Introducing Myself

Gael T gave me the heads up about this forum.  A few months back I was looking into the VSG.  Something stopped me, as it always has regarding considering WLS.  So, 6 weeks ago when I started a new job, I joined the gym, hired a trainer. Life is good.  Depression is minimal since I began with my trainer.  I'm working out 6 days a week for an hour, every other day with my trainer and have earned the nickname as the hardest working member of the gym, with some staff saying "I couldn't do what you do". I recently had my reassessment.  My bodyfat (for a 300lb gal) has dropped from 51 to 46, even though I've only lost 6 lbs (1 lb/week)--but I have gained about 18lbs muscle.  All other stats were excellent. One big change however is that because my weight loss is so minimal, he determined I'm not eating enough, he wanted me to double my calories.  We worked the math and basically, he feels my eating only 1400 calories is not enough for how active I am.  I'm to eat an unbelievable, stuff yourself like a Thanksgiving turkey 2900 calories a day.  As I have approached training with full faith in him, I will do the same with my intake.  Makes posting on WLS counterintuitive, so here I am.  Anyway, my trainer believes eating will flush the fat like there's no tomorrow.  I hope so. Want to learn more about my journey, see my progress?  My blog is off OH and in my signature. I look forward to getting to know you all. Now, to go eat some more, LOL.

wow -  good luck with 2900 cals a day.  I'm not sure I could eat that much healthy food, I could do it in resturants though!

I'll be interested to see how you do on that many calories.

Hi there and welcome to the non ops board, I read some of your blog and I am impressed at where your head is.  If you can keep it there you will be able to adopt so many of the habits and mindsets that comes so slowly to many of us.

It's about the end result, and that is what matters.  At 5'7" I am 235 pounds and I work out 4-5 days a week with a combination of cardio and weight training.  I work out anywhere from 1 to 2 hours at a time, depending on the day.  I wanted so badly to be below 235, my goal having been 200, but I can't seem to get there.  But I can't let the numbers affect the way I look at myself.  I am where I so wanted to be clothing wise and health wise.  My resting pulse is 52 and my blood pressure is 108/60.  Before I started exercising my resting pulse was at 88.  That to me is a pretty measurable change!!! I have no idea what my bodyfat is, LOL, because I have no idea how to truly figure it out.  Those charts and stuff are about as effective as the BMI calculator. Good luck and continue to do what you are doing, you seem to have it all figured out so far.

Way to go re: the resting heart rate.  Slowest I've seen for mine is 62.  But yes--great indicators of positive changes. Yeah, the 2900 calories is hard (I've so far only made it to 2000) and it'salso a mind thing, letting go of eat less to lose (never really worked for me before)....

PM me if you need any tips on packing on the calories -- with healthy food or otherwise -- I have a PhD in stuffing yrself to the gills. Anyway! Welcome and congratulations on your accomplishments with exercise. You are really giving yourself an incredible gift in many ways! Do you wake up every morning and remind yourself how awesome you are for that? I hope so. I'm not sure what your fitness was like before the training, but IMO, getting up from the couch after years of inactivity is one of the scariest things you can do.

No, but thankfully family, my trainer and the gym staff do.  This journey has been showing me how very hard I am on myself.  I just got a talking to this morning from my trainer for self-depricating humor.  I was on the bosu ball and see, I come to this genetically challeneged, no one in my family has great balance or coordination.  My trainer reminds me to add the all important word--yet!  I was laughing saying in his voice, "see I've got this client who has no real sense of balance or coordination."  Ticked him off, I think. Anyway, I have to work real hard on my emotional side..... As for food, am soooo stuffed.  Breakfast was 2 servings of Kashi Crunch cereal, 1 tortilla, 1 hard boiled egg, 24 oz milk, lunch was chicken, 1 1/2 potato, broccoli, yogurt, and grapes.  And I'mprobably only at about 1600 calories so far!   It is a true irony, the fat girl who now has to (in her eyes) overeat after years of being told she already overate ; P. I'm putting my faith in the staff, so far down 2 lbs since the weekend....

That is like two days worth of food for me. LOL  I'm very very curious to see the outcome of this, to see if there is some merit to the whole idea.  I wonder???????   Trust in your trainer, you are doing great so far!

Welcome from another Jersey girl! (I am in Union County.)  It sounds like you're making a lot of positive steps.  It seems like you're going to be a great resource to have around!

Welcome! I know there are a lot of "Jersey Girls", but were you ever on the Main Forum? Seems like I've heard your name before.

Never on the main forum.  Looked into lapband and VSG last few years.  But jerseygirl is a common username on many forums, I've found. As for its merit, my trainer lost 180lbs, so he's BTDT.  The other trainer who ran my numbers did so for his wife who just had a baby.  The science behind it is that the muscles need the fuel to rebuild, restriction only ends up cannibalizing your muscle.  That would explain a lot why I only lost 6 lbs in 6 weeks (or poorly on most diets I've tried) in spite of being at a caloric deficit of 2300 a day.  Think of it this way, if you're working out HARD, you need to be eating about 9 calories per 10lbs of weight.  I'm doing 60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fat. 2lbs in 2 days shows something positive.  But yes, it's a heck of a lot of food, yet all the trainers (whom I now hang out with) are behind it, saying "It's the only way" and pointing out why restriction =failure and long term loss maintenance a struggle.  But for now, eating this much is like a job. I want to add a caveat--unless you're working out like a demon, I wouldn't up the calories willy nilly!