mikeross

Why do you need to wait till your at goal to eat oatmeal

Had 2 slices the other day ... sacrificed eating less food throughout the rest of the day though. I still made sure to fit it within my macros, thus eating less for the rest of the day.

I started off drinking the Premier shakes. costco now carries a 4.5lb tub of optimum nutrition whey isolate. This brand is the best selling whey Protein on the market. What makes it even better is this new blend is only available at costco currently. Its their same formula but more BCAA, less carbs, and an addition 6g of protein. I see the old formula everywhere still for sale.and have read online that this new blend is only available at costco. It only comes in vanilla shake flavor though.

Eat whatever you want it it fits within your daily allowed macros(Protein,carbs,fats). You lost weight because the added calories gave a little boost to your metabolism. I usually go 3 days eating below 60g of carbs from good sources and then on the fourth day eat over 300g of carbs from anything I want... keeps my metabolism charging along. I hIt a stall every couple weeks but nothing a boost in protein and calories won't fix. Your early out so IMO I would focus on keeping your metabolism working hard rather than restricting calories to unhealthy level. Its not so easy getting your metabolism working again at normal levels.

You can take it before, during and after surgery... no issues. With that said I smoked up until 2 days before surgery. I cut back a lot about 2 weeks before but still was having 1-3 a day during that 2 week period leading up to surgery... was on the starter kit of chantex. I started taking it a little late, 8 days worth of medication then left for Mexico. If you have slipped up with quitting leading up to surgery dont sweat it... just get back on the wagon and try again. I would advise you to quit 100% after surgery... smoking is going to have adverse effects with your healing post op. I still had cravings but for some reason after surgery they were gone and I have been smoke free for over 4 months. I did not continue taking the chantex after surgery but know its completely fine to continue taking it... I asked my doctor.

I will start by saying everyone is different when it comes to what their new stomachs can tolerate. I have never had any issues to date with any types of food. With that said the times I have indulged and had a coke I had zero issues drinking it and it taste the same to me. I am 4 months out and had my first carbonated drink at 3 months... would not have tried one shortly after surgery. If drinking a carbonated beverage will lead to you continuing the habit I would advise not drinking them. I can have one once and awhile and it really doesn't effect my diet and It really is once in a blue moon... probably have had 3 cokes since surgery. I personally don't believe it when members states that you can never drink a carbonated beverage again... thats BS IMO.

Amazing results... any before pictures. How tall are you and what was your starting and current BMI. You have no loose skin issues and your abs and love handles look great. Its a very hard area to trim down... whats your ab exercises like or was that achieved with mostly cardio. Any ideas how many calories your eating a day? How many calories do you burn on days you run?

Vancouver, bc

You dont't need cardio to lose weight... losing weight is all diet and eating at a caloric deficit... its that simple. Eat fewer calories than you burn daily and you will lose weight. If you list weights with intensity its just as good if not better than a cardio session IMO. Lifting with intensity is key though, it will keep your heart rate up while working out. I dont hear it on these forums enough but be careful how few calories you eat daily. While most people here advise to eat very few calories, extreme caloric deficits upwards of 1500 cal a day, Is destroying their metabolisms. They lose weight quickly, lose a ton of muscle, and then a few months out wonder why they are not losing even when eating so little... its because the months of eating at an extreme caloric deficit has messed up their metabolism and now they have to focus on repairing it.

Amazing job... I am jealous of your lack of love handles or belly fat. I know you can't spot reduce fat but what do you have any tips for love handles/mid section? How many Calories/protein/carbs are you eating daily? Any lose skin?

I actually only started gaining weight about 8 years ago after a serious back injury. I was a healthy weight as a child and in my teens, played ice hockey and soccer for years which kept me in shape growing up. Wrestled in high school and first year of university. I literally dropped off a 30' cliff and landed on my upper back. I was told to lay off any contact sports or lifting weights for awhile. I slowly started gaining weight once I couldn't do the physical activities I use to love. A few years went by and gained about 50lbs. I met my wife who is an amazing cook coupled with our love checking out new restaurants and before I knew it I was up another 40-50lbs... around 275. I have loss about 75lbs 2 times in the last 5 years only to gain in all back and then some. The last straw was when I hadn't weighed myself for a few months and was shocked I had hit 320. All the while I had known and research vsg surgery but always felt it was to extreme. The latest big weight gain caused me to serious consider it and that was history. I always knew I could lose the weight without the surgery. I did the surgery to keep the weight off for good.

Breakfast- Bowl of oatmeal with some banana sugar free syrup + 2 hard boiled eggs Pre workout- Protein shake Post workout- protein shake Post workout meal- 4oz grilled salmon with 1/2cup brown rice Snack- Baby spinach salad with carrots, cucumbers and asian sesame dressing Late lunch- 4oz left over costco rotisserie chicken + 8oz coconut Water with 1 splenda Snack- Fiber one 100cal bar, chocolate Peanut Butter + small handful peanuts Dinner- Chicken breast stir fried with broccoli, carrots and black bean sauce Late night snack- Not sure yet + tons of water....

I pay about 100 a year for the p.o box. My family does a lot of online shopping and we are easily saving over 1000 a year just in shipping cost not including the amounts we save on duty. I don't claim what I pick up from my p.o box. I just act like I bought it recently in bellingham. They ask me what I was doing in the states and I tell them grocery and clothing shopping. I declare how much I spent during the day and they let me pass on through. I have been to the states every 2 weeks for the last 2 years buying food, clothing and gas and have only been asked 1 time to pay duty on a product. It was a $600 dyson vacuum on top of the other 400+ in grocery and clothing we spent that day. They only charged me on the dyson and not the other things. I usually spend about 3-400 every 2 weeks and never once had to pay duty. Just dont go to the states and spend thousands of dollars on clothing. Keep it under 500 and you will be fine.

I am also from vancouver and have opened up a p.o box just over the border. I do my grocery shopping in bellingham every two weeks. I just have all my online purchases shipping to my p.o box in bellingham and pick them up while I do my grocery and clothing shipping in the states. I save huge money on shipping and duty... plus cheap groceries and gas. On a side note I am looking for a sleeve friendly doctor in lower mainland. How is your doctors attitude to your sleeve surgery? Where you sleeved in Canada?

I think doctors just want to see quick results and construct their post op programs for the average WLS patient, they dont want to complicate thing. It seems most post op programs are geared towards seeing a lower number on the scale rather than focusing on transforming the shape of ones body. Its kinda annoying that they tell you the first steps to lose weight quickly but don't advise on how to repair your matabolism to reach your ultimate goals. You think your average VSGer is running 10k a week and intense crossfit sessions the other days. The average VSGer only cares about a number on a scale not body composition. Doctors gear their programs towards what the majority wants. What really irritates me is some advise I hear from these dieticians... more then one way to skin a cat but starving yourself just wont work long term.

On a serious note, your a young guy at 35 years old. You would be following the same lifting routines of 25 year old. Those long 10k running days are burning some of that hard earned muscle. You gotta decide what you want more... a boxers physic or a runners. If you want a boxers physic you need to look at the cross fit you do as a form of some insane HIIT cardio routine, follow a weight lifting schedule and axe the running. Mon- Chest/Shoulders/Triceps Tue- Cross fit + 2 different ab exercises 3 sets each exercise Wed- Back/Biceps/Traps Thurs- Cross fit + 2 different ab exercises 3 sets each exercise Fri- Legs + any muscle you think needs added attention Your gonna need to start eating at a caloric surplus if you want to start building more muscle. I only advise that since your already at goal. I would make sure you know exactly what your BMR is... not through an online calculator but professionally through your local gym or doctor. Start eating about 250cal above your BMR and work your way up to about 500. Make sure you are bringing up those calories with good choices. Maybe an extra serving of lean Protein plus another Protein shake should get you there. Maybe start thinking of upping your carbs up to since your at goal. Although I do notice I am getting bigger with the lifting routine I am following my main goal right now is to drop weight and lift to maintain the muscle I do have. Without the lifting I probably would have loss quicker but how much or that would have been muscle. Once I am at goal, like yourself, I plan to eat at a caloric surplus to gain more muscle and slowly adjust to a 40/40/20,protein/carbs/fats diet. Slowly increase my calories to well above 2000cal per day. Its going to take a little while to build it back over that amount but I will also be slowly charging my metabolism up. I am going to cut back on the cardio sessions. I really only use cardio now to play with my daily calorie deficits. Gonna cut it back from 5 days a week to probably 2. You are at a place right now where everyone on these boards wants to be. You also seem like fitness is going to be part of your life forever. You can always switch things up if the above is not working for you. Following a lifting program coupled with your crossfit and 2 years from now you have that boxers body and will be shredded. Without the diet and certain outlook exercise wise you might be doing things that are counter productive to your personal fitness goals.

