mark!

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.

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.

If I remember right, I was taking 1/2 CC every week, my dosage was 1 CC every 2 weeks. Now I'm taking 1 CC every week, which from what I've researched, appears to be the normal dosage for T replacement therapy unless the person has other factors.

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.

It's got absolutely nothing to do with telling a kid not to use a word, it has everything to do with them learning how to use, or not use those words, which leads to manners and how they're raised. Dealing with juveniles in law enforcement, 90% of the kids we deal with come from crappy homes. They have bad attitudes, their parents have bad attitudes. I suspect the kids calling others fat come from homes where their parents are disrespectful and lack manners that benefit society by any means. It's ok to think that you can teach your kids that we're all different, come in all shapes and sizes and all that, but the bottom line is, most kids, especially in public schools, don't have the cognitive thought process developed yet to understand that, which is why they need to start at the root issue of...kids don't need to be little **** heads to other people, because it's just not right.

It's got absolutely nothing to do with telling a kid not to use a word, it has everything to do with them learning how to use, or not use those words, which leads to manners and how they're raised. Dealing with juveniles in law enforcement, 90% of the kids we deal with come from crappy homes. They have bad attitudes, their parents have bad attitudes. I suspect the kids calling others fat come from homes where their parents are disrespectful and lack manners that benefit society by any means. It's ok to think that you can teach your kids that we're all different, come in all shapes and sizes and all that, but the bottom line is, most kids, especially in public schools, don't have the cognitive thought process developed yet to understand that, which is why they need to start at the root issue of...kids don't need to be little **** heads to other people, because it's just not right.

It's got absolutely nothing to do with telling a kid not to use a word, it has everything to do with them learning how to use, or not use those words, which leads to manners and how they're raised. Dealing with juveniles in law enforcement, 90% of the kids we deal with come from crappy homes. They have bad attitudes, their parents have bad attitudes. I suspect the kids calling others fat come from homes where their parents are disrespectful and lack manners that benefit society by any means. It's ok to think that you can teach your kids that we're all different, come in all shapes and sizes and all that, but the bottom line is, most kids, especially in public schools, don't have the cognitive thought process developed yet to understand that, which is why they need to start at the root issue of...kids don't need to be little **** heads to other people, because it's just not right.

It's got absolutely nothing to do with telling a kid not to use a word, it has everything to do with them learning how to use, or not use those words, which leads to manners and how they're raised. Dealing with juveniles in law enforcement, 90% of the kids we deal with come from crappy homes. They have bad attitudes, their parents have bad attitudes. I suspect the kids calling others fat come from homes where their parents are disrespectful and lack manners that benefit society by any means. It's ok to think that you can teach your kids that we're all different, come in all shapes and sizes and all that, but the bottom line is, most kids, especially in public schools, don't have the cognitive thought process developed yet to understand that, which is why they need to start at the root issue of...kids don't need to be little **** heads to other people, because it's just not right.

It's got absolutely nothing to do with telling a kid not to use a word, it has everything to do with them learning how to use, or not use those words, which leads to manners and how they're raised. Dealing with juveniles in law enforcement, 90% of the kids we deal with come from crappy homes. They have bad attitudes, their parents have bad attitudes. I suspect the kids calling others fat come from homes where their parents are disrespectful and lack manners that benefit society by any means. It's ok to think that you can teach your kids that we're all different, come in all shapes and sizes and all that, but the bottom line is, most kids, especially in public schools, don't have the cognitive thought process developed yet to understand that, which is why they need to start at the root issue of...kids don't need to be little **** heads to other people, because it's just not right.

That's horrible to go through something like that, that really sucks. It's sad that parents these days don't teach their children more manners, but a lot of it also comes from media and the fact that they're just kids. If you watch any children shows these days, the word fat is put in there quite a bit, even if it's not used in a derogatory setting at the time. It still sucks non the less, just imagine what the poor larger kids at schools have to deal with. I was lucky growing up, a few kids messed with me in elementary school, I ended that real quick by standing up for myself, but now days it's harder for a kid to do that because everyone is so touchy feely against self defense and such.

