mark!

To start out, major compound lifts. There's no reason for isolation movements like targeting biceps or triceps etc. The only isolation that's really acceptable is for the legs since the muscle groups are huge, quads, hams, and calves. If your gym has machine weights, work chest, shoulders, back and abs. Doing this will get all minor muscle groups hit while targeting larger muscle groups. In the far future, if you feel the need to target specific areas for aesthetic reasons, do so, but not until you've got a solid core plan in place and have milked all of the "beginner gains" first. Youtube is your friend as well, there are millions of example programs out there. Starting Strength, 5/3/1, are both good programs for beginners.

Bigcountry that's awesome man, solid work.
For bodybuilding in a larger, drug free weight class, Protein intake with diet and lifting, with hard work and dedication is what it takes. Consistency. Every day, busting it in the gym. You can get there and make it happen, just be strict and consistent in your craft.

You can always impolitely inform them that what they're doing is against the law, and you'll be contacting the medical commissioners office reference their inability to pull their heads out of their asses.
FWIW, I had all of my records mailed to me by numerous doctors, I didn't trust the nurses aids to be able to comprehend what I needed or what my surgeon needed, plus I don't like the "end of the day" attitude most doctors have, I wanted my stuff faxed over ASAP to not slow anything down.
Be steadfast with them, and stay on them about it. Regardless of their personal opinion, it's their job to send the records when properly requested, and it's against the law to not send them when requested properly. If they keep jacking around, I'd have a very stern talk with someone higher up there and lay things out plain and simple. Either they get their act together or the next person they'll be speaking to is a rep from the medical board (make sure to at least look up the name of a rep in your area for authenticity play).

You can make sandbags, get a duffle bag, and some plastic sheets, fill the plastic with sand, duct tape the crap out of it, and put it in the bag. You can make the sandbags smaller that way you can add/remove weight from the larger bag depending on what you want to do. You can do overhead press, squats, firemans carry sprints, sandbag toss, farmers carry with 2 of them, and many other things. With the tire (go to an old tire store and ask for one, even a semi truck tire is decent to start with), and get a sledgehammer, beat the living crap out of the tire. Just be careful when doing these outside, your neighbors will think you're insane. I frequently take my 500 pound tire to the front and flip it down the street and back, I've had neighbors come out and join me, and other just look at us like we're freaks. It's good times had by all.
My backyard has numerous tires from 250lbs to 800lbs, several homemade sandbags, kettlebells and dumbbells (the old ones that have either chipped or cracked that I no longer care about), some atlas stones, a few farmers carry handles, an old Water soaked heavy as hell punching bag with 25 foot rope attached for carrying or dragging, and a homemade wooden push sled.

You can make sandbags, get a duffle bag, and some plastic sheets, fill the plastic with sand, duct tape the crap out of it, and put it in the bag. You can make the sandbags smaller that way you can add/remove weight from the larger bag depending on what you want to do. You can do overhead press, squats, firemans carry sprints, sandbag toss, farmers carry with 2 of them, and many other things. With the tire (go to an old tire store and ask for one, even a semi truck tire is decent to start with), and get a sledgehammer, beat the living crap out of the tire. Just be careful when doing these outside, your neighbors will think you're insane. I frequently take my 500 pound tire to the front and flip it down the street and back, I've had neighbors come out and join me, and other just look at us like we're freaks. It's good times had by all.
My backyard has numerous tires from 250lbs to 800lbs, several homemade sandbags, kettlebells and dumbbells (the old ones that have either chipped or cracked that I no longer care about), some atlas stones, a few farmers carry handles, an old Water soaked heavy as hell punching bag with 25 foot rope attached for carrying or dragging, and a homemade wooden push sled.

Why wait until tomorrow? Stop right now. A bad day isn't having a piece of candy or something you shouldn't have, a bad day is say well since I had that screw it I'm all in for the buffet!
I struggled with this, well I'm just now getting over it I think. I went back to square one. I started up my Protein liquid diet all over again and told myself 1,000 times a day I'm not going to eat anything, I'm going to complete this week and move on adding things back as I did after surgery, only more condensed, in a shorter period of time. I was able to eat 2200 calories on days I worked out hard, even though I was burning off 800 of those calories, I still felt like crap. My mind told me I needed to eat more, but I was rarely hungry, actually physically hungry, I only had mental hunger issues. Occupying your mind may help too. I wish you the best.

You also have to keep in mind that a lot of people find these forums BECAUSE of a complication. The members here represent a VERY small fraction of a percent of those who undergo this procedure and DON'T post on here and who have absolutely zero complications in their life changing journey. I would still say, the members here who have had major complications that required immediate medical care versus those who have had a relatively smooth transition is at least 1:10.

