Fiddleman

Another 1.2 lb gone last night for 7.2 total. Man I am on a roll this week and into low 170s, but getting strong all over. I blame my stall for last 2 months on too many carbs / calories from protein bars.

Yes, this happened to me as well at month 6 and on. In last week, cutting out refined sugar from diet has helped a lot, even small amounts like 2 g. Also eating dense protein of 3-4 oz every 2-3 hours helps. Eat more good carbs and fats. Good fats in the GI tract sends a signal to the brain to stop sending the hunger signals. I have 3-6 g of omega 3 daily from company stronger, faster, healthier. Weight is starting to drop again at month 9. Stalled out between month 7-9, but lost 6 lb the week as of yesterday. Dropped another 1.2 lb over night. After making sure I do these things, hunger went way down.

Yes, happens to a few of us (or more that have not posted). It could be low blood pressure and/or low resting heart rate. How are these numbers for you? It could also be an inner balance issue where your body is catching up to the loss of weight. Additionally, it might be related to Vitamin or mineral deficiencies. It might even be a sign of dehydration. There are so many potential causes. For me, I think it is low resting heart rate (44 BPM). At my month 9 follow up, the RN wanted me to get it checked out because it has been low for a few months. Not being in the medical field, I hope one or more of these suggestions will help you. If you still are having trouble, you can always go talk to your PCP to figure out a next steps like labs to checks blood levels.

I find Tonic Alchemy superior to Amazing Grass and am currently on my second bottle of it. Love it! It not only helps me with energy and detox, but also with inflammation issues. 71 different veg, fruit and herbs. Taste is not bad.

I know there are several of you cross fitters on VST that can help with this topic. Here is what I am doing now. Before: 2-4 energy squares. Lots of good carbs, Protein and good fats. Approx. 200 calories. After: Paleo bar of approximately 300 calories. 17g protein, 14g carb and 9 g fat. 3g Omega 3 - from stronger, faster, healthier. 1 tsp of creatine monohydrate My day meals are: Meal 1: Protein shake (extended release) Meal 2: lean protein (3 oz) Meal 3: lean protein (5 oz) Meal 4: above - before Meal 5: above - after Meal 6: lean protein (4-5 oz), 2-3 oz veggy Meal 7: casein protein shake. 7 meals on cross fit day baby! Of course drinking like a race horse all day. My goal is to have the stamina and power to complete the WOD and get my name up there on the whiteboard list, higher each time. Right now, getting stronger and better each time I go and leaned out 6 lb this week. I am looking for your comments on my before and after to kill my WOD and have energy the next day to run 5-10k. My last WOD was 30 minutes long and left me spread eagle on the mat huffing and puffing. Intense! So far eating this way is working out pretty well and my mobility / flexibility is really improving, much better then even 2 weeks ago. Probably the super omega 3 is helping me out there.

All I can say is stay away from the horror stories unless you have a lot of resolve to be successful or get thrills out of being scared. Hey, i like watching horror movies for the same reason everyone does. However, they don't dig at me in a way that keeps me up at night. Those VSG horror stories should be told, but I can see how scary they are making it for the pre ops. If you are not strong in your resolve to have VSG on your own accordance and get easily spooked about the upcoming surgery and post op experience, be careful how much you read into them and how much you personally need to identify or emphasize with them. There is nothing wrong with giving any one who needs empathy some empathy if it helps them get through their rough experience. with that being said, every complication is part of the 2 % statistic so there is 98% chance you will have zero or minor complications. Minor complications might be trouble eating for first week, diarrhea, constipation, etc. stuff you can handle because being sleeved is worth so much more then those small issues. I even had a minor complication that put me in ICU fora few days following surgery, but hardly remember it. It is fading fast because my mind is occupied with all the benefits that have come from taking my life back from the clutches or morbid obesity. We all face the possibility of gall bladder, liver or kidney issues in the future. However, we were not really living before surgery were we? A lot of us had numbered days considering our health issues. Taking the brave step to have VSG is an opportunity for all of us to live and experience the wonders and beauties of life. Isn't that worth it? Keep a positive mindset about the whole experience. That applies to most endeavors in life. Don't let the negativity floor you. Use the information on VST in making your decision. Both good and bad experiences exist with good experiences being 98% and bad experiences being 2 %. Always keep those statistics in perspective when researching information about your upcoming VSG experience.

http://www.hapilabs.com/products-hapifork.asp If you have trouble eating slow or too much during post op, check out this product! I wish this was available back before my surgery and post op as a commercial product to buy. You can track your eating habits with your computer, smart phone or tablet. Cool!! This little electronic fork will help us get into the hard habit of being a mindful eater. That is, eating slower by putting less into your mouth at a time and by waiting in between forkfuls. Of course, if your are n purée stage, then you need to convince them to make a HAPISpoon for yogurt, apple sauce, etc. I have to say that being a mindful eater in the traditional sense of being a post op is still hard for me to do at month 9. I have not and still do not take more then 5 minutes to eat. Shame on me! However, if I had the HAPIFork, I would have done a lot better at it.

Thanks!

Sounds like fun. Take some pictures to share!

No beverage. Remember we are not supposed to drink anything either 20 min before or 45 minutes after. Outside of this range my beverage of choice is water with pink lemonade flavor (0 cal).

What about taking supplemental testosterone? You can buy this from most grocery stores that have a health section or go directly to a health store like GNC or Vitamin Shoppe.

Glad you asked. Chia seeds are the super food of the ancient Mayans. While they helped them run 100s of miles, they can help us with constipation issues from their ability to soak up a lot of Water and the omegas that are present. In order to prevent them from dehydrating you as they pass through your GI tract, it is best to soak them in water 20-30 min before eating. You can add them to any soft food like yogurt, but I like to add 2 tbsp to my Protein shake every morning. It really helps me stay regular on my high protein diet. It might take a day or two to work the magic if you are just starting out with them. Taking them with miralax increases the effectiveness as miralax and chia seeds function similarly. I prefer chia seeds because they are natural where miralax is a plastic composite. As an aside, I think chia seeds are also helping me with a daily exercise by giving me the hydrating based energy that's needed to keep going day after day. No proof of this, but I have my suspicions.

Two seasoned chicken skewers and 1/2 bell pepper. Both from costco. Simple and filling. [ATTACH]11702[/ATTACH]

Great! How do you feel running at 5 mph? Do you feel like this is a good pace for you to sustain 5 k or do you feel you could do a little faster? Question is really about how your legs and respiratory are doing at that pace. Do you feel like you are in control of your run?