BigViffer

How strange, I have the exact opposite problem. I am coming up on my 1 year mark and I still struggle with hitting my Water goal. I am just not thirsty like I used to be. Hell, I used to drink 64 oz before lunch.

I currently have found MyFitnessPal has the best breakdown of the things I am tracking. The only thing I really don't like about it is there is no data export. FitBit has a data export, but it is purposefully exported in a fashion that is not friendly for those of us that keep a detailed database or spreadsheet. So I have to go into MFP reports and manually scrap the data for what I want to track. If I found another service or website that had kickass data export functionality I would jump on it in a heartbeat.

Man, I love peas. And pea Protein is a pretty darn good veggie source for those that can't tolerate whey.

This is a topic that is doubly funny to me. First point, I am one of those people that actually like fruitcake. But not the ones that people give out in the circular tins. A friends mother used to make them from scratch and thats when I learned what they were supposed to be. The store bought ones I swear have starburst and juju-B's scraped off a movie theater floor baked in them! But what is supposed to be in there are fruits that have been preserved with brandy! Hello! Much different than what we think of normally as fruitcake. And secondly, to your point about tastes changing... oh man have they ever. Pasta no longer taste good to me, nor does the texture feel pleasant. Which is a good thing! I tried it once and now I do not crave it. But what I found the most incredible is green Beans. I have hated green beans for over 25 years. I mean hated. You couldn't sneak a sliver into something without me tasting it. Time and time again my in-laws, parents, wife, and friends would see if they could sneak it past me, but as soon as it was in my mouth, I'd either gag or have to find a napkin to spit a mouthful of food out. Growing up, we were what my mom called "on a budget". As an adult now, I know that actually meant poor. We had a garden that had more square feet than my current house. The green bean section was easily half of that. So I'd get up and pick green beans... Then snap the green beans... Then mom would cook the green beans... Then we would eat the green beans on Monday... and Tuesday... And Wednesday.. And then we would pick more green beans! My hands would smell like green beans. They would be stained green. There would be little green bean giblets in my hair from snapping them... god I cannot express how much I hate green beans! But just a month ago I ordered a coconut curry chicken soup from a Thai place. Guess what was in it? A string bean, the skinny little brother to the green bean. Out of curiosity I tried a bite. And I didn't gag. So I ate the thing. It wasn't "good", but it wasn't repugnant. So I ate the rest for the nutritional benefit. Now I am not saying I am going to go on a green bean rampage, but I can now stomach them. (see what I did there?!)

Your stomach looks great! Mine is a mess... I'm betting it is because I am older and don't have the elasticity of you young pups!

No idea how I missed this thread. Hope everyone is doing well here in Dayton after the holiday meals! Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

@@diana89131 Damn! You make hitting goal look good! I don't think my change is as fantastic as yours. Congratulations!

Ladies – I posted this here in the Guy’s Room because your caloric intake is not relevant to the question, but please feel free to read the thread. Gentlemen - I’m currently coming out of a stall that lasted about 3 weeks, but for the life of me I do not know what I did to break the stall. I tried increasing calories, decreasing them, drinking more and of course just waiting it out. I finally had 3 really good BM’s, so I think I am getting back to regular too. During this latest stall, of course I went online a read tons of articles, used the online calculators, yada yada yada… they all say I should be at 1700-2500 calories to lose weight safely. Obviously they are not for those of us who have had surgery. My nutritionist is worthless and is only there to sell products. I have always come better prepared than she does to our appointments. And our appointments always end with her saying, “What do you think you should be doing?” Ugh. Here is my relevant info. Surgery weight was 330 and I am down to 225. My calorie target is 1300 calories and 64 oz Fluid a day. Most days I come in under that caloric intake, but there are a few days that I go over. Out of the last 169 days, I have gone over that target 27 times according to my records. I work out on average 4 days a week. 30 minutes cardio and at least that much in the weight room working only one muscle group in a session. If you have similar stats and habits, would you mind sharing your daily caloric goal?

My surgeon is the one who told me about this. I also told him that it just isn't possible for me to give up coffee, I love it too much. I had to do without it for two months and then slowly introduced it again. I don't have anything else caffeinated except an occasional iced tea. No coke nor any soda pop. Actually he said anything with bubbles, so that includes beer and champagne. The beer will be difficult because I like to enjoy one around my birthday. Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

Caffeine is absorbed into the body with the same receptors as Vitamin D. If you are drinking coffee and taking a Vitamin D supplement, you will not absorb the vitamin if the caffeine is present.

