BigViffer

I love the sound a triple makes! And the single sided swingarm is just sexy.

Inner Surfer nailed it, it's more discomfort than pain. Remember the time you overworked your abs? That's what your in for, but it will last about a week instead of a day or so. Now, as for the muscle loss. Yup, you're going to lose some. Just putting that out there without mincing words. You are going to be getting so few calories and hardly any Protein in the beginning, so your body is going to go after the protein in your muscle tissue to get what it needs. Plus you are going to be weak as a kitten until you can ingest enough calories to burn as fuel. This is all normal. Don't fight it, just work on laying the groundwork for a healthier lifestyle. In the beginning (6 months) I wouldn't try to do any heavy lifting. Not because of the reasons above, but you are not going to be getting enough protein in to heal everything AND build muscle. You can only do one thing at a time. Once you are able to hit your surgeons protein goal on a regular basis, then you can start trying to build. I used to lift heavy all the time, until I injured so much crap that it sidelined me and I started packing on the pounds because I still ate like a fool. You will be able to get back all the muscle you will lose and then some even when eating proper amounts. I don't like to brag (but I'm going to); I have been lifting conservatively for a year and I am making better progress than before. Feel free to look at my gallery or over in the Male Before & After thread for others.

Oh my... Is it getting hot in here or is it just @@KSTUZ?! Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

Dammit Dub, you basically took the words right out of my mouth. As a long time sufferer of white-man-assitis, I have long ago learned to accept the lack of @ss. HOWEVER; have any of you guys noticed that your tailbone sometimes feels as though it trying to poke through your backside? I bet these would take care of that!

Soon Dub... soon, and before you know it it'll be here. 500?! DAMN! lol, my shoulder came apart at 250, I can't imagine what would happen at 500! I cannot stress enough, take care of that shoulder! I wish I could put into words the excruciating pain that recovery was. I like to think of myself as a man with a high threshold for pain. During the 8 week recovery, I was stoned off my ass for the first 4. Seriously, barely remember anything except for the pain and how much coffee I drank to try and clear some of the haze from my foggy head.

I had some minor complications after my surgery, but I went back to the gym at about 6 weeks. It was pitiful. I was getting maybe 400 calories a day. I was literally curling 15 lbs and getting exhausted. I was a winded mess after 10 minutes. But I stuck with it. I am fortunate that the people that work at the gym I go to are very encouraging and every day that I came back they applauded my effort. Hell, the weight coach wanted me to do an interview on my transformation, but I told him I just wasn't comfortable with that. Sorry, I am rambling; my point is this. You are going to be weak. You will be shaky too. Just be aware that you won't be the beast in the gym just yet. Slow and steady is what will win this race. You are not training for a competition, you are establishing lifestyle habits. There is a difference! Don't try and get huge muscle gains, just get healthy! My first year goal was to reach weight loss goal. I never made one for a bench or squat or anything. My year two goal is to be able to do 1 honest to god pull-up. I have never done one in my life. Not even as a kid. I think that would be the biggest accomplishment with the most meaning to me!

I think the venerable Betty White said it best:

Don't know the show nor the actors, but I guess she is talking about a dick sizing competition. Why do we do it? I'd like to say it has something to do with mens natural competitive nature, but honestly it's because generally speaking are childish and insecure. " I've got a bigger dick so I can satisfy a woman better than you" kind of stupid shit. Or perhaps she is talking about manliness in the machismo term. Tough SOB's that work hard and embody what men perceive as "mans man". E.G. Clint Eastwood, Jack Palance... Those are more like role models or personal heroes. I don't see a problem in that personally. Looking up to a person who embodies qualities you wished were more prevalent in yourself or society in general.

Mine was pretty quick, from seminar to surgery was only 3 months. I didn't have the 6 month supervised diet because my GP was already tracking it for another reason. Plus I was already suffering from several bulging discs and 2 herniated discs. I was originally trying for back surgery, but that surgeon said he wouldn't touch me until I lost 100 lbs. Insurance approved the WLS because it was far cheaper than back surgery I bet.

There you go, going full beast mode! Take care of that rotator cuff; believe me, surgery on that is painful.

@@BigTink2LilTink - time for you to check in too! How goes the weight lifting?