Always enjoyed lifting and since the sleeve, I almost can't live without lifting, as my day just doesn't feel complete if I haven't engaged in some type of intense resistance training. I feel very fortunate to be able to enjoy exercise, as I know many people do not like it or even hate it. With that said, I often try to see the positives in anything and focus on that. Not that there are no negatives, I just think it helps me to have a positive approach and outlook. The positives I get from exercise are: 1) I know it will make me healthier, 2) love the feeling/hormone rush I get from an intense lifting session (maybe that's just a guy thing), 3) it gets me out of this crazy office for an hour and 4) it helps (some) with my physique.
Perhaps a reason I like it even better than I did pre-op has something to do with the words....."crossover" and "addiction".

I just got a new swim suit (size 14). feeling happy enough to share. Give me some "likes" for my bravery
before pic


swimsuit pics:

No, there was some over dramatization for sure, but genetics only take a person so far, hard work and determination will do much more in that aspect.
Didn't mean to "appear" to mislead anyone, but exercise is a larger factor in body composition than anything else listed.

Old question but I'll answer just in case. Changes don't usually pop up until 2-3 weeks after starting injections. With the gel, some say they feel it first week, it's placebo, it's impossible to get in to your blood stream and actually make hormonal changes that fast unless you're taking other things that are less FDA/gubment friendly. Goals are typically determined as just getting in to whatever healthy range your Doc has established. THIS IS IMPORTANT, or was to me. Many doctors look at a chart, and say that's healthy. They don't take age, weight, lifestyle goals or anything like that in to consideration. Most "Mens Clinics" who specialize in T will take those things in to consideration. With the gel I went from 249 up to 400, and then dropped back down a month after to 323. I told my doc I wasn't happy, he basically said tough ****, you're normal. I switched doctors and new doc (PCP) started me on injections right away. I started and my levels went up to 819 and have stayed in that area on recent blood tests. I have another blood panel Friday for both my surgeon and T levels for my PCP.
Blood tests started every month, and now have gone to every 3 months with my PCP. With injections, you'll notice some slight downs if you're injecting every 2 weeks. I switched by myself, splitting my dosage in to weekly injections. Afterwards I ran it by my PCP, knowing there wasn't any harm in doing so, she agreed with my methodology. We eventually upped my dosage, that with weekly injections has helped keep me stable with no ups and downs.
Not a woman, but it's popular with doctors who put their worth in non-tested methods. Not saying it doesn't work, but there is very limited case data and real world studies on this. I think it's odd taking a full hormone, and then adding a hormone blocker to block out 75% of that hormone to only get the 25% that's needed to raise libido.

Sometimes you gotta kick em in the keister to get em to go, especially the stubborn ones. And gotta love the "I'm gonna get all up in your face and yell and scream, point, poke, push you but boy if you touch me you got another thing coming pal" type women.

Taste is subjective, what's good for me may make you puke. Best bet is to go to a place that sells supplements. Ask them for some samples. I know Max Muscle will give you samples of their powders, and they're nutritionally sound with less fillers than a lot of mass produced products. Any of the High Five Proteins from Max Muscle, Monster Milk/Muscle Milk work, Dymatize is also a very smooth Protein, mixability is amazing even in just a shaker cup, which a lot of people have issues with clumps.

Prolly your fault for making him go to Walmart. It might take weeks to months for him to get over that trauma !! Lol.

You probably left him no choice when you wouldn't listen to him telling you to leave.............

Not sure if these people mean it when they say they hate exercising. I love working out for short periods of intensity of about 20-30 min ( not including warmup, cool down). I used to love running earlier in the year for miles and miles. It was great and I enjoyed 2-3 10 k a week, but it was a muscle eater for me. Now I really enjoy cross fop it and body weight workouts at home. I still do run, but only as a warmup of 1-2 miles. They key is to find something you love and make sure it helps you achieve your short term or long term goals. However, be ready for change as you listen to what your body needs. Long cardio is not what my body needs at this time.

I don't like working out. I don't like to sweat (some activities I don't mind sweating , my hair gets messed up, and I just enjoy kicking back after work rather than heading to the gym. That being said, I started to weight train a month and a half ago 3x a week, and cardio 2x a week and the results have been AMAZING.
-lost 19.8"
-lost 9.4 body fat
-13 lbs down
Bite the bullet peeps!

