The Natural Hormonal Enhancement (NHE) Diet 

I've never been good at pure low carb or organized enough for "Zone"

type diets, so now I'm trying NHE. This is basically a low carb diet with a twist:

It allows umlimited starchy carbs on the evening  meals of day 3 and

day 7. This carbohydrate loading (carbohydrate"cycling") is said to provide all of

the benefits of  traditional low carb diets, but offset  low carb's failure by

helping maintain the body's production of the metabolism-regulating hormone

Triiodothyronine (T3). Traditional low carb and low calorie diets cause a

reduction of T3. This reduction causes hunger, slow metabolism and ultimately a

higher setpoint and body weight. 

http://www.davedraper.com/faigin-natural-hormonal-enhancemen t-excerpt.html

http://www.extique.com/askrob5-2.htm

Home Gym Pic Post: http://tinyurl.com/2h8384 (workout routine below)

Effects of Sprinting on Muscularity Pics Post: http://tinyurl.com/2udxaf

Commentaries on the Men of WLS -

       Strenuous Exercise & The OH Men (posts) http://tinyurl.com/2wmcc6 

       http://tinyurl.com/3533x8  http://tinyurl.com/35bosf 

       & on Safety during http://tinyurl.com/35bosf  http://tinyurl.com/344xet

I'm borrowing the identity of that guy Dave in Northern Japan, because not

many in Japan understand WLS... BUT - I'm NotDave... (explanation below)


6-10-07 Pic (nearly 15 months out):

6/19/ 2007

New Typical Routine - Please keep in mind that my body responds well to

high-quantity training and that I may even be immune to "overtraining" - the

verdict is still out. In addition, my back muscles and connective tissue are

very flexible. As Dx says, "Your mileage may vary." (Here's to the King of

WLS support on line!)

Mental: All types of sports and motivational self-hypnosis, including HPP by

Lloyd Glauberman, performed regularly (lately, I just got to sleep with the

headphones on, so it's really effortless).

Cardio: I tried the new trend HIIT, like it and have continued with it. I'm saying

"trend", and not "trendy" because the exercise is too damned intense to be trendy.

The clinical importance of anaerobic energy and its assessment in human

performance. HIIT is basically sprinting. Here are my favorite links about this activity

compared to other cardio:

http://ajs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/25/6/863

Research on the aerobic benefits of sprinting

http://www.powerrunning.com/Exercise%20Physiology/More%20Research%20on%20the%20Aerobic%20Benefit%20of%20Sprinting.htm

An article on HIIT from the popular press

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/ZNYT04/705030865/-1/Help0530

Getting the most of your cardio

http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/anthony6.htm

Never do aerobics again!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/henkin4.htm

How to do cardio (ups and downs of anaerobic vs. steady state exercise)

http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=292

Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Controversy

http://ezinearticles.com/?Aerobic-vs-Anaerobic:-Whats-All-the-Controversy-About?&id=126596

The "How to Run Manifesto" (All about how to train for your running/ racing)

http://www.betterbodyjournal.com/fitness-exercises/2006/12/22/the-how-to-run-manifesto

 The 14 minute Tabata Workout

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_5_20/ai_n6011850

Hill Training/ Hill Sprinting

http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/hilltrain.htm

How sprints of different durations affect Growth Hormone

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12137178&dopt=Abstract

Anaerobic/ Aerobic exercise and the elderly

http://salempress.com/store/samples/health_issues/health_issues_exercise.htm

http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/16/20/24.html

The only other cardio I do is swimming 40 minutes once a week, sometime with

heavy hand gloves. This gives me one high-rep activity on the arms.

Weights: I do 3-5 reps to failure exclusively with 3 minutes rest in between

and don't do much supersetting. 3-5 reps seems to provide a good balance of

effects, from strength (now working out with 370 on deadlifts), to size and

tone (see pics). I think supersetting and high rep stuff is good, but since there's

no way I can even begin to approach the 85% cardio max on a superset or any

other lift, I save my high rep work for track and bike sprinting, which I do 5-7

times a week (+that once a week swim I mentioned above).

Exercises

(by order of priority - Priority = Total body strength & Injury Prevention):

Weekday 1

Compound exercises of the back are my number one priority since

when done carefully and correctly, they tend to strengthen the

entire body and help prevent injury:

Deadlifts 6-8 sets; Bent over rows 6-8 sets; Behind neck pullups 3-4 sets;

Narrow grip sitting cable pulldowns to waist 3-4 sets, Machine lat rows 3-4

sets, Rotational machine lat rows (rotational pad to the rear 3-4 sets).

