I never post here....but maybe I can inspire someone...

If *I* can do it....you can.


NO, It WON'T happen overnight. But PERSISTENCE pays off!






NO EXCUSES.

I had my RNY on Jan 7th 2008...
I ended up in a coma for almost a month due to major complications (leak).
I could not breathe on my own and was kept alive by a ventilator for 3 weeks due to respiratory  failure.
My kidneys also shut down and I nearly lost my life.
After multiple attempts daily to ween me off the vent I eventually started coming around and was finally able to breath on my own....
I regained concsiousness but, I wish I hadnt....
What followed was a full week of withdrawal from the enormous amount of sedatives I was on... 24x7 Constant hallucinations, paranoia, delusions and absolute terror (mental issues were way worse than the unbearable physical pain!).
Not to mention the unbeleivably painful bed sores...
An open wound on my abdomen about 4" wide x 8" long and 4" deep that took nearly  6 months to heal from the inside.
Factor in 2 torn rotator cuffs from my 400+ lb body being moved around while unconcsious...
I had to learn how to stand, and eventually walk again, due to sever muscle atrophy...
What else?
An enormous Ventral Hernia about the size of a cantalope in my abdomen that had to be surgically repaired not once, but twice (2008 and 2009)....

Two years after I began my "journey", and after losing 240 lbs and a ton of muscle mass, I decided that the only way I was going to truly become healthy was to get serious about regaining my *strength*. 

Today, 1 year after beginning my resistance training, I feel unbeleivable....by far the best I have in my entire life.

Cardio is great....but if you haven't begun strength training....start NOW!  


 

 Congrats on your success. You look great!

awesome!

sure have inspired me, as does the entire Fitness and Exercise forum here. i have started to use kettlebells in earnest, and can jog 3-4 miles without trouble, really. i will never be like you are, of course. its not a goal of mine. but to see you do that makes me know i can what what i can, too :)

for me its still about losing some pounds and inches, but not much more. and that is easy enough with the surgery working in my favor. but i expect the kettlebells to take me to "the next level" of stregnth and conditioning. right now i consider myself in average condition for the average middle aged guy who cardio's regularly. but it just feels time to step it up with my stregnth and endurance and stamina. and kettlebells seem the ticket

anyway, thanks for the post. that body is amazing and i'll never have it. but as said if you can do that, i can do my own

so, consider me inspired

thanks and great work with the jogging ....adding in the kettlebells is a great choice, stick to it and i guarantee you'll see fabulous results

 Very inspirational ..     Please cross-post this on the Men's Forum, if you haven't done so already yet  ..

  Please also give some specifics on HOW you put on the muscle, who was your personal trainer, gym, etc.    I found that no matter what I tried, including isometrics, I just could NEVER put on appreciable muscle mass when I was obese.  That's mainly why I haven't ried to again since surgery.  Did you have that same problem, pre-WLS?  
  
   

Thank you sir...I joined L.A. Fitness 13 months ago as soon as I got medical clearance after hernia repair #2....my main reason for joining was because I was pretty much a bag of skin and bones after losing 240 lbs in 10 months and not being able to do anything besides cardio (which is great, but only half the equation)....I began lifting 4 days a week and after just a few months I started seeing serious progress in the mirror...from then on I was hooked....

The reason that you probably didnt "see" results was because the growth and definition is hidden while you're obese. But that doesnt mean its not working...the great thing about resistance training is that you continue burning calories long after you working out....unlike with cardio....they key is diet and of course consistency....

I'd list out my diet and routine but what works for me may not work for you....I'd suggest a bit of research on bodybuilding.com, there is a wealth of info on there....and lots of programs for people who have access to a gym....who don't....dumbbell only....the list goes on....

Yes- I'm motivated too- I need it! I've been stuck at the same wt for nearly 4 months. Nothing I've tried has worked to break this. I'm at the gym, eating right. I get on this forum to remind myself that even though I have 40 lbs to go- I've come a long way and much happier with my new body. Yes- I'd still like a answer to why my body has stopped losing and I want to fix it. But I need to pray the serenity prayer-"change the things I can, accept the things I can't change" ect. I'm glad most people make it all the way to the finish line!

Way to go! You are smoking hot!

Thank you, I'm sure you probably have heard this already but if you're eating properly you might actually have to *increase* your calories, or tweak your diet (add or decrease carbs/protein/etc), in order to kickstart weightloss again.  Also, I mentioned it above, but resistance training is wonderful because you get the benefit of burning calories long after you put down the weights (unlike cardio).

Good Luck!

You look friggen amazing...very inspirational

 Wow - Amy ..  amazing transformation for you, too!    And in less than a year ..  Great job