Fiddleman

WebChickadee, your analysis is so refreshing. Thanks for posting.

Vitamins and minerals are very important as a deficiency found at month 6 or month 12 or later are very hard to correct and silently can sneak up on you. It is better to be safe then sorry to take a daily Vitamin and mineral supplement, considering the limited amount of food we eat. You should try and get 200% DV during the first few months and can back off to 100% after month 6. I would say to ask your doctor, but it sounds like they do not believe in vitamin and mineral supplementation. There are many different brands you cab choose from as a WLS post op. A few that come to mind are Bariatric Advantage, Celebrate, trader Joe and costco brands. BA and Celebrate did not sit well with me and caused me to throw up. I settled on Trader Joe Adult High Potency Tablets. I still take these at month 9, but might switch onto pill form following 12 months. I found the GNC extreme athletic vitapaks to be really good once I started getting serious about daily exercise and increasing the intensity. However, they are expensive and not rated very high in a list another member shared recently so backed off of them. I am looking for a good daily men's vitapak that is top rated for athletes.

I was a microsofty in the early 1/2 of last decade and end of previous century. Loved the free pop. Did not love the culture so much after 4 years (I know, not a long time). After that 10 years with RR Donnelly and now loving my time with Oracle creating great software.

Excellent! This is such good wisdom. I will have to soak in this information after work today when I can really focus on it. You are right, my cross fit PT had me do very rapid squat sets 20 seconds per set, 5 second rest, for 12 sets. I could do 15/16 a set. This was after I completed the WOD. Phew!

Thanks for the information Mark! I like asking about supplementation here on VST because I can get a clean answer without having to wade through all the information out there online and even in store with regards to supplementation. You have been spot on in your characterization of GNC employees being more interested in retail then being good sources of knowledge and wisdom in terms of customers fitness goals. i really am noticing that now. Vitamin Shoppe is better as I have had decent conversations with them and feel like they know what they are talking about more then the GNC guys. I am also going to subscribe to men's fitness and men's health. You read those? Being a new user of supplementation I want to make good safe decisions; specifically because we share the common experience of WLS. You have also been helping me focus on identifying products that are going to work so I am not wasting time and money with respect to achieving specific personal fitness goals.

No, this is what you are looking for: http://www.advocare.com/products/trim/T2010.aspx It really helps me get in more reps stronger and faster during cross fit. Love it so far. It also helps with cardio. I take 4 capsules 15 minutes before a training session. A single example of how catalyst helped me yesterday: I was able to do a mile farmers carry ( a jog essentially) with 45 lb dumbbells in each hand as part of my WOD. That works every single muscle in your upper and lower body. And I am feeling OK today; a little sore overall, but no doms. I also take a super fish oil supplement (3000 mg) and just started on creatine yesterday to help with faster recovery after hard cross fit workouts. Catalyst is before the cross fit session and creatine / fish oil is after the cross fit session. Probably 101 stuff for you guys, but the information will help future readers of this post. I just signed up for a long term PT cross fit commitment (6 months) with a goal of building confidence and experience so that I can own every WOD when I eventually switch to open gym format. Not there right now. I need the encouragement and coaching from my PT or I would just wimp out. Being on a pre paid plan also will help me push through the days when I just do not feel like doing the training. As with all things, I need to get in "the habit" of cross fit 2-3 x a week so that I love it so much that there is no reason I would skip a session, on my own motivation. For now, having a PT set of prepaid sessions will ensure my commitment to success. She will not let me give up nor wimp out during a session.

OMG, TMI!!! Seriously, gassing gets better the later out you get. For me, I think gassing got better around month 5. However, I would never gas someone while talking to them. Oh the shame!!! Better to wait for a private moment so you don't have to have a black belt in the art of inconspicuous gassing. Lol.

I always get doms after hiking a tough hike without warm up hikes first, usually at the beginning of the hike season. I walk around like a zombie and it is painful to go up and down stairs, take a piss, bend over etc. Usually takes me about 3-4 days to recover without taking anything. I imagine taking super high omega 3 fish oil could help (3000 mg or higher) and be sure to stretch when done with workouts. I am not really super knowledgable on supplements, but Mark just talked me into bcaa for faster recovery. Something to consider taking after workouts, before work outs, etc. the creatine in it will bring the water into the muscles for faster repair. I have not really gotten debilitating doms yet from cross fit or running. maybe it is because my workouts have been very progressive over time where i am pushing hard, but not doming myself into down time. I usually tend to feel a little achy, but not like a zombie as described above. Hope you feel yourself again soon.

Hey guys - I got the AST creatine monohydrate today. The recommended serving size is 1 tsp, but it also talks about creatine loading and creatine maintenance. Should I just do this recommended amount and forget about the whole loading and maintenance phases? I guess tell me how you would take this particular creatine if you were me knowing I want to build a nice athletic physique and am strength training two days a week with cross fit, but also run 4 days a week and yoga a few times a week.

Heh, we are going to have to start talking about food Porn and the Bermuda Triangle of Sugary Goodness again (sounds like a good book title). At least while Laura is away camping. <evil grin> Apologies to those that missed the original romp a few days ago.

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I could not have done it without your support along the way. VST is a great community of people!!

Yes, every day is a new adventure! This is a far cry from the dismal depression I had pre op.

One word: Astroglide!! Drive by posting from the Man Room. Lol.

Thanks!

Today I had my month 9 follow up with the WLS Center. Here are some of the key results: Height: 5'11" July 2nd, 2012 Weight: 360 lb BP: 148 / 102 SP02: 98% Pulse: 64 BMI: 46 Body Fat %: 37% Pant Size: 46 April 9, 2013 Weight: 182 BP: 110 / 71 SP02: 99% Pulse: 44 <~~~~~~~~ BMI: 26 Body Fat %: 20% pant size: 32 It has been quite the experience. In a good way. My life is so much fuller now and I really enjoy staying active and making good nutrition decisions. The nurse gave me a "gold star". Happy dance. YAY! She also wants me to get my heart rate checked out because it is so low. Wants to rule out some things. Take a look and let me know if there is any reason for concern. I have a lot of energy daily, but do fade to black on occasion when standing from a seated position. I am thrilled with what WLS has given me. It is also a joy to help others here on VST.

Very helpful guys!

Rice is also fairly high in carbs, so good to avoid if you are losing weight.

Sure, same is true for me as I follow the NUT diet plan. I was just asking as I read that some also follow the insanity diet. I do not want to do this.

Burpees are kind of a combination of push up, jumping to feet and final jumping jack. Fluid movement from laying on ground to clapping at the end. Repeat. It is challenging and causes much grinding and gnashing of teeth.