Weekday 2 Shoulders & Serratus are my number two priority since they

help prevent injury and increase ability to do chest workouts:

Overhead presses 6-8 sets; Upright rows 6-8 sets; Dumbbell rows with one

knee, one hand on a bench 3-4 sets; Straight-arm barbell pullovers 2 sets;

Double dumbbell pullovers 3-4 sets; Single heavy dumbbell pullovers (both

hands holding single dumbbell 4 sets; Lateral Dumbbell deltoid raises 3-4

sets; Alternating 10-15-20 kgs. vertical weight plate swings (nose level to

waist level) to exhaustion.

Weekday 3 Legs only : Upper body needs a break:

Squats 4 sets; Front Squats 4 sets; Lunges 4 sets

Weekday 4 Chest - I do this as far away from shoulders as possible, since

there is so much overlap, particularly in the use of the deltoids, and even

the chest. Wanna work your chest? Give up some of the bench time for

more military presses on a seperate day. You see what I'm getting at...

(maybe?)

The setup I have here borders on insane...I know!

I have to thank my wife for letting me create my own men's testo world in the

basement: Weights, bike trainer, every power tool you can imagine. How can

I help but be hormonally challenged? lol

1. Incline dumbbell presses - To get enough weight I have 78 lb dumbbells

hanging from the ceiling. When you get to this weight, no one will lift it up

for you and you'll kill yourself trying to get those babies in position. (4-8

sets)

2. Forward "chain & handle" shrugs - This is one of my few "supersets". I do

forward shrugs with self-constructed chains and handles that attach to the

end of a barbell. I do these in between each set of 1, above and then rest

for three minutes.

3. 120 lb dumbbell shrugs (4 sets each side) - I shrug my shoulders inward.

Again, I have to use the dumbbells which are hanging from the ceiling.

4. Decline presses, wide grip 2-3 sets; close grip 2-3 sets

5. Dips 79 kg body weight + 44 lbs attached to homemade weight belt

(leather belt with chain and hook which encircles the plate through the bar

hole. (3 sets)

6. Dumbell flies on flat bench, 3-4 sets, Rotational machine flies, 3-4 sets.

Day 5 - Rest and repeat, maybe improvise a little with a partner

Why I'm the imposter and NotDave:

Someone got pissed at me...

For impersonating Dave.

I'm not really Dave. I just borrowed Dave's pictures, contact name and identity. Since there is such a stigma towards WLS in Japan, Dave wouldn't dare have WLS. Also, since Dave's work involves young women of an impressionable age, as an exemplar, Dave would never think of posting some of the things I post here.

Dave lives in an area of Japan where there are few westerners or English speakers, so if I *were* Dave, this profile and my posts on OH would be an important outlet and form of self-expression for me. The great guys on the Men's Board are one of the few English language contacts that Dave would have (if Dave were to have WLS).

12-26-06 Pic (nearly 10 months out):

5-3-07 pic (nearly 14 months out):

BMI and Weight

Highest Weight (17 years pre-op at age 27): 305

Pre-op BMI: 43 Weight: 282.19

11 Months Post-op BMI: 25.9 Weight 174

Body Fat: 10-11%

My BMI is screwy

At 5'9, 178 I wear a size 48 Jacket, meaning I'm Return to Top heavy. I know some day I'll have 7% body fat and still have a BMI of 25 (overweight)

OOPS, broke that one! dropped below 25 in February. Now just under 25.

Results of Surgery at 13 Months

Not sure if it's the surgery or me, as I have religiously lifted weights and kept calorie intake below 1700 per day, but I have lost over 100 lbs and still going....Size 32 pants are just a little loose.

Complications - Internal hernia - pretty common among lean male post-ops

In my 12th post-op month, after an intentional 10 lb. loss intended to serve as a "buffer zone" against future regain, I developed occasional severe pain which seemed to be caused by trapped gas. A CT revealed an abnormal amount of gas and my surgeon suspects an internal hernia (narrow spot(s) in the small intestine). He recommends surgery to check it out and also repair any potential or existing hernia-causing defects, to avoid emergency OPEN surgery in the future.

The doc says that there is no way to diagnose such a hernia without looking inside, in this case, laproscopically - the preferred way.