I bet it right forearm is huge

Your metabolism is shot. The years of maintaining a caloric deficit has screwed up your metabolism. The weight loss slows down or becomes harder to lose because your BMR has been slowly dropping and as months even years go by you starting eating a little more. These online BMR calculators online are great tools but will not work for someone who has been eating at a caloric deficit for a while with a shot metabolism. You will need to get your BMR checked by a professional. Once your know your BMR I would eat at a caloric deficit at not more than 500 calories a day. It will take you about 2 months to lose that 10 pounds but you wont ruin your metabolism any more if you do it this way. Once your back to your goal weight slowly up your calories by about 150cal a day, hold your daily intake of 150 added for about a week or 2 then increase it by another 150 for another week or two. You want to slowly build your daily calorie intake to a healthy level approaching 2000cal. I know it sounds like a lot but slowly adding calories over time to your diet will boost your metabolism and get it working again. Once your metabolism is working as it should you can play with eating at caloric deficits to lose even more weight. I believe you have to always be changing it up with your caloric and macro intakes or your body gets use to it. Eating at a caloric deficit for a long period of time is screwing up peoples metabolisms and when their BMR drops they wonder why the weight loss stops.I hear members trying to give advise but its rather simple actually. Your metabolism is shot from the long caloric deficit diet and its resulting in NO calorie deficit. They are eating barely anything and not losing weight. Lucky you can repair your metabolism. I am a firm believer in refeeds, carb cycling and manipulating calories. I change up my caloric intakes every other day to keep my metabolism working hard.

Never heard of it... what do the nutritional facts look like.

Good for you... congrats.

Careful with those sauces they pack some serious calories per tablespoon. I started eating salads at about 5-6 weeks but believe it or not, salad is a slider food for me. I can literally eat about ten loose cups of salad, 50/50 spring mix/baby spinach with carrots and cucumbers mixed in. Lucky I love a good salad and happy I can eat more than a regular portion of it. I use a variety of salad dressings which range from 80-120 calories per two tablespoons. That's a lot of calories for a few dollops dressing but the greens dont really have any calories... well less than 40. Just trying to illustrate how quickly the calories can add up if you use sauces to flavor certain dishes.

My info is in my signature. I consider myself a medium activity level. Everyone if different in the way they lose their weight. Some people lose quickly some very slowly. The only thing we all share is the ability to lose all our excess weight. It takes time and hard work but everyone here can get to their goal weight. You need to find healthy foods that you enjoy eating; you need to find an exercise activity that you enjoy doing.

I set a goal a few weeks out of surgery that I wanted to be 225 by first week of June because I'm leaving on a big vacation second week of June. I hit an all time low this evening at 236... probably less if I weight in the mornings. I have 11 pounds to my first week of June goal. Its gonna be close but a challenge if I hit or surpass it... Weight has been slowing down a lot the past 6 weeks.

I think if you are craving a certain food its good to have a few bites of it. After a few bite the craving for it will be gone... at least that's how it works for me. A big thing I have noticed with myself is if I east something with tons of unhealthy carbs it makes me crave more carbs. If I spend the day eating salads and lean Proteins I don't have any cravings or head hunger. I also dont get carb cravings if I stick to complex healthy carbs like yams or brown rice. oatmeal, brown rice, yams, salads and lean chicken, sirloin steaks and salmon allow me to eat great tasing a healthy food and keeps the head hunger/carb cravings away.

The sleeve is going to make it much easier to make good food choices. For the first 2 months I really didnt have any appetite. Its slowly coming back but easily managed if I stay away from bad carbs. If I eat a simple carb its makes me crave more carbs. If I eat complex carbs like yams or oatmeal I don't get the cravings. If you stick to Proteins and complex carbs you should be able to curb your head hunger... I know I can.