Neoteric Verve

To quite a few men it's an NSV indeed! LOL

And I have shed 85lb total. I was a bit stunned to see that I am 355lb and not 440lb. I have about 95lb to my goal but to know that I am nearly half the way there is cool. Maybe by the end of summer I'll be there or pretty damn close...

I have been put on restriction too.... DAMN! Now there isn't an infinite "reserve" hidden away otherwise I'd have to move. I figure a 1.25" in reserve. Like I said, I'm plenty good with what I got now. Anymore and she'll have to change my nickname again (like I mind)!

Not at all. My girth is actually holding firm (bad choice of words, lol). My S.O. does her experiment gauge and it passed. "In the interest of science" my arse! There's no science in an empty TP roll, LOL.

brol1k (hope that's correct) you are kickin' supreme A** with the sleeve. Do what you do homie and keep that up!!

Guys, I don't know the proper ratio here but get this: I am down nearly 60lb and have gained an additional 1" of usable (ahem) appendage. Now I guesstimate there to be an additional 1.25" in captivity. Yeah I checked. And without giving actual dimensions I can say that I and my S.O. seem pleased.Good thing that isn't fat because I'm sure we'd be in a panic mode at the thought of losing ANY of it.

I am down 57lb and I feel great. My face is smaller and my feet are narrower. I lost 3% bodyfat and I am not sure what my BMI is because I don't put much stock into it. I'm about getting a healthy BF%. Anyways, I am now 383lb and not 440lb which is great only two months out. Dr Teng is gonna flip! My next appointment is January 30 and he had a target of 375lb when I see him then. I track my total weight loss by splitting the LBM and BF%. Thus far I lost 20lb of LBM and 37lb of BF. I think now is where I will stop losing as much muscle because I have been back into my weight lifting. And I don't do too much. I walk home from work (3-4 days a week) & use my kettlebells 4-5 times weekly for less than 5min at a time. I do need to dial in a better supplement routine. For anyone struggling pre-op with carb cravings, I highly recommend taking 500mcg of Chromium Picolinate in the morning. It helped me curb (not eliminate) a big carb thing. People at work notice my loss more than I do. If it weren't for my scrubs being looser I wouldn't notice. The only "downside" is that I've become slightly narcissistic. I will catch myself gazing at my reflection periodically. I can only hope that I get to enjoy more of this. I like seeing the scale move in the right direction for a change.

Come Friday I'll be six weeks removed from VSG surgery. I want to take just two supplements daily but they're in Vcaps or Softgels. Has anyone taken capsules post surgery? If so, when?

Going by what you said, Tippy (thank you for chiming in, btw) I would be very hesitant to reassure. Why? What reason would I want to stay with someone that "chose" me based primarily on their insecurities? If "I" truly loved her? Puhleeeeze. What about her truly loving me? But that somehow is irrelevant. She chose me under questionable pretense and I am supposed to forgive that? How? She asked if I was going to be there when she gets a sleeve or should she get someone else. I'll be there if not just because she was at the hospital with me. But after her "healing" phase, I'm finished. If she only chose me because of the insecurities she has one can only surmise that will improve with weight loss. Over time she'll gain what was lacking and decide she can do better and leave. Her problem isn't that we could get divorced. No, she is such the control freak that she must be the initiator or else she's distraught.

At this point I don't really care if she Sleeves or not. I am tired of the attitude. I don't care what she does or with whom, let me off this ride. I'd ask for a refund but there was a "No Refund" sign at the beginning. Damn...

Try this guide. It has some suggestions. I'll look for more later on. dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf

Thank you all for your support. I appreciate it. I thought that we were stronger than that. I had suspicion that she was self-absorbed. I was the supporter. I helped her graduate college and did the sleeve research. When I got home (warning....>TMI moment approaching) from the hospital on Saturday night all she asked me was when I can return to work and can I still have intercourse now. I was very pissed but so weak I couldn't mount any response. In my head I was disgusted with her. Now there wasn't or shouldn't have been a drop in income as I worked twice as many hours prior to surgery to compensate for being out the two weeks I was. The surgeon said wait a few weeks for intimacy and she was there. I just had major surgery and she's being awfully selfish. Now when her time comes I am supposed to be a freaking support system. Why? I'm not getting anything from her that I need. If there were issues before my surgery I sure wish she'd have said something. This stress isn't very helpful...

Yeah she's supposed to get sleeved too. But she is totally blowing the pre-op. In a given day she consumes nearly 2500 calories, Now the first week and a half post surgery, eating in front of me wasn't a problem. Now it's pissin' me off!!! She lacks any sympathy and we already had strained communications for other reasons. At this point, after her sleeve and rehab time I am O-U-T!!! Screw this. Wait until you experience the liquids only or even the first RESTRICTION. I don't wish her any pain at all. But ever since I got sleeved she's been a total you-know-what. Condescending, self-absorbed and judgmental. I know, a winning combination right?! And it's like this is amplified. It's been going on on a smaller scale before. I think she's resentful that she wasn't sleeved first. But when I was going to the PCP every other week she scoffed and asked why. I said I'm 440lb and I need to have these visits to check my health. Now I ain't trying to be mean but she could've gone too. I mean damn. If you were 160lb you wouldn't be getting a sleeve. But since you're twice that maybe go to the PCP more than once every two years. Just a thought. The little things done are the difference between a 3-month program and 6-month one. Woman, get off your jealous, HIGH HORSE and get on the program!! Your shooting yourself in the foot. The surgeon can easily say he's not doing it until you follow the program... It seems like she's sabotaging everything and everyone around her. I really don't know how to help someone that doesn't seem like they wanna help themselves.

Since I live here I will. I don't know where the other Vegas Sleevers are. Tell me when and where.