I got some temporary relief by taking probiotics, sipping on carbonated beveridges and taking Glutamine upon arising. Maalox Multi Symptom also seems to help at times.

Had lap surgery again to get rid of hernias and defects. Doc found and repaired a Peterson's Hernia (Defect) and several potential defects in the Omentum, where the fat therein had shrunk and was pulling on the staples and getting ready to shred.

Read about Internal Hernias and other complications here:

http://www.bcm.edu/gastro/DDC/grandrounds/BCM/2-23-06/09-DIS C.HTM

A few days after surgery, I finally got a lot of energy. Wonder if the lack of flow had been causing an immune response or poor digestion, which was causing me to be tired?

Some RNY health benefits at 45 years old (2006)

- Cardiac stress test: Nurse 1 says, "Doesn't this thing normally go up? Is it broken?" Nurse 2 says, "No, we sometimes get high school students who are really into sports who are like this."

- Free testosterone: Urologist: "Your free testosterone is normal - for a man in his

20's."

-Cholesterol: 145

-Blood Pressure: 110/60

-Uric acid was high, but reduced to normal. Funny, when I've lost

weight before, it's always gone up.

-Cardiac specialist looked at my CT and said, "You have no obvious

visceral fat" (fat inside of the abdominal cavity).

-13 months post-op had lung capacity check. I'm 150% of average. Does this equal

3 lungs?

Other Factors in WLS Success (knock on wood!)

I'm one of those weird people who has spent 1/2 of their life trim and fit, 1/2 morbidly obese. I used to gain and lose in 6 year cycles. 6 years thin, 6 years fat. So my background is pretty odd:

1. Grandfathers both thrived in the mountains of West Virginia, where simply planting a flower means moving rock out of the way and things have to be moved uphill. Bulkiness in "before" pic at age 27 is without exercise or working out.

2. I'm the guy in the gym who's working out too hard to talk to anyone

3. Had no health problems whatsoever pre-op, aside from a BMI of 42

4. Had never so much as smoked a single cigarette

4. The times I've been in a bar in my life at age 45 is still under 25.

5. My average lifetime alcohol intake is lower than one drink per month.

6. A doctor reported my resting heart rate to be very low as early as age 15.

7. Cholesterol and blood pressure stayed low even when I was morbidly obese

8. Had completed 6 full marathons, three long triathons and (at 32) placed third in a three hour endurance mountain bike race

10. Had done regular intense resistance workouts for 1/4 of my life

11. Was a vegan for one year and a fish-eating, but non-dairy vegetarian for three consecutive years (attempts at keeping off weight)

12. Live in Japan and have eaten tofu and dark fish a few times a week for 1/3 of my life

13. There isn't much food available at work and people are not always bringing you dougnuts and coffee + there's very little sugar free stuff here to keep the sweet tooth. All of this supports calorie control.

14. Always had high lung capacity, even when morbidly obese.

15. Whoopie! - It keeps you healthy. I'd guess I'm a 7-8000 timer. Maybe 1-14 above don't apply.

How I Diet and Exercise

"Post-WLS, you have to pretend as if you have not had WLS. That is, you have to do the exact same things that it would take to lose weight without the surgery. Then, you'll be very pleasantly surprised" - Dave

My diet and exercise are quite different from what a nutritionist or a doctor might recommend. Don't follow my way unless you're sure it's safe and appropriate for you. Your doctor may be trying to encourage regularity and continuation in your habits and thus telling you to eat "real food" three times a day -OR- to "walk, walk, walk."

Diet: My diet during weight loss was mostly a 24-hour no carb diet. That is, one protein shake for breakfast, another for lunch and then another for dinner, followed by as much of a regular meal as I could eat. Sometimes I had dessert, but my seven-day average calorie intake was rarely over 1700 per day. The 23.5 hours of liquids also seems to contract the pouch, so that on Return to Top of it, I can't eat much in the evenings.

Take your vitamins and protein supplements or die: I don't think I've missed a dose of protein (Isopure No Carb), vitamins (GNC Men's Sport, ground in a coffee grinder) or Iron (local chewable with Magnesium, C, Folate and B12). Don't miss your supplements or we'll see you on the "Surgery Gone Wrong" page!

Exercise: Most people's doctors will tell them to do long-slow distance activities such as walking. This is great for people if they feel they absolutely will not do a resistance training program. However, my philosophy has been, if I am losing weight already, my Oxygen uptake (cardiac fitness) will automatically increase, so instead of doing aerobic activity alone, I make weight-lifting the priority.

