FishOn

I have reached my weight goal but now realize I have a bit more fat and flab to contend with. I have stepped up my training and been a gym rat for the last couple of months. Now I am switching routines and doing resistance bands and green vegetable powder. I believe resistance bands will be excellent in toning and shaping muscles/skin and combating flab. Here are some tips that may help you on your journey. I will be posting the results of the resistance band routines in a couple of months. https://www.livestrong.com/article/195891-how-to-tighten-loose-abdominal-skin/ My energy level is very high for the past few months.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/195891-how-to-tighten-loose-abdominal-skin/ More info on toning with resistance bands.

I am pretty sure that everyone knows at work and other places as folks love to gossip. HR and upper management will know for the Health Insurance paperwork hits their desk first. If you go out of pocket that is different. I have told anyone who asks and half the time they want weight loss tips. I don't post it or brag about the surgery only the results. Many folks before me have tried and failed after the surgery. Once I started drinking the Protein shakes, the whole office started drinking them. I don't lie or conceal as I value my integrity a bit. Some folks know and just want to see if you will be honest. My journey was 19 months (11 months after surgery) so I let folks know it was not a quick cut and the weight fell off. You have to work at it and it takes a lot of commitment. I created a pdf with weight loss tips I have learned from my nutritionist, this forum and my own experiences that I give to the genuinely interested. Weight Loss Tips.pdf

Here is more info on the resistance banding. I will be starting my band workouts tonight. There are dozens of resistance band training videos on youtube to pick from. I was also advised to use this green powder for success. Best Wishes!

I am coming up on my one year surgiversary next month and have reached my weight goal. I still need more toning/muscles and am switching workout to resistance bands after witnessing a friends transformation in just two months of banding (thought he was taking steroids). Sooo Happy!!! My energy level is sky high! I am almost non-stop motion when I come home from work. I have changed my lifestyle now and pretty committed to low carbs, exercise, water and moving! Now for the real test, can I keep it off for the next 2-3 years by following a good maintenance regime...My new puppy will help with that! Yes I made the Sushi from the fish I caught. Usully I make it real fancy like restaurant style but wifey was hungry! I only ate 4 pieces of roll, have to watch the rice. My wife is a Sushi fanatic and love it when I bring home fresh caught fish for Sushi. It was sooooo delicious this time out! Thanks!

Correction 45 pounds vice 35 pounds.

I am coming up on my one year surgiversary next month and have reached my weight goal. I still need more toning/muscles and am switching workout to resistance bands after witnessing a friends transformation in just two months of banding (thought he was taking steroids). Sooo Happy!!! My energy level is sky high! I am almost non-stop motion when I come home from work. I have changed my lifestyle now and pretty committed to low carbs, exercise, water and moving! Now for the real test, can I keep it off for the next 2-3 years by following a good maintenance regime...My new puppy will help with that!

I got mine October 3, 2017 and just reached my goal today. I believe I could have reached it earlier but I wanted to pace myself and build more muscle to replace the fat trying to minimize sagging skin. I still have more fat to lose. I aim to replace that with more chest pectoral muscles. I am hoping to stay around 180-185 when all is done. I was a gym rat but with a new puppy at home I have switched to resistance bands for a different workout. My buddy showed me a pic after 2 months of banding and I thought he was on steroids. With the bands I can spend more time at home working out 45 minutes a day and playing with my new puppy. Will be walking during my lunch break. I consider myself half way there. Now that I reached my goal, I will judge my success in 2-3 years from now. I believe the last leg is of utmost importance to ensure you have changed your lifestyle and stick to a sound maintenance regime. Good Luck in your weight loss journey! My friends have been asking me how to lose weight and I prepared this for them. I let them know about the surgery and my 19 month journey. I let them know I can eat what I want or at least taste it or have a 1/2 cup (knowing that I will have to makeup for it possibly). I also provided a pdf attachment of the same. Weight Loss Tips Below are some tools/suggestions I have for weight loss If you can be “accountable” for what passes your lips you may be on your way to achieving your weight loss goals. The tool I use to help me be accountable is “My Fitness Pal.” Click link here https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ There is an app for it as well. Here you will log your weight, meals, snacks, exercise, water, etc. I use it to plan my meals; it keeps track of just about everything, and it’s free. Once you start logging a complete day it will give you a prediction on how much weight you will lose in a month if you continue eating the same way as that day. I personally try to maintain at least 1200 – 1500 calories a day. I have protein, carb, sugar and fat goals. I log everything from sugarless candy to nuts and you should too. No shame in being honest with yourself. To lose weight you cannot starve yourself; your metabolism will slow down slowing down your success. I am on a low-carb not no-carb diet as you need carbs. You must eat, hydrate and exercise. Exercises are broken down into cardio or muscle building. I started with minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day and now my daily goal is 45 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weight training. Exercising Walking – Is the best exercise aside from running for weight loss. Walking is easier on your joints. Mix it up – Don’t do the same exercises day in and day out. When exercising your legs, you can walk, jump, skip, leap, stretch, squat, and run. Calisthenics – best exercises to combine with walking. There are tons of free YouTube videos to work out to like these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K727ao6Kjr4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CE4ijWlQ18 I keep sugarless candies nearby to satisfy my sweet tooth. My favs are lifesavers and werther’s hard candy. Water Water Water Water – I cannot say it enough. You need to drink a lot of water. Often times we think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty. Keep a water bottle on hand at all times. I have little goals I set like; I can’t get off the basketball court unless I have made three free throws in a row every day (I made 13 yesterday). Find something you enjoy like swimming or walking a beautiful mountain trail. Find a buddy and hold each other accountable. If you did not make at least a light circle of sweat around your neckline, you did not push yourself hard enough. Vitamins – Is a must. When you start cutting calories, you may not get all the nourishment you need to lose weight. Take good quality vitamins. I take a multi-vitamin, also biotin, B complex and baby aspirin. Clean out the garage, clean something and log it in as exercise. Do not get complacent and move, move, move! I have cheat days once in a while where I have lifted my boundaries but always, always get back on the horse and charge forward Weight Loss Tips.pdf