Isn't that the craziest thing?! There are days when I swear I am as fat as I ever was, I can just feel it. I tell you, our minds do crazy things to us.

@@Dub Thanks for the compliment! It's been hard work, but it is definitely paying dividends. And yes, I am liking the increase in overall health since losing so much weight!

There are going to be times when you are going to want fiber. I use shredded wheat or grape nuts in my homemade protein bars. It's all about maintaining a balance.

Umm.... how about no? panty hose compress the incision points and the newly stapled stomach. I was hoping for some tummy support, but it is a disaster of painful squashiness. Ah, I would have thought the compression would have felt good for that exact reason. But I guess it makes sense, they aren't designed for tummy support. And while you are at it, @@BigViffer, stuff your moobs into some underwire. lol, now you ladies are going off the reservation!

OK, dumb male here; why are they a bad mistake?

The saliva thickening may be a sign of dumping. Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

@@BLERDgirl - thanks Blerd, I knew you would understand and I assumed that was the case.

@@BLERDgirl - no offence, but this is the Guy's Room. We are really trying to build up more male participation with the illusion that we can talk here without the eyes of the women on our words. That being said, I know you and know you have never caused any issues in any of the threads I have seen. Also I know that unless you are on a desktop, the Guy's Room and The powder Room are not easily discerned on "Recent Topics" @@on the fence 2 - I don't want to be presumptuous, it's of course up to you if you want women to reply to your thread. Now on to your question! It's going to depend on the individual. Me personally, I went to the gym at 6 weeks. It was pretty comical too. I used to be a weightlifter, but the lack of strength I had was appalling. Of course, I was maybe getting 600 calories a day. All I wanted to do at that time was start building up my stamina. Lots of walking and only 10lb weights to keep the atrophy to a minimum. Talk to your surgeon as much as possible at this stage. They will appreciate your desire to do the right things.

That is usually a sign of eating too much or too fast.Too much and it feels like your stomach is trying to settle things or compact them. Too fast and you have an air bubble stuck in there and it needs to work its way out. Also, if you have air trapped, you stomach will start making hilarious noises!

I would have dreams that were like food promo's. I would see pizza where the slice is being slowly, almost seductively, away from the rest of the pizza. The cheese would stretch and steam would be slithering up in the background. Or meats would be sizzling on a grill, with the juices bubbling on the char lines and the smell of charcoal would be heavy in my nose. There were also dreams of me biting down into an enormous burger, one so large that it took two hands to hold. Toppings would slide out the side and catsup would be on both my cheeks. I swear, I would wake up with that weird sense of excitement and feverish desire like I was a 13 year old boy who just had a sex dream. Thankfully, that stage has passed!

It's really going to depend on the person. When I had my surgery I was dizzy as shit and just fatigued as hell. Blood pressure meds can complicate things as well. Oh, and there is also the chance for complications. I came home with a pain ball and I also had a partially collapsed lung. Neither of those are uncommon for surgery. I would recommend someone ride it home for you. Just for safety sake.

@@heather5565 - lol, well now... you are my new best friend! I think I'll just invite you along with me everywhere I go to make me feel good about myself. I must say, you are looking pretty damned healthy yourself! And I mean that in the least stalker/creeper way possible.

Nah, here is my impressive pic: I actually just took that one today. I was looking for a new compression shirt and these new cold weather ones were out. Very comfortable, but over $50!

OK, I finally uploaded a couple pictures at the request of a friend. I still don't think I am to the "After" stage, but I am pretty damn close. Here is a picture from me that has to be at my highest weight. I didn't weigh myself back then so I am guessing that I was over 330 lbs: It's funny, sometimes when I look in the mirror I don't recognize myself. But when I saw this picture, I literally asked who it was! I guess I am getting used to being this guy:

OK, I finally uploaded a couple pictures. I still don't think I am to the "After" stage, but I am pretty damn close. Here is a picture from me that has to be at my highest weight. I didn't weigh myself back then so I am guessing that I was over 330 lbs: It's funny, sometimes when I look in the mirror I don't recognize myself. But when I saw this picture, I literally asked who it was! I guess I am getting used to being this guy: