning and even I was shocked by it. I can never see my back so this was a surprise to me! Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

Dude... seriously, John Hughes 80's slow clap on that one. Fricken brilliant!

Jesus man, the first day was rough. I usually do an opposite lift between sets and I tried that with my chest and tri yesterday. I am amazed at how quickly my triceps exhausted! My working set for the presses were way down. I can see where the benefit comes from this routine, it will have to build endurance. Since I am just starting this routine, I am still in the discovery phase. I will be learning as I go which exercises group together best. My routine for the last year is posted on here already though and it is pretty well explained: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/361768-by-request-bigviffer-workout-routine/

YIKES. what in the world did you use to make your bone broth? I don't know what it was made with, my wife bought it in hopes that it would be decent. We both gagged on it and poured it out pretty fast. Luckily I don't need the Protein as bad as some and can get by with other sources!

I am starting a new workout routine effective June 1st. So I am posting a starting picture here and we shall see if there are any gains made. I am switching from muscle groups to a push/pull splits. So instead of arms, chest, shoulders on different days, I am doing Chest & Tri's, back and bi's, etcetera... This is just a standing picture, no flex or tension. So my subsequent pictures will have to be the same.

huh... maybe I'm the odd man out here. I thought it was vile. I'd rather eat camel rectum jerky than try and drink that stuff again.

In my opinion NUT's are one step above used car salesmen. If your intake (calories) is not increasing, your output must be decreasing. That could mean caloric burn or using the bathroom. Make sure your Fluid intake is high as well.

Thanks @@NewSetOfCurves, mighty high praise coming from you and I truly appreciate it. I don't mind typing up a hefty post if I believe the information is valuable and usable. And I just saw where I was supposed to folwo up on this thread. Deadlift max weight is now 2lbs higher than my bodyweight of 198! So know the squat is my focus. Body weight there as well is the goal.

Here is my current workout plan: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/361768-by-request-bigviffer-workout-routine/ However I am getting ready to go to a push/pull split just to change things up. In the beginning though walking is paramount for many reasons. It helps keep you regular, helps get rid of gas buildup, and gently works the abdominal muscles. I had surgery during the winter, so I had to go to the local Meijer/Walmart or mall to walk before going back to the gym. Ack!

Actually, a body cannot always absorb all the calories, that's why it gets turned into fat. As for the max protein absorption, that is a misunderstood bit of information that gets bandied around as fact. Don't worry about getting "too much" protein in at one time.