Fiddleman

I am glad you wrote this topic because I have had a niggling question recently: do WLS patients, specifically VSG patients, find that they have a *harder* time with keeping weight off than non WLS "ideal bmi" folks after they reach their goal? Now I am not talking about psychological issues or whatnot that lead to overeating or bad choices. Rather, both sample sets theoretically are eating the same foods and exercising the same amount. Will the WLS sample set find it harder to keep the weight off due to physiological differences (eg smaller stomach size might lead to different abilities to process food at the same efficiency). Thanks for any insight on this. It is primary a question targeted at my near term future, but I am sure others would benefit from an answer as well.

Not sure myself! Maybe the chicken was 4 oz and not 5 oz ( was guessing on size). I am 6 months out so am able to eat with less restriction now. That being said I do not make it a habit of eating like this. Usually my meals are 300-400 calories, low in fat and low in carbs. Not knowing the nutritional details about the entree makes eating out a challenge. Of course, I need to check the facts before ordering and not after...

It must have been the dressing because it was just a chicken breast and salad. Definitely changed my mind about eating at the burger resteraunt.

Ok, so I had my usual chicken chopotle entree this evening when eating out(about once every 3 weeks). Really yummy and flavorful. I thought this was healthy until I checked the online nutritional facts. For 5 oz of chicken breast and a small side salad with ranch salsa dressing weighed in at 960 calories, 27 grams fat and 112 grams carbs. I am like what the heck; this looked completely healthy and, in fact, looked like the healthiest thing on the menu. I found out fried cod and chips had both less calories and fat by 1/2. Check the nutritional facts folks when eating out! Time for an extra run tomorrow to keep the chubbies away. Lol!

That is so good to hear about your running successes. I feel like we are in this together and your progress is motivating. During my run today, I went about 4 .5 miles at 5.6 mph. Felt great both during and after. However, I noticed that during the first 5 minutes my left hip was giving me a real problem. It eventually went away at about 10 minutes, but it makes me wonder what it is. I have been stretching really well and warming up with a 5 min 4.5 mph jog before starting the run. I do see a chiropractor who worked on my hip yesterday to make it more mobile. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Besides that minor pain, it was a great run and I was getting the "high" around 30 minutes. Since I was still at about 40% perceived effort I decided to play with the speed a little by going up .2 and down .2 for about 5 minutes. Still doing great so I ran for next 10 minutes at 6.0 mph and then came back down to 5.4 mph until the run was over at 45 minutes (did 5 minute cool down and stretches after that). Thanks for the suggestion above to try speed variations in the middle of the run. That worked well.

I think it is best to get fitted for a running shoe in order to match you to the shoe for minimal injury and maximum results. That being said, I was fitted to a Nike running shoe after trying on 3 while my feet and running style were analyzed by a professional. The shoes were kind of pricey at $100, but I think the shoes really make a difference.

Awesome!

I really could not handle plain ol' tap Water for a while post-op. It tasted like aluminum foil and Iron, even though I have verified our tap water has only 3% metals contamination, if that. According to some online resources, the average is 30% especially in cities. For this reason, I have been adding flavors to water for the longest time (desani drops are my favorite after trying crystal light, mio, propel and a few others). Fast forward 6 months and water does not taste metallic any longer. That is the good news. However, I still cannot drink it because it is just not that appealing ( it takes effort to force myself to sip it). With added flavors, I can get through large quantities of tap water. I guess I will continue flavoring it as I need to remain very hydrated during the day with running. Do you think plain ol' tap water will ever be appealing again?

I like to listen to Muse and Imagine Dragons when running. Good stuff. I tried listening to the top running songs as suggested by men's fitness recently (spent the dough to buy off itunes), but didn't like most of them when listening during a run. Back to my favorite bands I went. Does anyone know other bands that are like Muse and Imagine Dragons? I really like their sounds. I am a little on the strange or different side as my tastes for rock/alternative rock did not develop until last couple of years. Before then I was into classical, new age, instrumental, folk, instrumental rock (think: Guaneri underground - love Jeffery sick on electric violin) and world music. I have a classical background as a violinist. There has to be at least one other person out there like me with these type of music tastes. Lol.

I have done about 1 timed 5k a week since starting this challenge( other 2 runs during the week ate either longer or HITT). My timed 5 k averages about 31.5 min; it is too high for where I want to be. This time represents me putting in 80% total effort by the end. To avoid injury, I start at 5.4 and work my way up to 6.5 at the end. I think I need to spend less time on each bump or bump in greater then. 1 increments to get up to 6 mph faster. 6.0 mph is a 10 min mile and represents 60% effort. Trying to figure out how to get my average faster and keep effort at 60% to avoid injury or burn out.

That sounds like a good problem to have as long as it is healthy.

This is really a polarizing topic. I did not mean it to be like that, but instead wanted to help people who are looking for some motivation around the sleeve journey. My apologies to those that got offended. The main reason I shared it is because I used to have such a problem with food and was definitely an emotional eater. I buried my feelings in food where any foods like fries, cookies, donuts, cake etc were a problem. I am not a moderation person and need to do everything either in full or not at all. I know it is not the best approach to a well rounded lifestyle, but it does help me succeed in my goals. I hope that helps clarify why I put these statements above. I want the best for everyone.