Carbs are most likely not your enemy. In fact, I'll say carbs are not your enemy, not at all. Quality of carbs can be an issue for people that are triggered to binge on them. But otherwise? We NEED carbs. Now, I do admit that I avoid rice and Pasta for the most part. But not because of the carbs or even the quality of carb - they're just hard for me to eat with a tiny stomach. I'd rather enjoy my meal, not find myself overfull before I'm done eating!
I do not want to come off condescending or preachy. But this is not Atkins, part two. This is about finding a way to eat that you can maintain FOREVER.
Because right now? You've got your eyes on goal. That's the big hurdle you want to cross, right? Well, you can't see it yet, but over that hurdle is a long, long and winding road that we call maintenance.
Ask yourself right now: "Can I avoid carbs and never eat them again and live on 40 grams or less a day forever?"
If the answer is no, you need to find ways to incorporate a good variety of foods and you need to learn how to eat those carbs without going bonkers and binging or without stalling out your weight. If you don't do it now, you'll have to do it in maintenance. Maintenance is hard no matter what; do not complicate it by having to teach yourself moderation there, too.
The best diet for you and the right proportions are something only you can figure out - it's when you can eat a diet that makes you feel satisfied without deprivation but also keeps you losing weight. It's finding a way to eat that you can easily adjust once at maintenance to ideally keep at goal for life.
So. My advice? Incorporate more carbs of whatever type you like. Track your food daily. Do not view this as the time to add in a ton of processed food or white sugar. Those things are okay, and you do need to learn how to eat a small, sensible portion of them and walk away. But start with the good stuff. Bring in some healthy grains or a thin slice of homemade bread. Add in a little fruit. Find a balance and make it work for you.
~Cheri

There's a whole different school of thought on a "calorie is a calorie". Those who can somehow justify eating "X" amount of calories and only look at calories, not any other nutrients. I choose to not be on that side and pay attention to Protein, carbs, fats, etc to make sure I'm fueling my body the best I can vs the other stuff.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-lustig-md/sugar-toxic_b_2759564.html
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/nutrition/a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie.aspx

You also have to keep in mind that a lot of people find these forums BECAUSE of a complication. The members here represent a VERY small fraction of a percent of those who undergo this procedure and DON'T post on here and who have absolutely zero complications in their life changing journey. I would still say, the members here who have had major complications that required immediate medical care versus those who have had a relatively smooth transition is at least 1:10.

You also have to keep in mind that a lot of people find these forums BECAUSE of a complication. The members here represent a VERY small fraction of a percent of those who undergo this procedure and DON'T post on here and who have absolutely zero complications in their life changing journey. I would still say, the members here who have had major complications that required immediate medical care versus those who have had a relatively smooth transition is at least 1:10.

You can lose weight while not working out, diet is the most important factor, but look at folks who've lost a ton of weight by restricting calories and not working out much, and then look at folks who worked out and get their diet on track. The difference will make you want to work out. Everyone is different and everyone has different goals, mine wasn't only weight loss, it was also not looking like I sewed on 50 pounds of extra skin from a cadaver.

I'm under the impression at some point in time someone told you carbs are satan and cause suicide inducing nightmares? They lied to you, and probably stole your bike while you contemplated what life would be like without Pasta.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/5/899S.full
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carbohydrates/my01458
http://greatist.com/health/fitness-reborn-real-truth-about-carbs
Research the Glycemic Index, it breaks down carbs Barney style (yes the purple dinosaur that loves everyone). It's easy, it works.
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/glycemic-index
Your body is a chemistry set, carbs create insulin responses within your body and helps facilitate weight movement. I could go on and bore you, just check the links.

You can lose weight while not working out, diet is the most important factor, but look at folks who've lost a ton of weight by restricting calories and not working out much, and then look at folks who worked out and get their diet on track. The difference will make you want to work out. Everyone is different and everyone has different goals, mine wasn't only weight loss, it was also not looking like I sewed on 50 pounds of extra skin from a cadaver.

My calories vary between my workouts. I have high carb days, low carb days, high calorie days, low calories days, to better suit my workouts. Pushing yourself to exhaustion and getting headaches is only hurting your body, you can't perform without fueling.
On days where I'm in the gym for 1.5/2 hours, I'll eat anywhere from 1600-2000 calories that day. My normal gym days I'm hitting 1200-1400 calories. Best thing it to check with your nutritionist if you've got one, if not, you gotta start doing the mathematical work on your own. Start with a base amount of calories, if you're busting your ass in the gym, burning 1000 calories, you obviously gotta up the calories. Putting your body in THAT much of a negative will eventually down regulate your metabolism, no it doesn't happen over night and your body won't shut down and go in to the infamously overused over hyped starvation mode.
Supplementation before, and after workouts. You can down a Protein drink before the workout, and have another afterwards, there's 50g Protein (for a quality protein blend) and roughly 300-400 calories if not more. The more you work out, the more your calories need to be increased to offset fatigue and wasted workouts. You want to keep the muscle you've got and avoid muscle atrophy, if you're not feeding them properly, you're wasting your time working out, the weight lost will be muscle loss which in the end, no one wants. Are you tracking with a calorie website or journal? I like my fitnesspal because it allows me to see my "loose" deficit after I add how long I do a certain exercise each day, I say loose because it's not scientifically proven because every body is different, to get more accurate numbers you'll need to get some sort of calorie tracker, fit bit or body media type deal.