I have been combating hair loss for about six months. Even contemplating baldness or wig if I could not put the brakes on the hair loss. Lucky for me I started with thick hair that needed thinning out once in a while. I have been using Sanar Naturals Collagen Wrinkle Formula, biotin pill, biotin shampoo and biotin conditioner. I take all my bariatric vitamins and drink plenty of water and eat more protein whenever I can. My hairloss is slowing down as I close in on my goal. I would not look half as good as you do with my misshapen head. Congratulations!

Congratulations! I don't think I will ever be taking off my shirt unless I get surgery for skin tightening. Only so much muscle is filling in my skin. Any tips for sagging skin care?

Sometimes I have a tendency to wakeup to leg cramps and have had this issue before WLS. I try to drink as much water as possible when I think of it. I work out a lot more in the yard and in the gym after WLS so I try to keep hydrated (6-8 cups). The last few nights I have been cramping really badly in my feet, legs and now hands. I have found that when I take Hylands Homeopathic Muscle Cramps and Pain Relief Mag Phox X6 under the tongue and followed by a glass of water the cramps subside and I go back to sleep. Night before last I had to do this twice to relieve my cramps. I take my vitamins and eat about 1000-1500 calories a day. I workout almost everyday. I will schedule a check with my doctor. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks for all the good advice! now that I think of it, I was having constipation issues last time I was taking magnesium and will keep an eye on it when I start taking it again.

I was diagnosed as diabetic at my heaviest last year. Was taking metformin for about 6 months then I quit taking it after losing 80 pounds. Never was given a glucose kit or told to check diabetes? I scheduled physical/labs next week to see what meds I can scrap after losing 108 pounds since 10/17

I was taking magnesium capsules and ran out. I need to get more. Thanks

Nice to have a standup desk! I have a sedentary job in IT. I get up at zero dark thirty and SSS (Do my bathroom duties). Then I head out to work stopping at the gym to get my blood flowing. I used to love basketball and spent much of my youth playing basketball, volleyball and tennis. I have renewed my love of basketball by checking out a basketball every morning. Then I dribble the ball a few times around the court and practice shooting for a minimum of 20-30 minutes. I finish with weight machines and towel heavily to minimize wet under garments. Change my under garments as needed and go to work. When I am home, I try to stay off the couch and do yard work, cleaning, ironing, cooking and housework. I try to keep in motion most of the time to make up for the sedentary job I have. I also am a Nintendo Wii fanatic, which I picked up doing rehab for my knee surgeries. You can buy a used Wii online for $40 and used games cheap. The Wii exercise will have you sweating good if done properly and builds bonds with your children. (Sitting on the couch doing Wii is no Bueno) I try to walk around a couple of minutes every hour at work. My point is I try to make moving fun as that is a key to success IMHO. You have to give yourself credit for housework, moving and all the activity you do that gets your heart rate up. I also document food, exercise and activity in a calorie counting myfitnesspal program.

I would say that I have lost a lot of weight and working on losing more so I am very conscious of what and how much I eat. I order a befitting meal knowing that I probably will only eat a small portion of it, and take the rest home.