BigViffer

Bag of bones?! He must be looking at some damn sexy bones then, because I don't see that at all. Now that I know he has been negative, it just sounds like insecurities and pettiness on his side. He knows the insults hurt, but if he knows you have a more active libido than him, he most likely thinks that withholding sex and affection will hurt you more. I am betting that when you got together and were thin, he had to work at gaining control of you. As the years went by and you gained weight, he was able to control more of what you did and perhaps thought. Constant belittling slowly erodes confidence when it comes from people you love and trust. Now that you are measuring yourself by something other than his gauge, your confidence is returning and he is losing influence. Someone who doesn't have your best interest in mind and isn't supportive of your personal betterment is not someone you should keep around. If it were me, I'd be considering separation if you have already laid the cards on the table and he hasn't shown any signs of changing. That being said, I am a very black/white person. I don't have a middle ground. I have written off family for much less than what you have endured. I am generally not the empathic type, I prefer dispassionate decision making. Whatever you end up doing, I wish you the best of luck.

I use the Torani sugar free flavorings all the time. I use it for Protein drinks as well as my coffee and yogurt. I buy the plain greek yogurt and add a splash of Torani. Freeze that mixture and you basically have ice cream. Oh, my favorites are the salted caramel and coffee liqueur.

Not at all! ... ... ... Go on... First off, I am truly sorry you have this to deal with. I don't say that lightly, as a matter of fact I don't believe I have said that to anyone on this forum yet. But this is a situation that is truly perplexing and deeply wounding. The one person (a spouse/partner) that should be building us up is ignoring you. At least if he were insulting you it could be rationalized as envy or jealousy. I wish I had some sort of insight for you, but this behavior is outside my experience and beyond my comprehension. I have become pretty adept at reading signs from my wife that she is interested in intimacy and acting upon it. Having her actually initiate intimacy is difficult to her for some reason. I don't know if it is Catholic guilt or just old insecurities and fear of rejection. All she has to say to me is, "You know the kids are gone...". Then it is game on! Whatever the reason for this behavior from your husband, I hope you find a solution whether it be communication, counselling, or separation.

Not trying to be funny here, but is he gay? Another member here just recently had his wife come out after several years I believe. I just looked at your gallery; even if your husband didn't like your personality, physically you would be difficult to ignore much less turn down an offer of sexual intimacy. Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling

I married a hispanic woman, so we have a lot of Latin dishes. Even now. A lot of them are very high in Protein if you just skip the tortilla and anything with masa. In fact, if we go out to eat, mexican restaurants are top of the list because I can get huevos (eggs), Beans, or fajita's and be guilt free. As for Pasta, man I thought giving up pasta and potatoes post surgery would be the hardest thing to do. Turns out, it is the easiest thing I have had to deal with. I have taken a bite of pasta twice since surgery. Both time were awful. First time I puked because of the clumping and the second time was just uncomfortable for about an hour. I felt like something was stuck in my throat the entire time. Potatoes don't taste anywhere near as good as I remember them. I'd much rather have just about anything else really.

We had a full blown Thanksgiving lunch at my office. Turkey, ham, pies, cakes, sweet potatoes, collard greens... the works. Most of the people in my office know I had the surgery, so no one batted an eye when I only got small portions and didn't indulge in dessert. I had a Protein packed meal and splurged on a quarter of a sweet potato. Like you, I felt pretty good afterwards while everyone else was walking around in a stupor or sleeping in their cubes from a turkey induced coma!

Hey I tried that, It was actually pretty good too!

I find this is true as well. My surgeon backed it my suspicion saying that you have to evacuate the waste (fat). So come on men, let us poop our selves thin!

I am using the stool every time, and it is literally tuning into stop, drop, plop. I use about 1/4 of the TP that I used to use as well. At this point I don't care how ridiculous the name is nor how I look on the pot, the thing works. I hope that it works for anyone on here who decides to buy one!

While browsing my threads, I saw that I never wrapped this one up. I mentioned my surgeons words in another thread, but not here. Allow me to quote myself: So to conclude the original question of this thread; according to my surgeon, someone with my situation/circumstances should be eating anywhere between 1200 - 2000 calories. Still mostly Protein, but a far more casual attitude about carbs and fat than what I was thinking.