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 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).

As stated in the post above, I have 3 days a week where I am strength training. I never use machines. First reason is I do not own any at home and do not have a gym membership. However, I do take personal training at a cross fit gym. Second, and more importantly, machines take away the balance, focus and strength required for effective strength training.
I use dumbbells and body weight exercise. Currently, my strength training at home is done using Bowflex adjustable dumbbells and strength training / HIIT cardio done at cross fit is a mixture of body weight exercises and barbell lifts in an intense circuit. A good WOD performance should take every bit of strength, breath and focus you have. You asked about rotation and weights so I will focus on my dumbbell-based strength training rather then my cross fit sessions.
I do the same rotations from week to week, but increase the intensity by increasing the weight +5 lb and paying attention to maximum focus and proper form.
Push day
Dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell flys
Dumbbell side raises
Dumbbell triceps kickbacks
Dumbbell biceps curls
Pull day
One arm dumbbell rows
Dumbbell pullovers
Reverse dumbbell flys
Lying dumbbell triceps extensions
Dumbbell biceps curls
Leg day
Dumbbell squats
Dumbbell step lunges
Dumbbell straight leg dead lifts
Dumbbell sumo squats
Dumbbell single leg calf raises
As stated above, you might start your rotation at 20 lb and work up to 35 lb for push and pull. For leg days, you might start at 30 lb and work your rotation up to 45 lb. It all depends on where your starting strength lies. This is how I started out a month ago. I am already 10 lb heavier per starting weight. The weight amount progresses week to week, but keep your movements slow and focused, pausing at the high intensity points to maximize the contraction. Think about the muscle as it contracts. Try and make the mind body connection. This is key to building strength more effectively, but does require practice in order to prevent the repetitive mindset from kicking in. Remember, the return trip out of a lift is as important or more important then the lift so keep the focus going all the way though. If you feel like you are getting bored, then increase your focus or perhaps increase the weight. The answer is not always to increase the weight. The more high intensity you make the peak of your rotation, the better results you will get in the least amount of time.
My sets look like 12-10-8-8+ for each exercise in a rotation where there might be 1-2 additional drop sets. I keep track of rest between sets, planned weight / reps, target intensity level, actual weight / reps and actual intensity level. Tracking this information helps with measurable progress and helps me make changes as they are needed. If you are serious in transforming your body composition, it is vital to measure and track these numbers in order to understand where changes need to be made long term in the continuous feedback loop that exists between you and your workouts. It is, and should be, a very dynamic experience every time you start a session. Anticipate progress and learning.
The intensity and focus of each set builds as the set reps drop and set weight increases. Intensity must come from your focus and not just from heavier weights delivered from a machine. That is why dumbbells are much more effective then machines when seeking true intensity, but dumbbell exercises do not tend to map onto functional movements very well. Hence, they are a little unnatural in terms of functional movements your body is naturally programmed to do.
Body weight exercises, such as push ups, tire flipping, car pushing, squatting and pull ups, are *much* more effective then dumbbells (or barbells) because they do map onto functional compound body movements and, hence, tend to be safer with less prone to joint injury. I am going to start doing exclusively body weight training on my strength days starting soon, perhaps this coming Monday. A fair comparison is to state that most free weight exercises are isolation based where body weight exercises are compound based by the nature of which muscles they engage. You will get results 10 x faster from compound strength training then isolation training as larger and bigger sets of muscles will be used at the same time. Consider the classic pull up exercise. It is going to work you deltoids your lats, your triceps, your biceps and many other groups of muscles. This single compound exercise would take a dozen isolation exercises such as triceps extensions, biceps curls, flys and so on. Which would you rather do if your time is of the Essence?
Hope this helps.