Legs, my foundation and mobility: In that weight-lifting priority, since legs are your mobility, legs should be Return to Top priority. Strong legs on a slim body will not only make you able to run around like a teenager, the exercises themselves will make you huff and puff so much that you'll never miss your cardio workout. Muscle also burns fat and the larger the muscle groups (squats and deadlifts work over 70% of your body's muscle), the more fat your burn. These exercises are also naturally intense, so they increase free testosterone. I do weights that allow me to fail on the 5th rep.

"Hanging" exercises: In addition to legs, I also do a lot of "hanging" exercises. These include dips, and lat pulls on a very wide chinup-type bar. As we age, the shoulder muscles tend to deteriorate and I think lifting the body will add shoulder stability. That being said, I do it mostly out of vanity - hoping the hanging exercises will give me gymnast shoulders.

Home gym: But the most important thing to me is having my gym at home, so I can work out way before work. Please see my last section on my self-welded garage gym.

My Surgeon - I Lucked Out!

Here's my surgeon's profile. He's one of the coolest fellows I know in Japan. He is one the Return to Top 1 or 2 lap surgeons in Japan and recently moved to Japan's # 1 surgical hospital, Yotsuya Medical Cube:

http://www.genryou-syujyutsu.com/staff/staff01.html (Sorry - it's all Japanese, but you can see his photo, the very Return to Top one.)

Here's their main bariatric surgery page:

http://www.genryou-syujyutsu.com/index.html

Weight Loss History

Starting at 5'9 282 lbs., I was a lightweight. Things seemed to go relatively easy for me, but I had lost weight so many times previously that the exercise had given me a considerable fitness and muscle base. Some members probably remember me exercising 10 hours a week pre-op at 280 lbs. I was morbidly obese, but had worked out intensely for nearly 1/4 of my life, so my 42 BMI was probably realistically the equivalent of a 35 BMI.

Here's the history. It's pretty crazy:

1. By 3 years old - visibly "fat".

2. 6 years old - Mom puts me on weight watchers, I'm still chubby, but prevents me from going into a dangerous level of obesity.

3. 11 Years old. I'm fat, but about twice as strong as the other kids (no one can touch me at armwrestling, etc.). Puberty makes me want to be a "real stud". So, I put myself on 800-1000 calories a day and 2-3 hours of weights while watching evening TV. Super thin and super cut until about 17.

4. 18 Years old. Kept most of that weight off, but started getting chubby about 18. Had a job constructing steel buildings. Boss says "He picks up that steel like you or me pick up a knife or fork". Later that year, I decided to get a job as a fitness instructor. Through extreme diet and exercise, I got super thin and cut again.

5. 23 years old. I start college and my weight balloons (literally). At 27 I shoot from 170 to 305. This is due to sedentary student lifestyle without exercise.

6. 30 years old. Divorce and a new life in my new home, Japan makes me want to get in shape. I've already lost down to 280. So I lift weights for a few years and lose down to about 245. The 245 sticks until I try mountain biking and triathlon (learn to swim). Lose to about 170.

Pics of previous weight loss attemps (big time yo yo dieter!)

7. 35 years old. Work on a master's degree has me sedentary for three years again. I'm back up and down to 280 several times by age 44. Still exercising 1-2 times a week average, but much less than before. Really feeling desparate!

8. RNY - lose an average of 2-3 lbs a week non-sReturn to Top. At 5'9 190 my BMI is still 29 but everyone is saying I look too thin. For the first time in my life, I am doing multiple heavy sets of deadlifts and squats, benches, presses, chest flies, dips, lat pulls, etc.

That's my history. I am so glad that I at least don't have to think about dieting any more. I don't get hungry during the day and can't eat much at night. It really takes a load of stress off. And I haven't had any negative side effects, other than those related to my internal hernia at 13 months (please read above).

Pics (CAREFUL! May see hairy bare chest)

At high pre-op weight of 280 (with Dad - See how rednecky I can look if I try!)

Guess I was really fat! Look at those legs.

At 220 from max 305 http://tinyurl.com/l34w3

At 214 from max 305 http://tinyurl.com/ggqy4

At 192 from max 305 I'll use this as an "after" pic for now:

(My wife wanted to put an egg in my collarbone. Not looking rednecky here.):

Surgery Experience

Lap RNY Day - March 16th, 2006

Weighed in at the hospital in Gunma. Due to differences in the hospital's scale and mine, had a pleasant discovery: Lost 12 pounds before surgery. Guess the diet and massive exercise paid off. Dr. Kasama was thrilled and after surgery, said that the surgery was "perfect".