And that is exactly the reason I posted this in the Guy's Room. I know the women can read it, but the illusion that we are a bunch of guys talking amongst ourselves really helps getting the information out there for the rest of us. Man, that is the perfect metaphor for the sensation!

@@dlappjr dude, that is me to a tee. I was a 10 o'clock RR break almost like clockwork. Maybe miss a day here and there. I am not back to that, but at least I am not stopped up for 4 days. There were days very recently that I felt like I was trying to pass a boulder. I can confidently say that for a week now I have been pretty comfortable doing my business. Here is a listing on ebay that is the same as I bought: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Squatty-Potty-Ecco-7-9-2-Pack-Natural-Aid-For-Constipation-Hemorrhoids-/141840955780?hash=item2106613984:g:bNEAAOSwlV9WScxS For that price, you get to decide if the 7" or the 9" is right for you. Or put on in each bathroom if you have two.

@@OneDollarBill Good job man. That's what it's all about isn't it? Being around for your children and being able to be active with them?

@@matt1912 damn dude, those are some fantastic results! You were slightly bigger than I, but you don't seem to have the excess skin that I do. And no moobs? Congrats!

I just got back from the gym and my weekly weigh in. Down 5 lbs. I don't know if my stall has broken or if I have finally evacuated old stool like some reviewers have mentioned, but either way I'll take the victory.

Quick and minor update! Went to the gym and did my weekly weigh in. 222! I don't know if the stall is broken or if my regularity has helped, but it doesn't matter. The needle has moved and I'll take the success.

I find it funny that it has been over a month since I said I was going to post a picture after hitting my goal. This stall has lasted way too long. Hopefully it won't be much longer.

I don't add sweetners to much, but if I have it has been honey still in the honeycomb. If I were to use real sugar, I would go for the unrefined stuff.

BigViffer's Manly Bean Meal There are some cool sounding recipes here. But I want to kick it up a notch with something more manly. I made this after my surgery when I was wanting something a little more normal than what I was eating at the time. I made my own BBQ sauce since most bottled stuff has corn syrup in it. 2 bags dried Beans. - (I use Black & Pinto. IMPORTANT: BEANS WILL NEED TO BE SOAKED FOR AT LEAST 8 HOURS) 1 lbs. bacon - (NOT MAPLE OR SWEET! Peppered or smoked taste the best. I have also used smoked pulled pork shoulder butts with no sauce.) 1 Onion - (I don’t care what color. Just pick one. Yellow onions are the most pungent though.) 1 Bell Pepper - (Green, Red, Yellow… whatever sounds good to you) Jalapeno or Chipotle peppers - I like it spicy, so I added about 4, my frieds said it was too hot though. It's up to you. At least 4 cloves garlic. - Come on, add some more. You wuss. Big splash Apple Cider Vinegar - (OK, maybe ¼ cup) Real Molasses or Treacle. - This stuff is potent, so start off with only about 2 Fluid oz. You can always add more if necessary. ¼ cup tomato paste - Make sure you don't use your wife's tomoato paste concetrate that she already has plans for. It's also much stronger than regular tomato paste. Scoop of brown sugar. - This is another part that is to taste, maybe ¼ cup Yellow mustard - To taste. Noticing a trend yet? Salt & pepper if you want. - How much? You guessed it, to taste. Pick over beans to remove stones and the uglies. Soak in a bowl with just enough Water to cover the beans. Add the salt to the beans and water. Go to bed Wake up your wife so she can make her wonderful husband who loves her more than his motorcycle and truck combined some coffee. Drain the beans but keep the stock! Cook the bacon and save the grease. Season if you want because we all know that you make the best damned anything. You want the bacon to be crispy – not burned! This is the only time that crisp bacon should ever be made. It is a waste of bacon and an abomination against nature any other time. Roughly chop the bell peppers, onion, jalapeno peppers, and the garlic cloves. Add them to a little of the bacon grease and cook until the onions are translucent. Put drained beans into a very big crockpot. Add everything at the same time, cuz thats how a man cooks. (peppers, onions, garlic, all sauces, vinegar, all spices, etc...) Now add just enough of the stock back into the crockpot to cover the beans. Wait a fricken eternity for the damn things to cook while the aroma drives you insane. Put a towel under the drooling dogs mouth to avoid a slipping hazard in the kitchen. Drive the kids out of the house so you don't have to listen to them asking, "Is it done yet?!" Open and stir. Taste for testing the texture. Repeat the last step if necessary. This will literally take all day. Depending on your crockpot, I'd say 8-12 hours. If your crockpot is out of the kids reach, 8 hours. If they can reach it, they will keep opening it up wanting to see it. Once ready, you will be eating beans for a week. flatulence will take on a new meaning in your house. No one will be spared, no one is safe. You'll try to make jokes in the beginning, but it wonlt last long. Your wife will avoid you, your kids will fear you. Only the dog will stay by your side. Hoping you will drop some beans most likely. Then you and the dog will be a source of unrefined methane that brings shame to your household. But you won't care, because the beans are that damned good.