I'm hesitant to post pics, but after seeing them myself, I actually see a little difference in my body, which is exciting and motivational. I've still got a good ways to go, but this is around my half way mark I suppose. When I started in October I was nearly 400, weighing in at 394. So, I finally took some pictures recently. I was 298 in the second pic, and 394 in the first.
I've been able to keep most of my strength, my bench is down to 340 from 375, deadlift is 765 from 810, and squat suffered the most, last max effort was 510, down from 585. My mile time has gone from 16 minutes to 11:40. Been having fun on this journey, not taking it way too seriously and just living and loving this new life. It's been amazing so far, I can't wait to to see the end result.

I'm hesitant to post pics, but after seeing them myself, I actually see a little difference in my body, which is exciting and motivational. I've still got a good ways to go, but this is around my half way mark I suppose. When I started in October I was nearly 400, weighing in at 394. So, I finally took some pictures recently. I was 298 in the second pic, and 394 in the first.
I've been able to keep most of my strength, my bench is down to 340 from 375, deadlift is 765 from 810, and squat suffered the most, last max effort was 510, down from 585. My mile time has gone from 16 minutes to 11:40. Been having fun on this journey, not taking it way too seriously and just living and loving this new life. It's been amazing so far, I can't wait to to see the end result.

I'm hesitant to post pics, but after seeing them myself, I actually see a little difference in my body, which is exciting and motivational. I've still got a good ways to go, but this is around my half way mark I suppose. When I started in October I was nearly 400, weighing in at 394. So, I finally took some pictures recently. I was 298 in the second pic, and 394 in the first.
I've been able to keep most of my strength, my bench is down to 340 from 375, deadlift is 765 from 810, and squat suffered the most, last max effort was 510, down from 585. My mile time has gone from 16 minutes to 11:40. Been having fun on this journey, not taking it way too seriously and just living and loving this new life. It's been amazing so far, I can't wait to to see the end result.

26th. Starting my pre op diet today. Looking forward to it. They've got me set up for 4 appointments in the 2 weeks, so hopefully it'll keep me busy. And my dogs have already expressed how excited they are that all I'll be doing is walking, all 3 of them.

It's still hydrolyzed Gelatin Protein, even if they use whey, it's likely still collagen based which is a FAR in-superior protein blend. There is a trace amount of tryptophane, so the amino acids included are near pointless since the transport and sustaining compound isn't even included to a true BCAA ratio. The product, after being manufactured, (which is curious why the yes protein website is no longer accessible) likely sits on a shelf for months, thus breaking down the amino acids and protein make up, you're basically drinking a shitty tasting Jello compound with half of the nutritional value it claims to have. Plus, take a look at what is used to make the gelatin protein blend...animal intestines, bones, teeth, and skin. As a meat eater, there's no damn way in hell I'd even fathom the idea of using these as a protein source, especially at a time as critical as post op.

So I have a few recipes I've saved from my days of competing for high Protein high quality carbs before a meet. I pulled one of them out tonight and figured I'd give it a go for breakfast/lunch. This recipe is from my coach Josh Bryant.
Protein pancakes
Serving Size: 1 large pancake
Ingredients
3 Egg Whites
1 Whole Egg
1 Cup of oatmeal
1 tsp of Cinnamon
Optional Ingredients
1⁄4 Cup of Blueberries
1 Ounce of Walnuts
1⁄4 Cup of sugar free pancake Syrup
To Make…
Blend egg whites, egg, oatmeal and cinnamon together. Spray skillet with cooking spray and pour mixture like a normal pancake. Cook on medium heat. When bubbles arise, add blueberries or walnuts and flip pancake. Cook for another minute or so. Serve with warm sugar free Syrup.< /span>

Nutritional Value



No Nuts, Berries or Syrup



Calories: 418



Fat: 11



Carbohydrates: 55



Protein: 28


I add some regular pancake mix to thicken it up a little, just personal preference. I also add some vanilla protein to the mix as well, adds 25g protein to the mix. This DOES make a rather LARGE pancake, I was able to eat about 1/3 of it, along with 1 scrambled egg and one piece of turkey bacon and I felt good.

