Kat410

If you "locked them down" people could just change their gender if they wanted to look. Or look at them as unregistered members. Or decide not to list their gender at all.
I dunno...no one's in eighth grade. "Girls Keep Out" and "Boys Keep Out" signs belong on tree forts and angsty middle schooler bedroom doors, in my opinion. just seems weird and offputting for adults to do this in 2018. To me, anyway.
But, clearly some other folks like them. So what do we do?
Ultimately, it's Alex's board. So he, alone, gets to make the call.
Either way the chips fall on this particular issue....I'm not sure I care. Gender based boards seem absurd to me, but whatever.
I do have to wonder what the people who use these kinds of boards will do...when they draw an opposite sex doctor at the emergency room...since..ya know...saying something anatomical within earshot of the opposite gender might cause the world to end. LOL. I also wonder how these folks get married?
Maybe it's a generational thing or a cultural construct that doesn't touch my world....but yeah....this whole boy/girl thing seems bizarre to me.
Would really suck for a transsexual to be denied access to the gender room they most identify with. And what about people who don't experience gender? or all the other variations of folks who don't experience cisnormative gender identity? Big can of civil liberties worms to put your foot in if you're an internet entrepreneur.

I just had an NSV that I didn’t think I’d ever have. Apparently I don’t have thigh chafing anymore. No cub rub. No more shorts under skirts and dresses.

I have had that since puberty and was convinced half the problem was being over weight and half the problem was the way my thighs were built.

But omg. My thighs don’t rub together anymore. It is kinda freaking me out!

I just had an NSV that I didn’t think I’d ever have. Apparently I don’t have thigh chafing anymore. No cub rub. No more shorts under skirts and dresses.

I have had that since puberty and was convinced half the problem was being over weight and half the problem was the way my thighs were built.

But omg. My thighs don’t rub together anymore. It is kinda freaking me out!

I just had an NSV that I didn’t think I’d ever have. Apparently I don’t have thigh chafing anymore. No cub rub. No more shorts under skirts and dresses.

I have had that since puberty and was convinced half the problem was being over weight and half the problem was the way my thighs were built.

But omg. My thighs don’t rub together anymore. It is kinda freaking me out!

I just had an NSV that I didn’t think I’d ever have. Apparently I don’t have thigh chafing anymore. No cub rub. No more shorts under skirts and dresses.

I have had that since puberty and was convinced half the problem was being over weight and half the problem was the way my thighs were built.

But omg. My thighs don’t rub together anymore. It is kinda freaking me out!

I just had an NSV that I didn’t think I’d ever have. Apparently I don’t have thigh chafing anymore. No cub rub. No more shorts under skirts and dresses.

I have had that since puberty and was convinced half the problem was being over weight and half the problem was the way my thighs were built.

But omg. My thighs don’t rub together anymore. It is kinda freaking me out!

I pay $78 for a 45 minute session. It is worth it. He's very good and I've gotten very educated on a number of things. He does not sell any other supplements/programs/etc.
We also use the time to design work out programs for when I am not seeing him - I now see him about 1x a week. At the beginning it was mostly to make sure I did what I needed to do - now I see this more as coaching/education and development in making sure I am creating the right goals and the right approaches.
On another note - I am 6 lbs away from my first target weight of 175!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

16 more lbs and I will no longer be in the "overweight" bmi category. So I just want to keep shouting out and saying THIS CAN BE DONE. I never thought I would get this far when I started.

I am 50 and did gastric sleeve a year ago and have lost 155 lbs. I probably have another 20 lbs to lose most of which is in my thighs and rear now. You can see that I don’t have a firm mid section (a lot of what’s there is skin) and you can also see I have lose skin under my arms and decent muscle composition.

While I had A lot more weight to lose than you it’s a no brainer to chose a functioning body over skin that is stretched taut and tight over 155 lbs of fat.

2 words....

