Acadia

I think you're on the right track with the boxing and weight training facility. You're looking to lose fat, tighten your skin, and gain muscle. That facility is perfect for that. As for being embarrassed, trust me, when you go into a gym no one is looking at you - and if they are they're thinking how great it is that you've made the choice most won't - but generally they're just thinking about themselves and what they're there for. Just think about how psyched everyone there will be as you get more and more into shape! They'll become like a second family except no judgment, just encouragement.

IsAViolinist is correct. It's not just calories in that count. The scale I have (Onrom Body Sensor) tells me, based on my weight, body fat percentage, and skeletal muscle percentage the number of calories I need to sustain my weight, which is currently around 1,789. So, theoretically, if I keep my activity exactly the same, but limit my caloric intake to 1,200 - I'll lose 1 lbs a week. If I increase my activity I can lose a little more, but most exercise burns so few calories that they aren't worth doing if you want major results. Stick with things like boxing, kettlebell swings, or heavy weight lifting for a really dramatic weight change. Doing kettlebell swings, 20 minutes, two times a week (total 40 minutes per week of exercise) I'm able to lose 2.2-3.0 lbs per week. So in those mere 40 minutes I'm pumping my body to the point where it burns an extra 7,000 calories a week. ** Something very important to note, as your body fat percentage goes down and your muscle percentage goes up your BMR (calories required to keep your weight the same) will go up. Muscle needs more calories than fat to survive - not many, but a few extra. That's why people who are really active need thousands of calories per day to fuel themselves (think Michael Phelps and his 12,000 calorie days during heavy training). As for those of you who aren't seeing results and are hitting the gym 5-7x a week. Stop going so much. Seriously. Give yourself at least 24-48 hours between workouts. You can't build muscle unless you give the torn muscle fibers time to heal. If you work out every day you're not giving your body any time to heal. And when you're at the gym, do your heavy weight workout first (if you can do more than 5-8 reps with the weights they're too light), then do your cardio. Also - eat a high Protein meal an hour BEFORE you go to the gym. Your body needs the fuel before, not after. Trust me, you'll see amazing results.

Most gyms will have trainers on site. Talk with each of them. Find one that looks like you want to look (male or female - the body composition is your concern) and ask them for their story. My trainer used to be very overweight, then he started working out and is now the Naturals Body Building Master for the US. That is the type of goal I have so he was ideal for me. I paid for three sessions per week with him and paid for 3-6 months at a time which got a discount from his normal $85/hour to $55/hour. That was through Gold's Gym. He knew what he was doing, worked with me being a vegetarian, and pushed me beyond what I would have done otherwise. If I hadn't been in two car accidents and he hadn't gone Pro and left the gym I would have stayed with him. A trainer will push you where you can't push yourself. My suggestion is get someone who competes in body building or fitness competitions (they will know what a good high Protein diet should be and how to work heavier weights, which are necessary) or a boxer. Boxing gyms will whip you into shape fast and it's a crazy effective work out.

I've been losing between 2.2-3.0 lbs a week. Now that I'm approved to do the heavy weights again I imagine that will increase slightly.

Get to a Doctor. Chest pain is not something to mess with.

I agree with Juliana1. It's about will power. Though some people experience the vagas nerve deadening this is not something you want. It can cause fainting, blood pressure drops, and many more issues. I posted elsewhere on the board why they deliberately try to avoid the vagas nerve. That one nerve branches out and controls the output from every one of your internal organs and so much more. You must make the willful decision to eat better. To eat less. To move more. You'll have bad days where you eat too much. It's up to you to make the realization that you are 100% in charge. The band is just a tool to reduce the amount of food you can contain at any given time. That's it. So if you eat too much and realise it - and you will learn to realise it. Then make a point to cut back on the next couple of meals to a very conscious amount of food or a Protein shake. Something small. And if you need to, weigh yourself daily, doctors don't suggest it but if you see that scale going up you'll learn to make better decisions to avoid seeing a higher number next time. Do what Juliana said and eat high protein Snacks - oatmeal is awesome for this as it's a complete protein and complex carbs and will keep you full for around 4-5 hours. Take it one day at a time. Track everything you can. When you see it written down you won't make some of the decisions you would have made otherwise. You'll get there, but you need to take responsibility. The band will do absolutely nothing for you unless you change your behaviors.