After surgery: Felt fine, but was asked to lay in bed for 24 hours with catheter, oxygen mask and massaging compression garment boots on my feet. No food or drink, a given. This was torturous, because I felt fine, but was unable to move and due to the fact that I am only able to sleep on my stomach. My vitals were fine, so I suppose my having to do this was due to either the policy of the particular hospital or maybe due to hospital culture in Japan.

March 15, 2006 One day before surgery

Well, surgery is tomorrow. I have been exercising 8-10 hours a week, and dieting. I've lost a total of five lbs. but fitness is much better. Sometimes BP goes as low as 100/65 and never over normal. I'm a little worried that I might get *too* thin. Because my pictures no longer look really "fat" (BMI still at least 41)

February 24, 2006 - Pre-op, three week countdown!!!

Lost another lb. this week, but got a blister on my heal and had to cut back on exercise. Weight loss on Optifast has slown. Started locating my post-op docs since I live in an area where no one knows about weight loss surgery.

February 16, 2006 - Pre-op, one month countdown!!!

Surgery is exactly one month from today. Had my first Optifast last night, but my doctor only has me replacing one daily meal with Optifast. I'll be on a 12-1400 calorie a day diet instead of an 800 calorie a day diet. I have chosen to replace dinner and felt pretty full after optifast last night. Still exercising, of course.

February 14, 2006 - Pre-op Finally dropped two more pounds, for a total of five. Getting close to the pre-RNY one-month countdown. Optifast begins in two days.

February 10, 2006 - Pre-op Well, low-carb and 1-2 hours of exercise a day doesn't seem to work anymore. Feel fit, at 277 lbs. I can jog or cross-country ski for two hours or more, but the weight isn't coming off. I do feel, however, like my body is re-shaping itself. Just two weeks ago, it was unfortable to lay flat on my stomach. Now, I can do it no problem.

February 10, 2006 - Pre-op Still more than five weeks until RNY on March 16th. Can't wait...I've been on low carb for about ten days and exercising 5-6 days a week. Looks like I've lost three pounds. Got the rest of my results, no problems and only borderline sleep apnea, not enough to get a CPAP ventilator.

February 4, 2006- Pre-op Found out that my surgeon doesn't require a bowel cleanse, only 7 days of antibiotics prior to surgery.

February 1-2, 2006 - Checkup for Surgery, DATE SCHEDULED - MARCH 16th, 2006!!! Spent the night in the hospital getting checked for surgery. Totally clean, even echocardiogram and EKG are fine. Well looks like I'm scheduled for the Distal Lap RNY (150cm bypassed) on March 16, 2006. I'm a little worried about complications, but I think there's a good chance that I'll be okay. In 82 Lap RNY's, my surgeon has only had a single death, which the patient inflicted upon himself and was not related to surgery. Surgeon: Kazunori Kasama M.D., Bariatric Surgery Japan, Gunma-ken, Ohta-shi. http://www.geocities.jp/bariatric_surgery_japan/

Surgeon References

January 22, 2006 Got first reference on my surgeon from a veteran who trained my surgeon: "Dr Kasama is a very good surgeon and one of the most experience in Japan in this type surgery. I would recommend him. JK Champion MD" (Atlanta bariatric surgeon) January 12, 2006 Confirmation that Dr. Kasama is an active member of American Society of Bariatric Surgery

Hobbies & Interests

Japanese & Chinese languages Run-walks in the woods with friends Triathlon, full marathons (after temporary weight loss to 170lbs years prior to surgery), Rock and Blues Guitar, Backup and main vocals, Getting up early to take care of all of my hobbies. Post-op I can't sleep past 4:00 a.m. no matter what time I go to bed.

and occasionally now, WELDING....

Making the Home Weight Racks and Bench

A friend taught me to weld back in my high school days, nearly 30 years ago. So, I thought I would get a cheap arc welder and try it. Now I use it three times a week. If I don't I feel guilty. Program is 5 reps to failure (4 sets), including heavy dead lifts and squats. Be careful to use good form! I used to be an anal retentive fitness instructor, so I've yet to injure myself, even doing my pre-op weight in deadlifts (280).

Love guitar. Here's me on stage in the Fall of 2006: