Eat the Food (including carbs), then move your butt! sorta my 1 yr Surgiversary update

[vogue 310]

Stop whining about so-called stalls....

Did you know Diana Nyad eats up to 9000 calories per DAY!!!

now admittedly, Diana is an extreme example, however, the formula remains the same....

If you are working out 2 active hours in the gym as some claim, you are doing your health a MAJOR disservice by trying to survive on 600, 800 or even 1000 calories. Stop worrying about a so-called Stall..you WILL lose if you properly hydrate & fuel your body.

It isnt actually a STALL, your body is holding on to Water & glycogen for its dear life.... EAT THE food, MOVE YOUR BUTT and you WILL lose! ( which is why when some folks add in good fats that so-called stall is broken)

By design, most VSG patients, let alone most non-surgical patients do not have the physical capacity to eat that much a day... you have to be SMART about your high caloric intake... Protein FIRST BUT CARBS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY!!

( and I am SURE some folks will come reply or start a new thread indicating that because you are a VSG patient, you are some kind of special snowflake & this doesnt apply to you)

Quotes to think about:

It's probably true that inactive people don't require much in the way of carbs. But inactive humans simply aren't metabolically normal, so the correct solution isn't to go low-carb, it's to increase your activity level to the point that you rquire carbs.

Don't fear eating carbs, fear not moving enough to not need them. (Melkor)

- you do not need to train to swim to break Nyad's records...nor even train to participate in triathlons, duathlons. etc.... BUT YOU NEED TO MOVE, IN A MAJOR WAY!!

I lost 100% EWL in 10 months.... I was 280 pounds pre-op. I am 153 pounds today... From size 22 down to size 6...

basically 1 year post-op.

the first 3 months were HELL... I was used to drinking most of my calories in a sugary way... I had trouble staying hydrated or eating enough food... I was re-hospitalized twice....Once I gave myself time to properly heal, it was ON!! I moved my body... and I ate the food required to do so...

your needs will change as your weight and exercise changes.... At about 6 months, I was eating/drinking 1400 calories PLUS exercising 2 hours per day, 6 days per week.... 3 days of HEAVY weight lifting, 3 days of swimming, 3 days of running, 3 days of biking....

I eat fat, carbs and even sugar at times... My daily staples include chicken salad made with real mayo and cole slaw ( because Id rather eat the slaw and have regular bowel movements then to need laxatives to get & keep things moving)

Despite all of that, on the weeks I did not make my caloric and Protein & hydration goals, I did not lose....and by not meet, I mean, the weeks I ate LESS than 1300 calories..

Most of 2013 I was in training for triathlon...I stopped training in July when I was prepping for 2 surgeries... both have since been postponed/cancelled so Im back in train mode trying to get a race or 2 in before it gets cold on the East Coast..

Now that I am in maintanence, I eat 1600 calories a day when I do NOT exercise, more if I do....I cut back on training in prep for a surgery that has since been cancelled... I plan to bulk this winter so for next 8 weeks I will cut back to 1300 calories per day to get down 10 pounds... Once in Bulk Mode, hopefully before Thanksgiving, I will go to ~2400 calories ( adding in 100 calories per week) then only workout once per day, 6 days per week.... 3 days heavy lifting and 3 days cardio til I get to my new goal ( which is a size, shape goal rather than a numerical goal)...I currently wear a size 6.... too skinny for my liking....I want to be more muscular.... My plan will likely require some tweaking to get there....

More info on Diana Nyad, my Shero of the week:

http://espn.go.com/espnw/features/article/6783740/how-diana-nyad-fuels-body

this article is 2 years old and her needs have probably been adjusted some by now...

another article:

https://healthylivingmagazine.us/Articles/150/

Every hour and a half (or up to an hour and 45 minutes if Nyad keeps swimming until the second "come in now" whistle is blown) the boat idles and Nyad swims over.

Bonnie Stoll, Nyad's best friend, business partner and "head handler," gives her the tube from a hydration pack filled with a carefully calibrated mix of Water, sports drink, electrolytes and "predigested protein."

Done with the fluids, Stoll hands over a tube of energy gel, then a single Clif Shot Blok. Then, a spoon with a bite of banana slathered in Peanut Butter is passed to the swimmer, who would invalidate the record she's hoping to set if she touched the boat. The bite doesn't provide much nutrition, Nyad explains, but even this small bit of solid food helps to coat her stomach when so much of her nourishment is coming from energy-compressed liquids and gels.

But staying hydrated -- and properly fueled -- will be of the utmost importance ...

Luckily, we know a lot more now than we did in the 70s.

"You see pictures of when Diana did this 30 years ago and she'd stop and drink a Coke and eat a piece of cake," said Mark Sollinger, one of Nyad's drivers. "It's come a long way."

Finding the right formula still took trial and error. What works for a marathon runner or cyclist doesn't necessarily work for Nyad. First of all, she's spending five, 10, 20 and eventually 60 hours in a prone position.

Speaking of Snacks, her daily calorie count during training is 9,000 for non-swimming days and 3,500 when in the tank. Think it’s fun to be able to eat to one’s heart’s content? Think again.

“It’s just too much food,” she tells a reporter. “Your stomach doesn’t want to take it in. I try to do some of it in Protein shakes and large three or four servings of Pasta for dinner.”

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Amazing success story! I am sure you are very proud and you should be!

Remember that every body is different, every body loses at different rates and every body goes through phases of weight loss and what will work best. (And I do mean every body not everybody.) Age, muscle tone, body chemistry, hormone level, metabolism, etc. will all play a difference in what works for each individual.

I am certain you didn't mean to come across as condescending, but remember, you are an expert on your body and others are experts on theirs. We don't all get it right, nor do we all find success immediately and advice is ALWAYS warmly welcomed, but it's all in how it's delivered.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

You sure picked some heavy hitters as your hero's.

Even though I am quite sure that what you have learned is valuable to all of us.... and stated with vigor. I do not plan to set a record ....I already set a record in my neighborhood for being the heaviest....

I eat a little of everything as well....I am keeping refined sugar to a minimum! This way when I finish healing I plan to get moving more as you said...

I have hyped over my diets for so long I appreciate this new tool that has been teaching me that I can live with much less and survive quite well....

I know a lady who does these marathons and she carbo loads too.....She looks like she has no body fat at all....She looks amazing.....I will never be that lady....I am just me!

[apelt001 116]

Super insightful and thought provocing, enjoyed this little read keep it up amazing work!

[adargie 159]

Any chance you would care to share the recipe for your chicken salad/cole slaw? Sounds pretty good and I agree with the ruffage idea.