This article didn't have Sleevers in mind but we can use some of the info here to get more Testosterone flowing through us. The third one surprised me and I was thinking that it was like a way of life for us. Well sort of.... 13 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Testosterone Levels By Ron Geraci, Men's Health, December 25, 2000 The normal level of testosterone in your bloodstream is between 350 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). Like combable hair, those quantities silently start to wane around age 40. You lose about 1 percent a year -- a harmless decline in the short term, but a cause of obesity, brittle bones, muscle loss and impotence by the time you reach your 60s -- if you live that long. Testosterone levels in the low range (a blood serum score below 350 ng/dl) may increase your chances of dying of a heart attack. It's not just an old man's problem, either. Men in their 30s and 40s also fall prey to low testosterone counts. It's a disorder called hypogonadism, and it can be caused by an undescended ********, a testicular injury, a pituitary gland disorder or even prescription drugs. It usually goes undiagnosed until a man hits his doctor with a telltale complaint: "I can't get an erection." "If you have reduced levels of sexual desire, have your testosterone level checked immediately," says Dr. Allen Seftel, a urologist at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals of Cleveland. You can replenish your testosterone stores with injections, gels, pills or Patches, but these medical treatments are no panacea: Side effects include acne, high cholesterol, shrunken testicles and liver damage. Further, don't take supplements like DHEA or androstenedione to boost testosterone; they might increase your risks of prostate cancer and heart disease. "For men with borderline testosterone scores, I advise them to try to raise their levels through exercise and weight loss before going on testosterone therapy," says Dr. Goldberg. And it might pay to start young. "Since your testosterone declines at a steady rate, it's conceivable that raising your hormone levels naturally in your 20s and 30s could help you maintain higher levels later on," he says. Either way, the reward can be a stronger physique and better bedroom sessions than you'd otherwise deserve. Below are 13 tips designed to get your juice up -- safely. Get Rid of the Flopping Belly Or you'll grow a pair of fetching breasts to complement it. Carrying excess body fat elevates your estrogen levels, and that may cause your testosterone levels to sink, says Joseph Zmuda, an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh. Louie Anderson is proof enough of this. Two or three extra pounds won't cause this hormonal shift; it really occurs once you're 30 percent over your ideal body weight. "Unfortunately, that's pretty common now," says Dr. Dobs. But Lose Only One Pound a Week When you want to trim down quickly, you probably starve yourself while exercising like a madman. One of the many reasons this stops working in your 30s, when your natural testosterone levels start dropping, is pretty simple: Cutting your calorie intake by more than 15 percent makes your brain think you're starving, so it shuts down testosterone production to wait out the famine. "There's no need to reproduce if you're starving," explains Thomas Incledon of Human Performance Specialists in Plantation, Fla. Ironically, this dive in circulating testosterone stops you from burning body fat efficiently, so you're actually thwarting your hard efforts to melt that tire off your gut. Skip the Atkins Fad Research suggests that eating a high-Protein, low-carbohydrate diet can cramp your testosterone levels. High amounts of dietary protein in your blood can eventually lower the amount of testosterone produced in your testes, says Incledon, who observed this relationship in a Penn State study of 12 healthy, athletic men. Your protein intake should be about 16 percent of your daily calories, Incledon says. So, if you're the average 170-pound man who eats 2,900 calories a day, you should eat about 140 grams of protein daily, which is about the amount in two chicken breasts and a 6-ounce can of tuna. Have Morning Sex German scientists found that simply having an erection causes your circulating testosterone to rise significantly -- and having one in the morning can goose your natural post-dawn testosterone surge. It's a sure bet you'll burn a little fat, too. Stick With Tough Exercises To beef up your testosterone levels, the bulk of your workout should involve "compound" weight-lifting exercises that train several large muscle groups, and not just one or two smaller muscles. For example, studies have shown that doing squats, bench presses or back rows increases testosterone more than doing biceps curls or triceps pushdowns, even though the effort may seem the same. This is why doing squats could help you build bigger biceps. Make Nuts Your Midnight Snack Nuts are good for your nuts. Research has found that men who ate diets rich in monounsaturated fat -- the kind found in peanuts -- had the highest testosterone levels. "It's not known why this occurs, but some scientists believe that monounsaturated fats have a direct effect on the testes," says Incledon. Nuts, olive oil, canola oil and Peanut Butter are good sources of monounsaturated fat. Squeeze Out Five Repetitions per Set Throwing around 5-pound dumbbells won't help you effect a rise in testosterone. Start off by using a heavy weight that you can lift only five times. That weight is about 85 percent of your one-repetition maximum. A Finnish study found that this workload produced the greatest boosts in testosterone. Do Three Sets of Each Weight-Lifting Movement Researchers at Penn State determined that this fosters greater increases in testosterone than just one or two sets. Rest a full minute between sets, so you can regain enough strength to continue lifting at least 70 percent of your one-rep maximum during the second and third sets. Rest Harder Than You Work Out If you overtrain -- meaning you don't allow your body to recuperate adequately between training sessions -- your circulating testosterone levels can plunge by as much as 40 percent, according to a study at the University of North Carolina. The symptoms of overtraining are hard to miss: irritability, insomnia, muscle shrinkage, joining the Reform Party. To avoid overtraining, make sure you sleep a full eight hours at night, and never stress the same muscles with weight-lifting movements two days in a row. Drive Home Sober To maintain a healthy testosterone count -- and titanium erections -- cut yourself off after three drinks. "Binge drinking will kill your testosterone levels," warns Incledon. Alcohol affects the endocrine system, causing your testes to stop producing the male hormone. That's one reason drinking often causes you to go limp at the moment of truth. Have a Sandwich at 3 p.m. As any sensible woman knows, the way to put hair on a man's chest is to fill his stomach. Your body needs a ready supply of calories to make testosterone, so regularly skipping meals or going for long stretches without eating can cause your levels of the hormone to plummet. Then again, that's probably the warden's plan. Buy the Fried Tortilla chips If you want to raise your testosterone score, eat a diet that includes about 30 percent fat, and not much less. Your body needs dietary fat to produce testosterone, so eating like a vegetarian aerobics instructor will cause your testosterone levels to sink drastically. This is bad, unless you actually are a vegetarian aerobics instructor. Stop Surfing for Porn at 2 a.m. sleeping less than seven to eight hours a night can screw up your circadian rhythm. That's why it's no wonder your testosterone levels are higher in the morning after a good night's sleep. So if your work or social schedule keeps you stooped in perpetual jet lag, don't be surprised if you stop craving sex. At least that'll make it easier to stay out of bed.