I just got over a kidney stone last week, and the Dr. asked how much weight I'd lost. I told him, and he stated he's had a few people come through after massive weight loss in a short period of time that have had an issue with kidney stones. Said it was likely a Calcium kidney stone, the body having issues with managing the levels of calcium and Vitamin D. I looked up most of what he said, and there was research supporting his claim. I used to think all kidney stones dealt with lack of Water, but there are many other factors that come in to play.

Post op life NOW is great. liquids sucked, but was manageable. After getting to soft foods this week, I've been happy, haha. Don't hope you can do something, make up your mind and leave no room for doubt. WIth pre op diets, and then the surgery, and the hard work you're going to put in to your new lifestyle, you'll drop those 100 pounds and reshape your body completely.

A MAN should never, ever talk to a woman like that. It appears the man you married is still a little boy living in his past high school life, never matured and grew up to take care of his own. From the outside looking in, he doesn't respect you, and if he doesn't respect you there will never be any change for the better. Communication can save marriages, but if there's no respect, MUTUAL respect, things will only get tougher as you progress, especially after surgery.
My wife and I argue, at one point I thought it was our hobby. After a few years, we're in our 4th year of marriage, and I can honestly say, she's my damn soulmate and best friend in the entire world. We worked REALLY hard on respect, communication and love. We did the Love Dare and I really think that, and a book called The 5 Love Languages truly saved our marriage. Is he in to reading a book maybe? Have you expressed how you feel? Sidenote: Judging by his anger issues, you may want to have something between the two of you.

With my bone density and muscle mass, my doctor told me if I got under 240 I'd look freakish at 6'1. I'm already boney at 305. If I lay wrong my hip bones kill me, and if I'm laying on something hard my ribcage hurts. I can count my ribs and collarbones are crazy out there. I take pride in knowing I'm never gonna be the skinny guy though. In my line of work, the imposing figure helps keep people from thinking they can try something on me. I am hoping though that being "skinnier" is gonna help persuade those who like to run from the law to not do so as much, haha.

What? Please provide factual research to support anything you've just said.
I didn't get sleeved to diet the rest of my life. I eat good food, and I eat what I want. I just went on a 3 day backpacking trip, and consumed 3 Hershey bars for energy on the trail. I ate several highly processed foods on that trip to get quick, high calorie counts during that trip. Came back down 4 pounds. My piss was straw colored so don't say I was dehydrated.
Smoking. Several doctors have different points of view on this subject and it's highly debatable. My Dr. told me not to smoke 6 weeks after surgery. Afterwards I was cleared to enjoy a nice cigar or pipe afterwards from time to time. Now I don't smoke all the time, maybe once or twice a month, but there are plenty of people here who do smoke often and haven't had any issues regarding the sleeve. Overall health and lung function is a different story, but you didn't mention anything about that.
It seems like maybe you have no business telling others what to do. What is it about weight loss surgery that gives others the right to barge in and start spreading false statements about things they obviously don't quite understand themselves.

Nope, not at all. Just saying I feel people who preach about not smoking non stop are the same likes that we've dealt with that simply tell us "food is bad for you!" No ****? Really? Fix your own life and your own self before preaching to me about my imperfections. Smoking is bad, yup, sure is. Smoking increases so many health factors, but people still do it. People who smoke, they smoke. If they want to stop, they'll seek means to stop.
I've had people get in my face about smoking pipes and cigars. I seriously smoke once a month, IF THAT. However, that same person I know has an addiction to many things that are far worse to their health and wellness than me enjoying a pipe or cigar once a month in my back yard.
Kill the high horse, get off of it.