I pay $78 for a 45 minute session. It is worth it. He's very good and I've gotten very educated on a number of things. He does not sell any other supplements/programs/etc.
We also use the time to design work out programs for when I am not seeing him - I now see him about 1x a week. At the beginning it was mostly to make sure I did what I needed to do - now I see this more as coaching/education and development in making sure I am creating the right goals and the right approaches.
On another note - I am 6 lbs away from my first target weight of 175!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

16 more lbs and I will no longer be in the "overweight" bmi category. So I just want to keep shouting out and saying THIS CAN BE DONE. I never thought I would get this far when I started.

I'm right where you used to be and hope to at least make it down to where,you are now, and then see what happens after that. Funny I always thought I'd be built good about,190-195. but maybe from what you described, Hmm I just wonder. Still that promise of smaller sizes is quite beguiling, deflated boobs and batwing arms. and a belly like a deflated balloon not withstanding. But you are alive-er,and healthier than you started, if I promise not to join and run through a nudist park, may I please still grow down. and join you,there?👉😣👈

My Highest weight was my pre-surgery weight of 335. I lost 19 lbs 10 days pre surgery and just celebrated my one year surgeriversary. I have lost 148 lbs and now wear size 10-12.

At 280 I started training with a personal trainer and am now the fittest I have been since I was a teenager.

Before surgery I had mentally prepared myself for the possibility I would be in the average range of 60 percent of excess body weight lost but as I got stronger and fitter my view changed and I realized r results were completely in my hands.

While the speed of my weight loss surprised me ;(diabetic, 50 years old and went immediately into menopause after surgery), I am thankful for the boost but still have a lot of work to do.

Keep up he hard work ladies! We can do this!

334 to 201. I'm 13 months out

I understand your thinking, but dropsets are actually a very bad way to build strength. Yes, you will feel a pump from the muscle being engorged from increased blood flow, but that is not the same as building strength.
Let's use squats as an example. You might be able to do 12 reps on the first set of the bench press but you should stop at 9 or 10. Stopping before muscle and nervous system fatigue will allow you to complete the full set. So lets say that you squatted 100 lbs for 12 reps, then 8, 6, and 4 for a total of 30 reps. That would give you a total volume of 3,000 lbs. However, if you dropped that to 8 reps for the entire set, you would have 32 reps for a total volume of 3,200 lbs. As you get further and further into your strength training, the disparity become even greater.
All that being said, I don't do that many reps in any of my sets. Sure, I could probably do 12 reps at 185 lbs, but 3 sets of 5 reps at 245 lbs provides me with 3,675 lbs of volume work.
As for the OP's question, 2 weeks post op I would focus on just walking. Your stamina is going to be very, very low. The threat of reactive hypoglycemia is very real, as is low blood pressure. Getting dizzy is common and fainting is not unheard of (as me how I know!). There is no time in your life when the weight will come off faster and easier than this point of your recovery. Capitalize on it.
Once you are hitting your Fluid and Protein goals or more for the week, then start Pilates or resistance training. I actually liked Pilates in the beginning. Once that is no longer kicking your butt, start real weights. Squats and deadlifts are the two must important movements the we as humans need to do properly. If you are picking up small children or heavy bags, moving furniture, etc... you are using the same muscles, so start training them when you are able.

I have the same problem in my thighs. Unfortunately there’s really no way to spot reduce! I have these bizarre pockets of fat on my inner thighs just above the knees. Right now the plan is to just keep working the plan and continue to be grateful for what has been accomplished.

I have the same problem in my thighs. Unfortunately there’s really no way to spot reduce! I have these bizarre pockets of fat on my inner thighs just above the knees. Right now the plan is to just keep working the plan and continue to be grateful for what has been accomplished.

There is no such thing as toning. That is merely marketing speak for the temporary swelling of muscle tissue post workout, i.e. "swole".
Here is a nice article by a coach I respect: https://startingstrength.com/training/three_ways_to_not_get_bulky_from_lifting
When you are lifting any weights, oxygen and nutrients are carried to the muscles for fuel. They are carried there by the Water in our blood. That is where the firmness comes from after lifting. That is the muscle bellies ability to retain Fluid so that the fuel can be burned and the waste carried away. The only way to increase the amount of muscle tissue that can hold more water and fuel is by the overload of the muscle and subsequent healing and rebuild of said tissue. That is why "toned" muscle never stays after people quit lifting light weights for high reps.
Perfect example, here is me when I was doing high rep weight lifting:

Looks nice and big, right? Here is a more current picture of me:

Not quite as impressive, eh? My arms are not as big, but I can lift twice as much weight one year later after switching to low volume/high weight. My deadlift at the time of the first picture was about 120-135 lbs. Second picture I am lifting 260. While not Herculean by any stretch of the imagination, it is an movement I was unable to do 3 years ago. But that is another story for another time.
The point of my reply is this; if you want pretty muscles, lower weight and high volume is the way to accomplish that. If you want stronger, lower volume and higher weight. There is nothing wrong with either desire, but do not confuse the results of either method.

Recently returned to therapy at the gym affiliated with my hospital. Not so much worried about beautiful rippling muscles, just rebuilding a little strength and stamina. And at 72 that's cool enough for me!👵😝

I need to invest in sundresses so that they do last! My jeans are falling off me. I'm not going to buy new ones until end of summer/fall.

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thinking of you! You were one of the first to welcome me here. Please keep us updated. I’m so so very sorry.

My Highest weight was my pre-surgery weight of 335. I lost 19 lbs 10 days pre surgery and just celebrated my one year surgeriversary. I have lost 148 lbs and now wear size 10-12.

At 280 I started training with a personal trainer and am now the fittest I have been since I was a teenager.

Before surgery I had mentally prepared myself for the possibility I would be in the average range of 60 percent of excess body weight lost but as I got stronger and fitter my view changed and I realized r results were completely in my hands.

While the speed of my weight loss surprised me ;(diabetic, 50 years old and went immediately into menopause after surgery), I am thankful for the boost but still have a lot of work to do.

Keep up he hard work ladies! We can do this!

My Highest weight was my pre-surgery weight of 335. I lost 19 lbs 10 days pre surgery and just celebrated my one year surgeriversary. I have lost 148 lbs and now wear size 10-12.

At 280 I started training with a personal trainer and am now the fittest I have been since I was a teenager.

Before surgery I had mentally prepared myself for the possibility I would be in the average range of 60 percent of excess body weight lost but as I got stronger and fitter my view changed and I realized r results were completely in my hands.

While the speed of my weight loss surprised me ;(diabetic, 50 years old and went immediately into menopause after surgery), I am thankful for the boost but still have a lot of work to do.

Keep up he hard work ladies! We can do this!

Well if you can believe Surgeon #1. I am nearly 200 pounds overweight, Thursday when I met with Valerie, my nurse-practioner, she asked what my goal weight,was. I played coy, I told her "work with your figures and see what you come up with" her answer,175-184. I laughed and said that was coincidence I had come up with 175 myself. After plotting and examined for myself, I am not too large on the upper story, the "girls" are a C-D cup but for a 320-330 person that is not large. What I am is an oversized Junior, if they ran to an upper range I am a 27 instead of a 26W so my dream size a 15 Junior, and I will make a good attempt to get there. Proudgrammy (kathy) says there is no try, you either do or don't do something. Seems a little strict but I won't argue with her, she may be more a success than I ever will be. So you have to lose a whole Bariatric woman, well I have have to lose at least a place kicker and that's still a human being. I would like anything less than 199 but let's see,how things work out. Sending a virtual hug because. a real one would hurt. 💜💞💚

Hi everyone!
I wanted to take a time out here and share about my weight loss journey, as I close in on my goal weight it's a good time to reflect, look at what worked and what isn't work and set myself to accomplish what I am out to accomplish.
I had gastric sleeve in Mexico on 5/26, and started a 10 day liquid diet before. I was self-pay, my insurance doesn't cover bariatric surgery. I coordinated with my PCP (who wasn't thrilled, but once she got I was going to do it, we did all the preliminary lab work in advance so there would be no surprises.) The surgery was straightforward and seamless and besides not liking the hotels included in the package (I went to Cancun), everything else was great (the surgeon, nurses and other staff).
I had prepared myself for what there was to deal with and took a week off work afterwards which was more than enough time.
Before my liquid diet I weighed 335 which was my highest ever weight. I am 50 and 5'8", so clocked in with a BMI over 50. I had not developed hypertension or sleep apnea, but my A1C was 7.0 and had just started metformin.
I hadn't dieted in years - while in the past I found it pretty easy to lose weight, at some point I would fail and more weight would come on so I had concluded that I would stop dieting and just deal with being fat for the rest of my life.
I started to consider WLS about 3 years ago, but I was so scared to confront this issue again, I just avoided doing any planning, acting or organizing to move this forward. It was last year (feb 2017) that my A1C was up to 7 and that's when I decided to act. I had known that VSG patients were almost immediately cured of diabetes that's when I started to act.
After surgery, I dropped weight quickly and easily and still am. Not including the 1st month (a huge loss), I have averaged 2.5 lbs per week. There are a couple of things that made a difference for me.
1. Keeping the Protein first rule and learning which foods are sliders and which foods are triggers.
2. After I was down to 290 I started an exercise regimen. I used to play sports and work out and knew that I could build muscle quickly and easily which would support my weight loss. I did HIT and strength training and am now doing low impact conditioning and strength training (injured my knee last month).
3. I weigh and tweak, weigh and tweak, weigh and tweak. Right now I am eating a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet. I average about 1000 cals/day. Every 4-6 days I do a major calorie/carb spike. I am now experimenting with single day fasts. However, high fat/moderate protein seems to be the best combination. I do the carb spike if I go 4 days without losing weight. I made all this up, it's strictly a function of weighing and tweaking. I don't know if there's any science (except the studies that validate that the most successful weight loss people are the ones who stick with it and find what works for them.) Until I am in maintenance I will continue to weigh and tweak and if any approaches stop working, I will stop using them.
4. Paying attention to building lean muscle - improvements in strength, flexibility and endurance were as important as drops on the scale. I hired a trainer who runs a small boutique fitness gym 2 doors from me - I selected it because I figured I couldn't have any excuse not to go given I didn't have to walk far, take the subway or deal with transit. I got lucky - he is amazing, unbelievably educated and started training me right where I was and its unbelievable the changes in 4 months of work. He said he couldn't promise weight loss - that was up to me - but he could promise strength, endurance, balance and flexibility - all of which he delivered.
5. I am planning for maintenance - I am a very target-oriented person. Given me a target, a goal or an outcome and once I set my sights on it I am pretty unf****kable with it. I am looking at different goals and outcomes to create for myself.
6. I am surprised at how necessary exercise has become for me. Even when I played sports, I hated all the training that came with it - I just wanted to play and compete. To some extent, I think I am competing with myself, but this is a journey and I am excited about what my body can become and accomplish.
For the first time in almost 30 years I am under 200 lbs. I have lost 85% of my excess body weight in 10 months. I am grateful for surgery, genetics, and also the people on this board - whom I have learned a lot from.
What is next?
I am still experimenting and am educating myself on fasting. I am doing weekly 1 day fasts just to get in the world of what that's like and will plan for a 3-5 day fast at some point in the future.
If I get my knee straightened out I would like to hike up a mountain. This summer I would like to sail and bike the west side of NY along the Hudson River. I would like to lose these last 30 or so lbs my birthday in June (which is unlikely, but I like targets!)
Thank you for these boards, your participation and every journey here, it has made a difference.

Hey there sleevers!

I saw a thread started for may 2018 sleevers and it was shocking to think I was planning this step a year ago.

I am down 132 lbs, I have managed to lose 18 since the Xmas. This is something I am very much at work on and am back to my 2 lb/week average since getting back on track after the holidays.

I plan to lose another 40 lbs and reevaluate. I am at 203 right now and can’t believe I am a few weeks away from being under 200 which has not been the case since high school.

There are things I would have done differently but one of the things I am glad I did was get on an exercise regimen. The changes to my body are shocking - not just being smaller but being stronger, with better posture, muscle tone, stamina.

My average resting heart rate is under 60. I sleep an average of 6 hours a night instead of 8 and am well rested. The hair I shredded like a German Shepherd in the summer has come back and I can’t wait for winter to be over and Summer to come.

We should all be proud of our accomplishments. This journey has not been easy but it has been worth it

XOXO to everyone.