Johnny B

Hi Jazz. Losing the weight is easier than keeping it off. You will always have to "diet", but having a smaller stomach should be a tool to help you keep it off by helping you feel less hungry. At one of the meetings I was feeling the same way as you are now. One guy pulled me aside and said, "look, I know that you're Italian (as was he). You don't have to give up everything, just get into the habit of eating less of it. If you deprive yourself of everything you love, you'll never stick with it. Just be smart about it." I'm finding that to be true for me with my pre-op diet. The other day my family and I had a traditional Christmas Eve dinner because this Christmas Eve I'll be on the 2 week liquid pre-surgery diet. I had a little antipasto, a few baked clams, shrimp and scallops. The key was A FEW. I made sure not to stuff or bloat myself. And after surgery that is important because you don't want to stretch your new stomach. Through the process just envision how much better you'll feel physically and emotionally with the new you. You can do this.

That's great. I didn't know you needed "tits to hire a trainer" lol. Youtube has some great instructional videos. Keep up the good work. Training for that muscle ache the day after each workout is perfect. I was never much of a runner (torn meniscus in each knee), so I can't offer much advice other than secondhand. Some say you can get past that side "stitch" pain by increasing potassium and fluids, but again, I've never been a runner, so you'd probably be better served asking the runners. What is a desk elliptical? I have a private office with a desk and that might be a good way for me to burn additional calories. My doctor didn't really set a pre-surgery weight loss goal for me other to say to follow the instructions of the nutritionist, and that I was doing well. My nutritionist gave me different ways of looking at what I eat, offered some recipes and advice. She says not to look at it as dieting, to have the viewpoint that the new me is a healthy me, not the other guy who didn't pay attention to proper nutrition. So I've listened to her, and no longer think of it as dieting and cheating. I look at it as my new eating habits with splurge days every now and then (if needed). If I have a splurge day, I go right back to my healthy eating the next day. I find her to be very supportive, and am happy to work with her. She told me that once i had hit the first 15 lbs, the insurance didn't require me to lose any more weight pre-surgery as long as I didn't gain. But I'm in this to lose, so why not get a jump on developing good habits and lose what I can beforehand? So this week I'm down 34 lbs total one month out from surgery. I'm guessing I'll probably lose another 5-10 once I start liquids. I'm not looking forward to that, since I'm a "meatatarian". For me, the secret to gaining muscle is short intense workouts (30-40 minutes, every other day), with slow deliberate reps, and little rest between sets. I've found that I can either train hard, or I can train long. Sprinters have large muscles, marathoners tend to have long lean bodies. So I guess my workouts are more of a sprinter. Let me know how you progress.

Hi Jessica. Thank you for taking the time to respond, and congratulations on getting approved and setting the date. From what I understand the strength loss is temporary (at least I hope so). I'm planning on continuing to workout right up to surgery, and picking up again as I get clearance from the surgery. Muscle has memory, so the muscle loss should only be temporary as long as we're following a high protein diet and getting sufficient nutrients. I've taken lengthy layoffs from the gym in the past due to shoulder and foot reconstructions, and was impressed with how quickly muscle mass returns. It's the new gains that are always hard to come by. But at 55, I'm no longer worried about being Mr. America. Just want to get and stay healthy. On a positive note, I'm now down 34 lbs, and am still a month away from surgery. I'd be ecstatic to lose all the fat and eventually regain whatever muscle mass I lose during the process. How are you doing? Do you have good support at home? I'm getting a lot from my family, which I think is making the process easier.

Hi. I'm a Newbie. My gastric sleeve surgery is scheduled for January 2nd. I started the process in May @ 307 lbs (5'7"), and so far have lost 30 lbs with eating modification & exercise. Currently, my exercise consists of weight training and some walking. Having torn meniscus in both knees doesn't permit a lot of walking. For years I used to be an avid gym freak years ago, but shoulder and foot injuries/surgeries, along with personal circumstances had put a damper on that for some time. While I'm looking forward to the surgery and a new beginning, my biggest cause for anxiety is the resulting loose skin. I carry a lot of muscle mass right now, and I'm concerned that the fat loss, and the muscle loss of not working out, will exasperate the situation. I'm aware that loose skin comes with the territory, but does anyone have any advise on how to minimize it? Thanks for your support, Johnny B.