The first four to six weeks are not for losing weight. Some people do, some don't. Now is the time to heal. Start monitoring all of your calories - use something like The Daily Plate. Get a fitness monitor, Fit Bit is $99 and offers online diet tracking and will monitor your activity. Move more and make sure you're not drinking calories. Eating what you're eating at 19 days out is totally normal and acceptable. Though doctors suggest liquids, mushies, soft, then adding foods gradually - you may drive yourself mad sticking to that. Just east sensibly. Two other things to note: Women will gain between 5-10 lbs every month just by biological nature. It comes off a week or so later. After starting back to new foods you may gain 1-10 lbs in Water weight (from the salt content) but you'll lose it within a week. You'll learn that when you eat very clean six days a week then indulge on that seventh day that you can gain anywhere from 5-10 lbs as a woman (men can gain 15-25 lbs) all in water weight. Within a week it's gone and you're likely down an extra pound or two. I hope that helps a bit.

Don't stick to the 1/4 c every 3 hours. That's way too little food. You're almost two weeks out, you should be able to eat almost normally at this point. I'm two weeks out and I can eat 1-1.5 c of food per sitting (depending on the food) and my Dr. approves of this. It's normal nutrition. Ultimately you'll be looking for that amount per meal, 1-1.5 c. Eat when you are hungry, not by the clock. If you are truly hungry - eat. It will prevent you from feeling sick and prevent your sugar from tanking. Eat complex carbs and Protein to keep you fuller longer. Avoid Soups, yogurt, ice cream, Jello, anything that is liquid or liquid like because they'll slip right through. I find that soft cooked Pasta keeps me full for 4-5 hours, potatoes do the same thing (all approved Phase II foods). Soup makes me hungry an hour later. Protein shakes stave me off for about 2 hours. Start tracking your food - the time you eat it too - The Daily Plate is really good for this (there's even an iPhone app) - and that will help you figure out what keeps you fuller for longer so you can eat foods that will help you lose by keeping you full.

Your body fat percentage and muscle percentage will change based on your water intake. If you suddenly notice a 0.5% or greater body fat percentage increase over a single day you aren't drinking enough (when you're dehydrated your BF% will be higher than it really is). If you hydrated well the previous day your readings will be very accurate for a scale. Which is different than caliper readings. But this scale is known to be more accurate than most (e.g. Tanita scales overestimate BF% by as much as 55%) You'll get the most accurate readings first thing in the morning after urinating and totally nude. When used in combination (Weight Lost / BF% / SM% / VBF%) you'll get a very accurate reading of how you're doing. If you do get this scale send me a PM and I'll send you a custom Excel Spreadsheet I've made that tracks all of the variables and graphs them month by month.

I'm two weeks out and my stomach gurgles and growls to the point where anyone around me can hear it. I've woken up starving to the point where I felt sick and had to eat something to help my stomach stop (I keep Muscle Milk around for this reason). For me I've learned that small Pasta shells (whole grain) chewed well stay in both stomach parts better and keep me full longer. Potato works as well. If I eat soup though I don't get as full - unless it's something like potato soup with chunks of potato or smashed tomato soup with whole grain crackers. Something that takes time to digest. pudding, yogurt, anything like that will slip right through the stoma into your large stomach. You may want to start writing down how you feel after you eat each food and start to increase the foods that keep you fuller longer. Drinking before (up to 15 minutes prior), during, or after (up to 30 minutes after) or eating soft foods (sliders) will help you empty your pouch much faster so try to avoid any liquids (anything you could eat during your liquid or mushy phases) for 15 minutes prior and 30 minutes after.

You may get some very extreme gas pains. Laying down will help. Using a hot pack or heating pad/bottle will help. It's normal. But if you have trouble breathing go to the ER or call your Dr. Don't risk it.

Get your fills under fluoroscopy - your insurance should cover that. It will show your band's exact position. And insist that you drink a full cup of Water after your fill to make sure you can get it -- and keep it -- down. Inconvenience the Dr. if you have to - it's about your health! If possible, find another Doctor. You are 100% entitled to a copy of ALL of your medical records per HIPAA, get a copy of everything and go to someone else. Explain your situation and the new Dr. should be sympathetic.

That is very wrong. You cannot consume 1,200 calories in 1.5 cups of food per day. You should be trying for 1-1.5 cups per meal and a minimum of 1,200 calories. If you start working out using heavy weights (5-8 reps per set) you'll want to increase your calories accordingly. Your Dr is nuts if he thinks that 0.5 c of food three times a day is sufficient. You'll lose weight but you'll also consume muscle mass so your body can actually function.

Use a cold compress (dry or wet). It will short circuit the nerves and stop the itch.

