I am 4 months post-op and finally got serious about exercise today by meeting with a trainer and setting up some appointments. It was a tough workout of things like kettleballs and using body as resistence, etc. and even put me on a 15 incline (max on the treadmill) and asked me to do that for 10 minutes. Um, no. Have you seen me? Clearly she missed the part where I was a beginner and she definitley didn't understand anything about the bypass. Did my weight, body fat, etc. and said I should be eating 2500 calories a day and again, nope. I am not going to follow that bit of advice obviously, BUT I do know I am going to have to get more than the 700 calories and 30 g carbs per day (thats total carb not net). Where I get very confused (and I feel like I have kind of posted similar to this in the past) is what does "good carb" really mean and how do we accomplish that without pushing calories too high?

Oh and the only time I could meet with her was 7 a.m. She said I have to eat or at least have a shake first, but I have to take Synthroid in the mornings and wait an hour for food (which a shake counts as). She suggested half an apple and some Peanut Butter to be followed by a shake after the workout but that means I am going to have to get up at 5:30 to take the med, wait an hour and then have time to eat half an apple which is not something I can just scarf down quickly (not that I can scarf anything down quickly really). PS I really HATE getting up that early...

I know I am overthinking this a little. I have a call in to my NUT to get her to sort it out for me, but I wanted to check in here and get your ideas. I still feel like I cannot eat much volume at once, so the thought of eating say brown rice and it swelling in my stomach does not sound fun at all. How do we get sufficient Protein AND sufficient good carbs at this stage? Or more importantly, enough of those so I don't get dizzy and faint when I am working out. (No worries, I didn't faint today but I did get pretty dizzy a few times.)

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It's essential for you to work with a trainer who understands that their " one size approach" to fitness is not going to work for everyone. You are risking serious injury by making demands on your body which it seems to not be quite ready for. Perhaps someone at the surgeon's office or your local "Y" would have some suggestions.

There are ways to manage increasing levels of fitness and remain compliant with your bariatric diet. I completed a half marathon, needed only a few small jelly Beans to replenish carbs, and sipped Water constantly. I found when you eat low healthy carbs diet for extended lengths of time, I needed only minimal sugar carbs to keep my energy up, and constant water.

I am concerned about your injuring yourself by trying to work out at a level you are not ready for. It can save you months of pain and inactivity if you work into fitness at your pace. You and your trainer do not read like a good fit to me.

Best wishes to achieve your goals...

Good carbs don't have to be grains or rice. You can have sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, yams, pumpkin and beets.

Ditto what 2ndSoujourner says. That "trainer" doesn't sound to me like she knows what she is doing.

Good carbs: whole fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, quinoa, etc.

Bad carbs: starches, processed food.

Definitely talk to your NUT. Your trainer may have some good ideas but not know how to apply them to a bariatric patient.

Thanks everyone! This helps. I can easily ignore the wrong advice from trainer. That doesn't bother me. And honestly while I am sore today, I am not where I cannot move at all which is what I was expecting. The fact is I am actually fairly strong (from having carried so much weight I suppose) but I am certainly "afraid" of what I can and cannot do. While working out I kept picturing those poor people on those TV shows where they work out like 4 hours a day (Extreme Weightloss (?) and Biggest Losers) and one thing I kept picturing was how some of the trainers are very encouraging and getting people to not give up. I always think that maybe they are pushing too hard and then sometimes I see the person just needed the pushing. I know my limits. (I have had rehab on my shoulders too many times to count so I know how to protect myself for the most part.) When I felt I couldn't go any further, I just stopped and she was really fine with that. (I wouldn't work well with those that would yell at me....) So, I think she might actually be good for me in some ways to get me to push myself without just giving up and saying "I can't do it!" I will just have to find the balance between challenging myself and not pushing too far.

@@Inner Surfer Girl - Can we have oatmeal? I am actually not a fan, but she mentioned putting a little in my Protein shake? I will ask the NUT to be sure, but just thought I would ask how you use it since you mentioned it. I have never had quinoa but I know it also has protein and my NUT has mentioned it before. Maybe I will try that for dinner with some roasted butternut squash and a meat of some kind. Is it normal to be afraid at this point to add back in carbs when I have been so focused on protein??

@ - a half marathon??!! That's amazing!! Congrats! I appreciate your advice and promise I will watch it carefully and make her back off if it isn't working.

Greek yogurt is another option for carbs. Before I saw my trainer (just now cleared for strength training again), I typically drink a yogurt Protein shake or had a string cheese with a banana. Just remember to make sure you are staying hydrated BEFORE you work out and since it's so early in the morning maybe try some Poweraid. My struggle with intense workout is not being able chug Water. Good luck and stick to it!

It sounds to me like you just need to start with a new trainer. You need to find one who understands your situation and your body's limitations and not try to make you do things that will result in long term injuries. There's no way you should be doing max inclines. That's begging for a torn knee or a hurt back. Also, you need a trainer who can work with your schedule and not one who wants you to work around theirs. After awhile, you can't keep up with their schedule, but if a trainer is keeping up with yours, it's easier.

On the oatmeal, I definitely wouldn't try to just eat it raw by throwing it into a shake. I would only eat oatmeal if it were cooked.

My NUT generally says to limit "white and brown carbs", which is a good rule of thumb for me. Rice, bread, Pasta, potatoes, etc. are generally not as good carbs. Even though it says "whole grain" doesn't mean it is a good carb either. It is just a rule of thumb however, you can definitely find exceptions. For instance, oatmeal is a pretty good carb, so long as you don't load it with sugar, raisins, etc.

I agree with some of these others that the trainer seems pretty aggressive, especially when you told them you were new at this. And it doesn't sound like they understand what bariatric surgery means in terms of nutrition. If you continue with her, you might have to make some of your limitations clear (in terms of stomach size and Water intake), let her know how many calories or food you are able to consume, and develop a program that gradually builds you up.

Oatmeal is a whole grain, so yes, it's a "good" carb. Look for old-fashioned whole oats as opposed to instant. The instant have been stripped of nutrients.