Fiddleman

No.

Fat (obese) people are everywhere my friend. Just a fact and not a value judgement so don't flame me on that comment. Now this is a serious topic so give me a serious response Laura. Lol.

I had a little trouble figuring out correct forum to place this topic so it goes here in "Rant and Raves" because it is a bit of a rave. My MIL was an RN before retirement and likes to keep up on medical studies. She and I were talking about (WLS (VSG) last night and she said WLS (VSG) changes the DNA. My first response was "what....?" and then " how is this possible?" She explained that there was a medical study done in Iceland where they said WLS (VSG) changes the genetic coding in a person's DNA such that the genes responsible for a predisposition of obesity are no longer present in future generations (read: children). Wow, that is powerful! Effectively it means you can expect to have beautiful and athletic children if WLS (VSG) does the same for you. All the genetic precursors like ineffective BMR are effectively reprogrammed. Now I am wondering if the results of this medical study also apply to alcohol, drugs and other addictive predispositions that are passed through DNA.

Burpees are pure evil!!! See a recent thread I posted on this. However, I am better at them now when just starting them. When working out it is best to have an intense focus on your body and your WOD. Paying attention to others is only going to take away some of the effectiveness of the training. You must be focusing like a laser. Some pre workout supplements can help with this like no explode, c4, b4 and others. I take catalyst (amino acids) before every cross fit session and it helps in so many ways with exploding on the reps and getting through the sets with a good focus and intensity. It is important to have text book form ( or close to) or you will not get all the gains. Focus on technique and breathing right before anything else. Thanks for sharing!! It is good to hear from others on fitness experiences.

No replacement of electrolytes after cross fit, but I do after running 8 miles or more on a run day. As for master cross fitter, no,no,no... I am a newbie cross fitter and just started getting into it a month ago with my PT, 2x a week. I purchased about 3 months worth of personal training so I can progressively get stronger effectively without hurting my self. I am not an open gym type yet and usually will waste an hour of training if I try and figure it out on my own. Love my personal trainer! She is helping me so much with seeing real gains. She is challenging me, pushing me and not allowing me to give up on that last lift when I want to cave. Or that last set of pull ups. Pull ups are hard for me and I hope they will be "easy" after a couple more months. Strength is really building in upper body so I am able to do 100 lb Olympic lifts and back squats. Bench pressing is currently at 160 lb. I know this is not a lot yet, but am hoping to reach body weight lifts in a month or so and then go from there. I want to be that guy doing a single Olympic lift of 450 lb some day. I can finally do squats with weights, lunges with weights, push ups, pull ups and more. It is exciting to see progress every time I step into a cross fit session. These are way easier then when I started just 3 weeks ago. I could never do these before, especially the lunges. It is also helping I am taking supplements like 3 g Omega 3 and creatine monohydrate after a cross fit session. Thanks you to my VST fitness friends for recommending various supplements along the way. Paleo bar really helps in recovery even though on high calories side @ 300. 17 g carbs of raw honey. I am almost up to 1 g Protein / 1 lb body weight and that is helping tremendously in building the lean muscle ( not trying to bulk out like the muscle heads you see in supplement ads). I would not recommend eating this way if you are not near goal and do not have a rigorous training program. It works for me as my muscles need it during long runs and intense strength training sessions. And it is thrilling to see the scale moving again with the help of my hungry muscles. I am hoping that by the end of 3 months I can confidently do open gym and kill any WOD. Maybe I will go for another PT package. Don't know at this time and will cross the bridge when it comes.

Anyone else have ideas about this?

Now that you have said 60g is 240 calories then a 20 g serving is 80 calories. Add back in 5 g calories because 25 g is what we really want per serving. That puts the Amplified Wheybolic 60 25 g serving at a comparable amount to nectar shakes; that is, both have 100 calories. It is a good powder to take daily, but I would definitely not take the suggested 60 g serving size in a single dose unless you are in serious weight training. It works as a good shake during post op weight loss, especially as a recovery shake after exercise / training.

Let us know what kind of progress you get from using it both in terms of lost lbs and inches.

That is a good way of looking at it. Thanks!

I keep thinking that too. Laura are you sure you are not 28?? Sure looks that way from your photo. Of course that would mean you were 11-12 when your daughter was born...you age well.

This is neat to go back and see progress pictures of people you have only known at the end of their weight loss. Everyone has a story in their photos.

How about popping a few mentos before drinking that diet coke! Lol. Kaboom. Just having a good time...

I will be in Kauai with the wife in a couple weeks and am planning to do Rum tasting at the brewery they have in town. Should be fun!! Maybe I will even get brave as a post op and eat some rum infused cake (would be my first desert experience). Enjoy the wine tasting!!

Hi- most new post ops start out with Syntax nectar, unjury or pure Protein Shakes (rtd). My WLS center highly recommends Nectar to every patient (they have done the research with regards to effectiveness, taste, etc). She does say that your tastes for protein shakes may change post op. In other words, find out *again* what type of shake you like as a post op and do not buy a lot as a pre op. Both Syntrax nectar and unjury have sample packs where you can determine what flavors you enjoy. For example, do you enjoy fruity flavors like strawberry or sweet flavors like Oreo. I am a *huge* fan of Oreo flavor both pre and post op. Regardless of the branding, try and pick a fast acting 100% whey protein as it will help you heal faster. That is key as you want to get in a lot of protein during that first few weeks from your shakes. It helps if you enjoy it!! You can also experiment. For example, mixing together chocolate truffle, PB2 and butter Scotch SF pudding makes for a tasty buffer finger shake. Awesome! Once you are further away from surgery day as a post op, you might look into some more specialized protein to help with exercise recovery (cardio and lifting). However, do not worry about that for a while. Good luck!

I had my first drink at 6 months. Doctor and NUT recommended we wait 3 months and to ease into it. Alcohol may affect you differently as a post op. It might be a good idea to drink on occasion or in moderation if you are going to as calories add up fast. For me, 1-2 drinks a month, mainly as a social thing.

That is really great! Congratulations!!

Touche Laura.

Thanks everyone! The rewards of post op success far out weigh the little inconveniences along the way. Living life now and not afraid to get out there and give back to others as well as enjoy all the new experiences. My success is really the culmination of feedback and guidance from all of you. We can continue the long trail of successes on VST by keeping it a positive, fun and energetic experience for everyone. Reading daily certainly keeps both my spirits and motivation up. Removing morbid obesity and evil clutches of unhealthy eating from my life and replacing it with a fit and meaningful daily existence has really set me free to have a positive influence on the world around me.

I have not told anyone at work about my WLS nor have I seen more then one person on my team face to face in the last 12 months (work @ home and not traveling on business due to tighter controls). I told her at a lunch that my transformation was from high protein, low carb diet and running / cross fit ( she does both types of exercise also). I guess the cat will be out of the bag after these upcoming events. <grin>. Danger: Uncharted territory! Lol.

My WLS Center (Swedish in Seattle) has reached out to me yesterday to participate in promotional material (web site and flyers) in addition to upcoming TV spot. What a wonderful validation of WLS as a solution for morbid obesity!! It will be so much fun and there is also swag and incentives that come with doing it.