I weigh myself daily with the Omron Full Body Sensor Body Fat and Body Composition Monitor scale. A big name for a scale that tells you your: weight, BMI, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle percentage, basal metabolic rate (calories you need to maintain your current weight), body age, and visceral fat percentage. I weight myself daily and monitor all of those things because it helps me to know if (a) I'm drinking enough Water ( I'm overindulging © if I'm experiencing my normal monthly fluctuation (d) if I'm building more muscle. It may not be a good idea for some people but for me it helps keep me on track and reminds me to eat properly and move more so I can see the scale reflect my efforts (more with the body fat percentage and skeletal muscle percentage).

Something to note - your normal temp may actually be 99 so you might not be running a fever. I know someone who has a normal daily temp of nearly 100. Until she tracked it for several days she didn't know that was her normal temp and people always thought she was sick. Monitor your temp several times a day for several days and see if that's your norm. You may also want to call your doctor's office and ask them what your temps have been when you've been there.

At four weeks post you may not be able to consume enough solid Protein (meat protein contributes to kidney stones - vegetable and soy Proteins don't) so either supplement with whey shakes or eat things like oatmeal (awesome source of protein). You truly do not need 60+ grams of protein per day unless you're still healing (you're at the end of that) or working out heavily (heavy weights - 5-8 reps before failure). You're safe to drop down to 20-30 grams a day for most of the weeks, which you should be able to get easily through the food you eat. Keep track of what you're eating in something like The Daily Plate as it will calculate protein even in fruits and vegetables. Stick with complex carbs with protein (like oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, Beans, legumes) and avoid meat proteins as they will exacerbate the issue. Also - if you're taking Vitamin C or Calcium, back off for a bit. They too cause kidney stones.

I had surgery on the 14th, was still sore and only able to sleep on my back until the 24th, then I was able to sleep on my side, and around the 27th (yesterday) my stomach. No pain now, two weeks out.

Bella Luna has the right idea. Spike your calories to around 1600 for one day and see if that jump starts things. It sounds counter intuitive but it will jump start your metabolism into burning again. Unless you're weight lifting as well, chances are you're burning muscle and your body is in starvation mode and is holding onto the calories you eat. You may need to get your body fat percentage and muscle percentage checked to verify.

There is no way to 'spot train'. Get your calories to 1,200-1,300 and do heavy weight workouts that will actually build muscle, which will burn more fat, and will reshape your body. If you have the money to, invest in a proper trainer (someone who does body building competitions) for 2-3 sessions a week and they'll be able to help you really reshape and lose fat quickly and safely.

I run 3-5 miles a day and do kettlebell swings (a full body workout with one weight). I use between 25-55 lbs kettlebells. Read up on that exercise in The Four Hour Body - you'll be amazed at the definition it can give you.

The silken tofu is excellent to add to Protein shakes, it gives them a really nice smooth and creamy texture and you get some good fat and added protein. How have the other vegetarians / vegans in here found dining out after WLS? Normally I would eat things like Thai, Vietnamese, Sushi, Falafel, but those all have things that I shouldn't eat now due to the potential for sticking (falafel and rice especially).

The statement above is correct. Oatmeal and beans are a much better choice than Protein shakes and meat Proteins. The carbs are complex and the protein is complete, whereas meat protein is incomplete. Also - the mushy phase is still a healing phase. Complex carbs are okay and are necessary. If you want the numbers: There are 11 grams of protein in an 81 gram serving of oatmeal (0.13 g of protein per 1 g weight) - and it's a complete protein with all the amino acids you need. In an egg there are 6 grams of protein for an average 55 grams of weight (0.10 g of protein per 1 g weight) and it's an incomplete protein. Beans also have a complete protein but there are fewer grams of protein per serving, 13 grams for a 238 gram serving (0.05 g per 1 g of weight) but with some cheese and ideally greek yogurt (very high in protein) you could have a very nutritious meal with a lot of protein, a good amount of complex carbs, and some necessary fat. Summary: Oatmeal and beans trump other proteins. Eat them and enjoy!

I've never had the vanilla but have two cases of chocolate in my car right now. It's okay as a snack (100 calories), keep it cold and shake it well. The best flavor I've found is Strawberries and Creme - but I get that as a powder and I mix it myself. The ready mixed ones are great to keep for a quick treat on the go and they taste pretty good too.

For shakes you should be looking at a 1:2 ratio Carbs : Protein. Half as many carbs as protein and a minimum of 25 grams of protein per shake. The simple carbs added to Protein Shakes are useless calories. If you want something more like Kool-aid/Crystal Light try IsoPure Zero, it's 40 grams of pure protein, no carbs, and tastes great (several flavours).