indomitablehef

Thanks for checking in, Hazard. I've had mixed success so far. I'm never totally off the wagon anymore, but my commitment to my new plan here has been spotty. I'm definitely not succeeding at the "every day" stuff. But thanks again for checking in. It is helping me to give it another try and not just walk away from it. I had a really good day yesterday, meeting my commitments. I think maybe I'll start doing the daily battle logs, or at least doing my own journaling somewhere. /Chris

All good comments, especially about dealing with the underlying causes of obesity. The comments people have made about complications refer, almost certainly, to lap-band or gastric bypass. Both have high rates of complications, and can be reversed. The VSG that I had is a comparatively new procedure, and has very very low rates of complications, primarily the same complications that can happen with any kind of surgery. And it is irreversible. _All_ they do is remove a portion of the stomach, and sew it back up to make it smaller. While you could, intentionally, eat very high-calorie foods about 12 meals a day, you'd have to try really hard to "go back to old ways" of eating. You just physically can't eat a whole restaurant hamburger and french-fries in one sitting anymore. But you can eat a reasonable amount of it. Probably about 500 calories worth. On days when I fall off the wagon, I simply can't do as much damage as I did in the past. While dealing with the underlying causes of obesity is where you really want to be, I can tell you that dealing with those things is a lot easier at 185lbs than it is at 285lbs, or 390lbs.

These things are amazing: 2g Fat, 2g Carb, 8-10g Protein, and ~60 calories per serving (different flavors vary, but only slightly): http://www.amazon.com/Chef-Piggy-Tail-Microwave-Puffies/dp/B006EDXRNY This version is also excellent. I especially like the "hot and spicy" flavor: http://www.amazon.com/Lowreys-microwave-chicharrones-original-1-75-Ounce/dp/B000UPFWW6 I always thought of pork rinds as unhealthy, and high in fat. Turns out, the fat comes from deep-frying them, and these microwaveable ones are low in fat and calories. And delicious. You can literally eat a huge pile of these things, and get almost all protein. Snack on.

Also check out D1 in cool springs.

Thanks, guys. I didn't really see myself as "Assassin", when I read the descriptions, but now that I think about it, an awful lot of the things I want to master over the next few months _are_ bodyweight and flexibility focused: Muscle-Ups "Kipping" Pullups (Crossfit-style) Hand-Stand Push ups Double-Unders Deep Squats So, yeah...I'll be an Assassin.

I'm new here, but I want to start contributing right away. Awhile back, I found a great resource for researching and evaluating supplements. I would highly recommend it: Examine.com They also have a supplement guide that they sell for $49. But you can get it for $29 if you buy it through this affiliate link: http://greatist.com/approved/examine-supplement-guide I bought it, and would recommend it. I was able to very detailed research about exactly what supplements I wanted to try, and get real, impartial information about exactly what scientific studies have or have not been done about various supplements. But the website itself has _loads_ of great information, for free.

Hi Nate I'm new here. Here's my story and pics: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/49938-indomitablehef-finishing-the-job/ I personally had great results with bariatric surgery. I would be happy to answer any questions you have, even talk with you by phone about it. I want to be very respectful if there's anyone who would prefer that we not discuss surgery here. It's certainly not the purpose of NF, and most people shouldn't consider it. But for someone who is morbidly obese, who is really at a serious health risk because of obesity, I think it can be a good option. Surgery won't solve all your problems. It won't make you skinny, and it won't make you fit. You will still want to work on your fitness, and continue "leveling up". You'll probably have some loose skin. But you can participate in any physical activity you want after the surgery, as you lose weight. I snowboard, run, mountain bike, do crossfit, cycle to work, and do jui-jitsu. I would encourage you to stay far away from lap band and gastric bypass, though. The horror stories I've heard from people with those surgeries are awful. The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, though, is very simple. (see my intro post). The worst side effect for me is that I seem to get the hiccups more often if I eat or drink too fast. /Chris

Hi, Chris Hefley here. "indomitableHef" I'm 39, and live in Franklin, TN. Over the past 2 years, I've lost almost 100 lbs. I've always bee an active person, and into outdoor sports, even when I weighed 285lbs. And I had successfully lost 70+ pounds twice before, and gained it all back. So, in July of 2012, I took the drastic step of having a weight-loss surgery. It's called a "Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy". Unlike a lot of the horror stories you may have heard about some weight loss surgeries, this one is very simple. They simply remove a large portion of the stomach. There's no foreign objects in there, no fancy re-engineering. Everything works the same way it did before, but now there's less room down there. It puts a hard stop on "full". I'm not here to advocate for surgery, but it was a good choice for me, and I am pleased to say that my dad and my uncle have followed in my footsteps and done the same thing. I come from several generations of fat people, you see. Like I said, I'm not really here to advocate for that, but I wanted to be up-front about how I lost so much weight. Mods: If talking about weight-loss surgery stuff is frowned upon here, let me know, and I'll make sure I honor that in the future. Now, moving on to my quest and my challenge goals! I didn't _just_ do surgery. I joined a crossfit gym, I started running, and training to run a half-marathon. I enrolled in Jui-Jitsu classes for awhile. I got a fixed-gear bike and started riding around town and riding to work every day. I'm down to 185-190 now, depending on the day. I wear size "medium" shirts now. As a fat kid, there was never a time in my life where I wore a "medium" anything. My fitness level is pretty good, but I want to take it to the next level. Before and After: I still have a certain flabby-ness about me at 185-190. Some of it is probably loose skin, from losing so much weight, but I think most of it is just a layer of fat. I think I'm at about 23%, best I can tell. My goal is to get my body fat % down, really low. Not even sure I'll try to maintain it at super-low levels, but I want to get there, and just see what it looks like and feels like. I think 12% is where I'll set my goal. If it turns out there's some loose skin to deal with in the end, I'll deal with that then. One last bit of back-story. In February, I broke my right Tibia, snowboarding in Colorado. And in March, I had shoulder surgery, to repair a torn labrum. I've been cleared to start running again, as soon as I feel up to it, and I'm getting to the point where I can nearly do everything with my shoulder, but I still have to work on stretching it out and getting my range of motion back to 100%. So, a lot of my exercise goals for this first challenge are going to be physical therapy related, and subsequent challenges will be more hardcore. My Main Quest: To "finish what I started", getting my body fat % down to <12%, to try to remove the bottom layer of flabbyness after major weight loss. Three specific goals for my first challenge 1. Stick to a Paleo diet 6 days a week, with the following exceptions A small amount of super-dark, low sugar chocolate several times a week, during an evening snack ritual my wife and I share. A little bit of bourbon once or twice a week, when I have someone to share a glass with (no drinking at home, by myself). 2. Physical Therapy 6 days a week, alternating shoulder/leg exercises. 3. Do the 30-day Squat challenge: http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/30-day-squat-challenge/#_ Since losing so much weight, my wife says I have "no ass". I also need to work on flexibility, to get really deep squats. My "Life" side-quest I want to get back into a daily meditation habit. 7 days a week, 15 minutes a day by the end of the challenge period (working up from 5 minutes). I've been in this habit for months at a time in the past, and saw definite benefits in many parts of my life. It's something I want to make a permanent habit of.