CharmedRyan

I've been back to the gym now for a couple months... I want to build muscle to replace the fat I've lost and help with any loose skin. I'm 6 months post op. How many grams of protein are you taking in a day to build muscle? I'm really trying to build as much muscle as I can. I'm 140lbs down and I feel amazing. I just want to push myself now. Any help on this is appreciated!

I've been back to the gym now for a couple months... I want to build muscle to replace the fat I've lost and help with any loose skin. I'm 6 months post op. How many grams of protein are you taking in a day to build muscle? I'm really trying to build as much muscle as I can. I'm 140lbs down and I feel amazing. I just want to push myself now. Any help on this is appreciated!

I'm a little sad to see so little activity in this group. I was really hoping to find gay men who could understand what I'm going through. Especially if being a part of the chub/chaser/bear community. Hope it picks up.

Hi CincyDave. I can totally understand where you're coming from. Talking definitely helps, especially when it's with people in similar social situations. I'm just over 4 months post op. Any questions you have, feel free to ask. I'd be more than happy to do what I can.

I'm glad to hear your boyfriend is helping you out. I hope the insurance gets its ass in hear and approves it! Good luck, bud!

Good luck with your surgery. I had my surgery 4/27/15... Very glad I did it. I don't have a bf, but I've been told by "chasers" that they liked me better before. It's hard mentally... But you do what's best for you. Make yourself happy. You are your number one. :-)

Congrats on your journey! 71lbs is amazing! Good for you! I was sleeved on April 27th, 2015. It was hard for me at first, but I'm glad I did it. This room unfortunately isn't very active, but there are a couple of us who frequent it. :-) So if you have any questions, feel free to ask... I'm happy to share my experiences about going through the surgery or the chub/chaser scene after surgery. Congrats again!!

I had a mild case of lymphedema before I had the VSG. Now the swelling in my legs have gone down so much. Almost completely healed. But I still have discoloration. I was wondering if anybody had or has a similar situation and has any tips on products or remedies to help with the discoloration? I do exercise and walk to help with blood flow. But other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :-)

It's a fairly light red to dark red. :-)

That's awesome, Richard... Good for you! I just started following you on Instagram by the way. You're more than welcome to follow back, mine isn't geared towards the weight loss surgery though, it's just my everyday stuff. As for me, I've been battling my weight most of my life too... Weight Watchers, Atkins, all that stuff too. I also have the lymphedema in my leg... I wear the compression stockings. It basically sucks. I'm embarrassed to wear shorts. But what really sealed the deal with getting surgery was when my best friend died. He passed Feb 28, 2014. He was only 32 and passed from a heart attack. And that for me really made me think and re-evaluate things. So I decided to get weight loss surgery. My heaviest was this past Feb... I was 446lbs... I lost 33lbs before surgery... Was 413lbs day of surgery... I had surgery April 27, 2015... I'm down 59lbs since surgery... So down 92lbs in total. I physically feel so much better. I'm finally getting a good amount of protein in and water in. I know what you're going through cause it was hard for me at first too. It's still hard, but it's easier. I really started feeling better when I was put on solid food. I was getting more calories in me and had more energy. I'm loving it. I'm going to start the gym on Monday. Makes me nervous cause I'm afraid of pushing it. But I hired a personal trainer for 3 sessions so he can help me exercise knowing my situation and restrictions. I hope things continue to go well for you and your boyfriend and that he is supportive of you right now. I know I needed the support of my friend and family. I'm single myself. I decided to hold off on dating because I don't want to get dumped because I lost too much weight. Just not up for going through that. But who knows what the future holds. It's nice to talk to someone who knows what I'm going through. Cause I don't feel like people understand this unless they go through it themselves.

Are you back to work yet? Have you started soft foods (no chunks)?

Well why don't you two tell me about your journey and thoughts about the community so far. I'd love to hear what you guys think... I'm just assuming you're a gay male no-onions. Sorry if I'm assuming wrong. lol

I wouldn't do carbonation... It stretches out your stomach. That's not a myth. We did the surgery for a reason. We gotta make sacrifices. :-( Good luck with your journey.

I was sleeved and felt the same thing close to the bigger incision... I was told it's just the incision still healing from the inside. I'm a little over two months out and I haven't felt it for a few weeks. Hope this helps.

I have Kaiser for my insurance... When I was looking into surgery and took classes, the surgeons said they don't really do the lapband anymore because it's a failed procedure... They said some people with the lapband would get holes in their stomach where the lapband ring went around and would cause infection. They found problems with the lapband being too invasive. With the sleeve your body just heals. You don't have to keep going back to tighten and loosen and add water and stuff like that. Hope this helps.

How long ago did you have your surgery? It took me a week or two after starting regular food to get my protein and calorie intake up.

I was sleeved on April 27, 2015. My protein is up and I'm doing well on water intake. Only thing is once in a while my stomach gets upset. I'm not eating anything crazy, I'm pretty good with my eating. I'm on regular foods, I'm just careful with fats and sugar, and I'm not eating breads, pasta or rice. What do you do when your stomach gets upset. I don't want to take pills cause too many pills upset my stomach more. Any advice?

I ended up like the premier protein, I only tried a couple others before... But I would suggest using ice... It helped me cause the protein shakes were thick. The ice watered it down a little and it was easier to drink and stayed cold. Cause warm protein shakes are the worst! ????

I had the sleeve on April 27, 2015 along with the hernia repair too. I didn't even know I had the hernia. I'm just over two months post op and I feel great. I didn't feel discomfort from the hernia... It was from the stomach that I felt the pain. But it will go away. Just focus on water and protein and walking. This helps tremendously.

I don't know how old you are but I assume you've been "fat" a lot longer than you've been skinny. So it's a big adjustment mentally. You've had all those years of mentally accommodating your fat. It's gonna take a while to adjust. It can take years. But you just have to take it one day at a time. I'm just over two months post surgery, but I've lost a lot of weight and I still think fat. Little things that I couldn't do before but can do now really surprise me. I have friends that have been sleeved for a few years and they still think fat from time to time. It's a process. But enjoy you're success cause it sounds like you're doing amazing!

If at all possible, plan ahead. Find out what restaurant you're going too and then go online and check out their healthy options. It scared me at first too as I ate out a lot with friends pre-surgery. I had my surgery April 27, 2015. I personally love Cheesecake Factory because of their skinnylicious menu. It's really good, really healthy and super cheap compared to regular meals. And you can check online to find the lower fat and lower sugar options. You can always ask places to prepare veggies steamed instead of with oil or butter. When you go, take a bite... Wait a few min to see how your tummy reacts before taking another bite. I also carry a protein bar with me when I'm gonna be out for a long time, especially on days when you can tell that you shouldn't be too adventurous with your stomach. Hope this helps.

Hi everybody... It's been almost 2 months since I've been sleeved. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on lotions, oils or collagen creams to help with the loose skin? I have started weight lifting, but I want to do more to try and prevent. Any suggestions will be helpful. :-)

That nerium cream looks good... But that's pretty expensive. Thank you for the tip though!

Thank you all for the tips! I really appreciate them! I will try all of those. I know I'll still have some loose skin, but I want to prevent what I can. I already feel pretty good... I'm finally able to get more water and protein in... And the weight lifting is helping. Almost 2 months since surgery and I'm down about 55lbs. I'm a happy camper. :-D

I had the gastric sleeve one week ago today... I've lost 16lbs my first week, which I am ecstatic about... But this liquid diet is killing me... I miss food! I miss biting and chewing and all that. I miss flavor! I refuse to eat anything before the surgeon ok's it. I see him in two days... Anybody else feeling this way?