The Protein shots have whey in them like the powders do but they also contain collagen. I think this is how they pack in huge amounts of protein in a few ounces. I thought I could slide in my protein this way but my oh my they suck. Nasty indeed! I am 3 weeks removed from surgery (hit my "Stall Wall") and decided that I am just gonna make a pate out of two chicken breasts daily and eat that. Those two alone have nearly 60g of protein. For the gas get those Gas-X strips from Wal-Mart. They help. Get a heating pad for the shoulder too. They were suggested from someone here on this site and they helped. I am told the gain from the fluids is very normal. I had none. My surgery was on a Friday and by the following Monday I was walking about a mile per day. The first couple of weeks out I was mostly concentrating on Water intake. I got in some protein from the skim milk and the broths. Not nearly 60g but some.

6'3" 431lb at the time of my surgery. The last thing you are is alone. Several here have that 300+ (and 400+) pound mark to start out. I'm just a couple weeks out from surgery and have ups and downs. But if you ask me if I have any regrets I'd say no. Not even wish I'd have done it sooner.

IT's new as far as I know. Has anyone seen it or tried it? It looks interesting. I though after I am cleared to exercise again I could utilize something like this to transition back into Krav Maga. Ya know, to regain some flexibility and to move around. His other programs have been around for years, most notable is the Tae Bo series. The PT 24/7 is somewhat inexpensive in comparison to the cost of my two 35lb kettlebells.

INTP here. But I have been told that types can change after a big event like a substantial weight loss.

Your someday is coming very soon. Don't worry. :-)

And one more thing: YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL NOW (ALL OF YOU)!!! JUST BECAUSE SOME JERK CAN'T SEE IT DOESN'T ME YOU EVER, EVER LOSE SIGHT OF THAT!!

I understand EXACTLY where you come from. Here in Vegas, our kitchens are very image conscious. Sure, I was good enough for chef jobs in room service, employee dining, banquets and MAYBE the buffet. But I never get the big-ticket fine dining spots. They always go to the slim chefs. They flash their degrees (AAS) and viola, they're in. Yes I have a degree. Two. I have a culinary degree and a bachelor in Hotel Administration...ALONG WITH 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE!! It freakin' sucks. But F them. Yeah, I said it, so what! I'll just move on to a better, bigger gig elsewhere. Hospitality is EXTREMELY image driven in Las Vegas (and anywhere else I imagine). I hate how they delay my internal interviews, go outside the company to hire a newbie and use my ideas as their own. Welcome to the armpit of culinary arts. It's dark here and it stinks at times too. Anyways, screw them. Don't give them the satisfaction of doing this for them. Do it because you DAMN deserve better. They'll be singing the blues when they realize they lost a most prized asset. Their loss. You may not want to work for snakes like that later on anyhow. Best of luck to you.

I too work in a hospital. My surgery was on Sept 23rd. I'm going back to work Tuesday on night shift Oct 4th.

Oh yeah, we are very predictable, lol. I am 9 days post op and I realize everyone is different. Some just pop up immediately after surgery like nothing is wrong. And to them there isn't. I was dry heaving for 36 hours post op and since then ok. I haven't touched my pain or nausea meds since being discharged. You have support here on VST, but I'm happy you have support at home too. Husbands (myself included) resist all change. Even for the better. Learning to sip isn't too hard. Now if you didn't have the Sleeve the way we consume would last successfully for maybe a day or two. A week if you have Zen-like patience. Also, see if a little throw pillow against your belly helps while you rest and sleep. I loved mine. Congratulations!! You're 4 days closer to the new you!!

I'm not sure. Up until Wednesday I was being weighed by the hospital or my surgeon's office. I never felt like I had gained anything from the IV's but who knows. I was in the hospital from Friday morning to Saturday night. During that whole time I ate (HA!) broth once. Spent the rest of the time dry-heaving. Anesthesia sucks. Since I have been home I sip liquids and occasionally take in a puree. I tolerate just about all things well except corn. Used to like it. Used to LOVE it. Can't stand it now....