This is so out of left field it has me intrigued. I think I am going to give this a try. Thanks for posting this!

NO CAPITAL F?! YOU JUST MADE THE SHITLIST!

No need to to wait for summer, you are already rocking that thing! Congrats!

After talking with my surgeon, the #1 cause of dizziness for those not taking BP medicine is not enough fluids. Then through my own research, I saw that extended periods of time with too few calories can cause dizziness as well. If you are able, increase both your fluid and your calories with your surgeons permission and see how that helps.

I had my 9 month post-op appointment yesterday. Nothing special, just a routine follow-up. The only thing I wanted to talk to my surgeon about was the continuing saga of constipation and whether I should still be on a 1300 calorie goal. I was thinking that perhaps I should up it to 1500 to see if it helps with the current plateau I appear to be on. First thing he does when he comes into the room is break into a huge smile and shake my hand. He had me stand and turn around so that he can check me out. He had me lift my shirt so that he could see how much excess skin there might be and what my BMI might be before calculating anything. He then asked for my log printout that I always bring in with me. Here is where my surprise came. He called me one of his best success stories. Success? But I am not done yet. Am I? According to him, since my ribs are now visible as well as my xiphoid process (pointed bottom of the sternum) and that my knees touch when laying down, and just general visibility of muscle and joints that I am already pretty lean. There may be a layer of fat still attached to the inside of the skin, but not a lot of reserves. I pointed out that I still have a belly and he said that it mostly skin and of course with constipation I am a sticking out a little, but he is happy with where I am. I thought I still had 20-25 lbs to go. My original goal was 220, but I thought I would bottom out at 200 and maintain at 220. I am currently at 225. Don't get me wrong, it feels wonderful to be here from 330, I just didn't think I would have "finished" already. I asked if I could continue to try for the 200 lbs mark, and he said it was fine, but it would only be for personal satisfaction. Health wise, he was happy where I am now. He liked the muscle that I was able to maintain and wants to ensure that I do not sacrifice it for a number on a scale. I totally understand that. He then went on to praise my record keeping. Said not only did he wish more patients did it, he wished he was able to do it. I have logged every bite I have eaten since I started logging food. I didn't start it because I wanted to log it, I only started doing it so that I would know how close I was to my Protein goal. I have since come to appreciate the data aggregation and analysis that I can do with it. (kind of a nerd here). He also said that I should be consuming anywhere from 1200 - 2000 calories! Woah there chief, not ready for that just yet! But I think I will go ahead and change my goal to 1500 and see if that changes anything. I also think I am going to change my categories from: Breakfast lunch dinner... to time ranges: 06:00 - 12:00am 12:00 - 05:00 05:00 - 09:00 I think that would be a better way to track it. anyways, I wanted to put this information out there because I know some of the men are wanting more topics relevant to them. I have also attached part of my log in case anyone was curious as to what I do. This is only an example, I have several different analysis tabs going on.Paul MyFitPal 2015-11-19.pdf

Ah, then that must be it. I am hitting my targets via food only. That doesn't mean I should continue to do so, I thought it was just better to do it. But seeing how others results appear to be better than mine currently, I am going to look into it.