@@Dub - have you been hitting the gym/weights much lately? Haven't heard from you in a while.

@@Dub man, you're looking awesome!

@@Sweettee23 beautiful! Keep up the momentum!

This is a keen observation actually. Not only is our balance somewhat "off" because of the rapid weight loss, but I've also noticed that it doesn't take as much effort to do somethings as before. As an example, went to run up the stairs here at work the other day. I meant to jump every other step, but the first leap took me up almost three! Looked like a fool trying to go up stairs that I have used for almost 20 years.

@@dashofsunshine - very impressive results; you're a stunner for sure!

Depending on what stage one is in post surgery, yes 30 grams will be the max they can ingest at one time. I was addressing the fact that the rest is potentially converted into fat. That part is patently false. I am getting 1700-ish calories a day and I routinely get 150 grams of Protein a day. Thats more than 30 grams per many meal. I've discussed it with my surgeon and I am doing very well. If there is one take away that I bet we can all agree on is this; talk to your surgeon and do whatever he/she says . Don't take whatever you read on the forum as the bible.

Ugh... this "fact" again. It's not true that one can only process 30 grams of Protein at a time. Are we talking whey? Casein? chicken? Beef? Pork? Pea? Hemp? The rates at which protein is metabolized varies as does where it is completely broken down by our bodies. Add to that that no two people are the same. Will an accountant and a linebacker both only be able to use 30 gm's of protein? According to this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10867039 Whether you eat an entire days worth of protein in one meal or spread over 3 meals throughout the day makes little difference to our body. The main thing you should focus on is a daily goal. If you need 60 grams of protein a day, just focus on that. Don't worry if you get it all in the morning or at one meal.

Man, I really have to start working my abs more. You are killing it @@matt1912!

lol, wow... this thread pops up outta the blue! I still get a chuckle about this one. Thanks for bringing it back! <edited> lol, had to correct my grammar!

@@carolina07 - you are perfectly welcome to post in this thread. There is no sensitive material here, I only posted this in the men's area only bolster content and I believed it to be a male centric POV workout. To answer your question, I eat 1700-ish calories a day. Protein bar for Breakfast or oatmeal with Protein powder added. I'll have a snack of something like cheese or yogurt or pork rind with hummus around 11. I go to the gym around 12, hour and a half of exercise. Something meat post workout like ham, turkey or lunch meat. chicken breast is always good. I can eat about 5oz of dense meat. If I have salad, hell I can eat almost 2 cups! As a note, I never eat lettuce salad anymore unless I am seriously constipated. Lettuce goes right through me and many others. Plus, it has no nutritional value. Kale and spinach with cabbage are my main-stays now. I still feel restrictive, but it's not a bad thing. Get the good stuff in first and you should be good. I find that the most important habit I've formed is logging my food. If you don't currently use it, I recommend MyFitnessPal. If you have any other questions, feel free to continue posting in this thread! Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Hell yes Tink, you should be so proud of yourself! Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

<edit> Oh, I also want to point out something before anyone freaks out. Yes that big black dot that looks like a 2nd navel is a scar from the surgery. I had a huge hematoma. That is what caused that, most people don't have that kind of scarring. They way I see it, I have so many scars from the car accident that almost killed me, I can just tell people thats what that one is from.

Been making small increases in my weights and calories and I am noticing some my results: attachment=61074:IMG_20160401_130940~01-01.jpeg] I'm getting about 1700 calories, eating very clean, and staying active. Lots of cardio with heart rate between 120 & 160. The thing that I am happiest about is the lack of post workout pain. I like to think that it is because for the first time in my life, I am making long term goals instead of trying to bulk up as fast as possible. I'm taking special care to pay attention to my form and how my body is reacting to my regimen. I am also doing yoga regularly. After punishing my muscles with weights, deep stretches help with the recovery.

huh.. I thought there would be far more replies of welcome and encouragement from the forum. On the rare occasion we have someone who can articulate their thoughts so well and clearly, you'd think they'd jump all over it! Your stall is normal of course, just keep doing what you are doing and things will start to move again. The first 3 months are the hardest, when we are filled with regret or feelings of "how did I come to this?!". But now that I am a year out, I wonder how I lived the way I did for all those years. I like your attitude. Try and keep it and keep thinking positive. You can do this!