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Advice wanted from VSG athletes about nutrition



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Hi everyone....

So I am seriously considering training for a half marathon (eventually a full if all goes well). I've done a half before and have worked out most my life and consistently and aggressively for the last year and half.

I've never really liked running. I suspect just being a "big girl" had a lot to do with never finding it comfortable. I have a best friend who is a marathoner and super excited to train me to do a half (we are looking at going for a 2.5 hour time goal... my last one was 3:10).

Here is my concern... I worry I won't be able to eat enough to sustain the energy needed to train and compete effectively.

I plan to do 2 boot camp style workouts with a personal trainer 2 x's per week and 3 to 4 running workouts per week. I look at what I eat right now and wonder how will I ever get enough fuel to sustain this??? I am 10 weeks out right now.

I know there has to be some experienced sleevers on here that have gone on to embrace extreme fitness goals (not that mine are extreme), but I am competitive and want to be able to perform and feel strong doing it.

Would love to here from others on how they meet their nutritional needs post sleeve with heavy workout schedules.

Thanks!!!!

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I'd be really interested to know this too. I've done halfs and triathlons in the past and would love to be able to continue them. I have my eye on a half next February. I'm also kind of concerned about staying hydrated.

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Yes... the hydration part is also a concern! I feel like at 10 weeks out I get my min, with lots of intentional effort. With summer coming and just feeling like I sweat half my fluids at my last workout, the hydration is a concern. On the optimistic side, I have noticed I can finally drink Water without nausea. I am able to take bigger sips and can finish a small bottle within an hour.

I am thinking with our tiny tummies, if we are going to be working out hard, it's going to have to be 5 to 6 small meals (thinking a few and a couple shakes will be my goal) a day and I'm thinking as I'm able, I'll need to add more sweet potatoe/water containing fruits to get carbs up as well.

I actually talked to my friend last night about focusing on a sprint triathalon this summer, and then training in the fall for the half marathon in February, then moving on to a full triathalon late summer 2015. I would love to connect with some others here to share in this journey that are also struggling with how to meet the nutrition and hydration needs while pushing ourselves towards these fitness goals.

Hopefully, someone ahead of us in this journey can chime in here and share their wisdom :).

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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