BigViffer

The Ninja is a fine blender, we have one that used to get used a lot. However, once we bought a Vitamix, we were amazed at the difference. I would liken it to a comparison of a Sunbeam mixer and a classic KitchenAid. There is nothing wrong with either, but the KitchenAid & Vitamix will literally last a lifetime. If you look at it from that perspective and amortize the cost over 20 years, they are quite affordable. We don't make smoothies that much anymore, but the Vitamix still gets used at least twice a week by my wife of my kids. The Ninja however excels at making single serving blended food. Small batches of hummus or frozen drinks.

In case you ever feel like doing the "from scratch" route, you can make your own mix: I like doing this just so I know everything that is in the mix instead of monosodium glutamate, modified food starch, maltodextrin, guar gum, calcium stearate, natural flavor (soy). MSG, modified starch and maltodextrin, and guar gum are in high concentration than buttermilk in commercially available ranch packets.

You can make all sorts of dips with plain greek yogurt. I make my ranch dip with it. But more often than not I just opt for hummus. Love that stuff.

Unfortunately this is not an easy question to answer. Not because the answer is elusive, rather because it is varied. The posterior chain that is involved in walking and standing will be stronger in an obese individual by nature of having to haul the extra weight. Bone density is also increased for the same reason. As long as vitamin D & calcium intake percentage was commensurate with caloric intake, the femur, tibia, and fibula will be denser (hence stronger) than in a average weighted person of the same activity level. The problem is that many of us that were obese for a long period of time either developed or already had injuries/ailments. Mine was a bad back, hips, knees, and ankles from a car accident. While the muscle and bone is fine for the most part, the joints were a mess. For people like me, that made us "weaker" as a whole. With joint pain and bad backs, we are not walking with an optimum gait nor proper posture. Over long periods of time, incorrect posture and positioning is no different than lifting weights with improper form. It exacerbates current injuries or creates new ones. That is why so many people have abdominal hernias, bulging or herniated discs, and deferred nerve pain. I'm not even going to go into a discussion on what anyone should be doing in the gym. I am opposed to machine use personally. Sets, reps, and lifting regimen depend on what result you are wanting (raw strength or big, pretty muscles). There is a difference between being stronger and being bigger. TL;DR - Yes, your leg muscles will be stronger than a person of normal weight but similar activity level.

Well then I sit corrected. Alcohol is a depressant that acts similarly to a barbiturate in the fact that it suppresses the central nervous system. And it is famous for lowering inhibitions. Now I am not saying this patient will be dancing on tables with a lamp shade on their head, but the loss of sensation in the stomach inherent post op coupled with the relaxed inhibition could make it more likely to over eat. I had not heard of people being prescribed blood thinners post op. That sounds odd to me. However, if someone is on a blood thinner, then I would imagine that any alcohol while on said thinners would be yet another reason not to drink alcohol. Dramatic or not, it makes no difference to me if someone wants to drink a glass of wine and eat steak 7 weeks post op. I merely suggested they ask their surgeon instead of asking people on the internet.

Having a blood thinning barbiturate so soon after any surgery is a bad idea. This is a question you should really ask your surgeons office.

I just revisited this old thread because of a recent question. All the memories of the first real ride after losing a lot of weight came back. Man... the thrill and exhilaration of that day! I just rode 600 miles this past weekend over two days on KY 42 and IN 62 & 66. Any other touring motorcyclist out there on this forum anymore?

Oh man, there is an enormous difference in riding once you lose a significant amount of weight. That is a thread I made a couple years ago about it. After that topic, I made my annual trek to the Dragon and had the best experience of my riding life!

There is an old bariatric saying - never trust a fart. Never.

If you find that you are having excessive gas or gas more frequently - not you personally, any bariatric patient, it could be a sign of eating too fast. I'm not talking about shoveling food in like cadets in boot camp fast, but just quick enough to introduce pockets of air into the digestive track. If possible, walk right after eating. You could just burp a lot of it out.

Sleeve patients don't tend to have the extremely foul BM's, that is more the province of by-pass patients. malabsorption occurs because food is not digested completely. With less time in the stomach for the acid to break the food down, the intestines can only absorb so much. The rest passes through the bowels partially digested. That's the smell, poop coated food that smells familiar and wrong all at the same time.

That's been debunked several times. Yes there are places in china like that, but a lot of the tilapia sold in the states are US farmed raised.

What are you defining as a cheat day? I don't really do cheat days so much as I have rest days and I let my calories go over 2000 without going to the gym. But if you mean eating ice cream or fast food; then no, I don't do cheat days.

Have you tried making greens with kale? I'll make a huge batch of collard, mustard, turnip, and kale (or any combination of them). I'll take a pound of peppered bacon and get it just to the point of being crispy. Then add some garlic, apple cider vinegar, and as much greens as I can fit in my crock pot. Cook them down and add some more. That's just the basic recipe, you can season it a little differently after that. I can literally eat that all day.

Hover over their name, at the bottom of the user overlay is three option: Message - Ignore - Find Content.

Wow! Incredible transformation TinaKimani! Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

BeforeI derail this topic any more, I'll just PM you. I literally have no clue what you are talking about.

Woah dude, sorry! I literally have no idea what are you talking about. I am not insinuating what I own is better. The Ninja is a fine blender, I was honestly only telling you about Vitamix. As for adding to the conversation, you recommended a blender so I recommended another one. I liked the Ninja and I like the Vitamix better, thought you may too. If you're not interested, that's fine. As for me being better than anyone, where do you get that idea from? That just sounds like your own insecurities.

If you like your Ninja, check out Vitamix blenders. We started off on a Ninja, but upgraded to a Vitamix because you can make hot soup in them. Seriously, cut up vegetables and add some stock, blend until hot. Makes some really incredible soups. Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

Which is why I said: I remember the need to see these things in the beginning, and I don't begrudge anyone wanting extraneous data. I don't agree that inaccurate data is better than no data though. But to each their own.

Those things are notoriously inaccurate. There are so many variables that the manufacturers admit will skew the results (how hydrated you are, amount of electrolytes in your body, when you last ate, when you last exercised, are your feet highly calloused, are your feet dirty...) If you are only using those scales at the same time every time you use it and you are fresh from the shower clean AND you are only measuring the change in the readings day over day or week over week as a data comparison and not a true body fat percentage, then they are worth having.

Totally understand your concern. At 11 months post op, you are still in that honeymoon phase where the weight loss is easiest. Soon will come the rebound gain and that is where you will usually find the maintenance weight. For me, I dipped below 200 and rebounded about 10-15 lbs. Then with the weight training I fluctuate between 220-230. If I stop lifting that weight starts coming down pretty easy. It appears as though you are tracking your body stats, which is great. Keep on top of the hydration and try to eat enough to fuel your body. Keep your surgeon in the loop and see where you are 18 month post op.

Don't measure food by volume, go by weight. I have a digital scale at home, work, and if I'm at a retreat I'll ask them to weigh the meat. Don't care if it seems odd to them, it's important to me! Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

I am surprised that you are hungry that quickly. I am over 3 years out now and when I eat my protein post training (5-8 oz meat usually) I am not hungry for at least 2 hours. And sometimes not until I get home from work. If you are eating nothing but meat, how much are you eating? If it is only 2-4 oz, then I would say you are right where you should be. If you are mixing vegetable and meat, that would explain why you are getting hungry sooner. They just break down quicker. Again, just as it should be. oh - totally off topic, Tilapia is OK in a pinch, but it really is a garbage fish. If you can manage it, go for just about any other fish. Haddock or cod are my whitefish of choice just because of availability.