Surgery Completed With Karidis 21.05.13

[Era]

They look fine in your pictures mate, i'm glad they have improved slightly though. They probably just have to catch up and shrink because the change is pretty dramatic. My nipples aren't dead they are very sensitive probably because they are swollen. Infact no area on my chest has felt dead since after the first week.

I looked into under armour because of your post haha. I wish i had thought to get it and use it under the compression vest because it did get insanely itchy at times and really dug in near my shoulders.

Haha yeah about the football i thought you had sustained in injury or something lol.

With dieting even if i try to view it as a healthy change my mind suddenly starts craving all sorts of food its mental. And i will start to tell myself i can have whatever only if its a bite or only if i have one. Then once iv'e had a taste for it i go on a crazy binge then start my diet next monday (at this points its probably about 11:30am on monday day 1 of the diet ha. Going to really try this time and get some will power, hopefully having a new girl will give me some motivation.

I fell asleep a few times when i took my vest off in the first 1-2 weeks and i would wake up feeling really numb and swollen in my chest, it was really weird. Its good to know you don't get that and can cut down on wearing it because its a pain .

[Donut]

Era - if you have problems sticking to diets (like me!!), try myfitnesspal (dot com) - totally free, easy, simple, eat what you like! - it basically tracks everything you eat accurately, and there is a simple iPhone app (prob android as well) where you just scan the barcode of whatever food you eat and it fills everything in for you...

Also tracks exercise, and your weight and anything else you want to track, so you can see progress on little graphs - which I find hugely motivating when the line is going in the right direction.

Loads of info on their forums too on the website, guys and gals of every age, size, shape and fitness level all giving tips, recipes, exercise plans etc.

Highly recommend it - best method of dieting I've ever used, steadily losing 2lb a week with no costly books, plans, special foods, subscriptions or any other money-grabbing nonsense!!

[KSS24]

Era - Haha yeah I feel you on the food thing. But I've got into a little system that I only eat shit shit on a weekend. Like this weekend I've had a Dominos and a Chinese. Then Monday - Friday I will eat my regular normal lunches a small sandwich with very good brown seeded bread thats ultra thin, Warburtons. Some crisps and a banana. And then a normal home cooked dinner. If I eat out in the week it will probably be a Nandos so at least it's still healthy.

Donut - That sounds really good mate, I'm gonna check that out, gonna be looking for something like that for when I get back into things after my chest is feeling more comfortable.

[Era]

Thanks for the tips, im going to try and eat 3 normal healthy meals a day then and allow myself some treats on the weekend like takeout or pizza and donut i've downloaded that app today its awesome, such an easy way to track how many calories im consuming.

[Donut]

Glad you found it useful! - get into the swing of it and you'll soon discover exactly where you're going wrong... I try to keep carbs under 100g a day, together with the calories as per what it suggests according to my profile and goals, and the weight is falling off like never before!... So easy!

[Era]

I've always been an advocate of calories in calories out, people couldnt wrap there heads around it like 7 years ago (my dad especially) so i ate 1200 calories a day of the foods i liked such as chocolate and pizza etc for 2 months and lost a shit load of weight. I know its not the healthiest thing to do but i wanted to prove a point. Since then my dad counted calories but also ate healthy balanced meals and lost 12 stone and now has a 6 pack at age 54 haha. The app just makes it that much easier and way more interesting.

[Donut]

Absolutely...

I certainly don't eat "100% clean" - I could never stick to that... But once you get into realising roughly what is in what kinda foods you learn to balance out pizza and ice-cream and all the other goodies with more "sensible stuff" and still lose a shed load of weight!

I've been back on myfitnesspal app for 2 months as of today as it happens, and in that time I've lost 22lbs, 6% points of body fat, and 3.1 points of BMI... and my diet includes chocolate, ice-cream, nachos, cheese, crisps, the odd McDs, peanuts, milkshakes, pretty much anything I want!... with absolutely no Gym! - the only excercise I consciously do is a 70min walk 2 or 3 times a week... If the weather is nice...

I really can't praise it enough!

[Era]

Things are looking good my nipples have really flattened out and look normal now. You cant see in the pic but my right one is slightly inverted, it always has been though.

I started my diet yesterday, its probably going to sound crazy but protein sparing muscle fasts are pretty well documented as being a great way to drop a lot of fat fast while losing minimal muscle when combined with resistance training (lifting weights). Ive posted an image of the diet its basically 3 protein shakes a day with 3 snacks, 2 of fruit and 1 a bit of peanut butter to include a bit of fat in my diet. I will be taking a multi vitamin and fish oil obviously. Im doing this for 28 days then for the next 2 weeks then each week replacing a protein shake with a solid meal to transition into normal healthy eating.

I know people say these diets always fail because you put the weight back on but that should be impossible if i eat only what my body burns and nothing more (don't be a greedy shit) and just go back to old eating habits.

I've also included an image of my workout program which i will be doing 4x a week. Im not currently working out my legs as im happy with there size and maintaining them by cycling a fair bit.

Wish me luck oh and i included an image of my current weight for reference. Im doing this diet because i literrally need to be a lot thinner in 28 days for a weekend away so i dont really have a choice.

Here are some pics from yesterday Sunday 30th June 6 weeks post op

[Donut]

Sounds pretty intense! - will be interested to follow your results... I need to start doing some lifting: after aroud 10 weeks of good dieting and losing getting on for 2 stone, weight loss is slowing down now I'm getting somewhere near "normal" (11st 10lb at mo) - so thinking I need to change tactics now!

...it's just getting that motivation to start!

[thetodd]

Looking good mate, keep it up man your doing well

[Era]

Thanks guys! I was just looking at my pics from page 2 4 weeks post op wow 2 weeks really have made a difference you can definitely tell in the side picture.

Day 3 of the diet today gone great so far haven't cheated once or even considered it, also haven't felt hungry i had to choke down a portion of fruit today and my last shake of the day. Finding it really hard not to jump on the scales haha going to wait the full week.

[Era]

You cant see it in the pics but my left areola was poking out a bit and looked like it had a small marble behind it, still it was much improved from when i was worrying about my nipples the other week. Last night i sort of pressed on it with my finger for maybe 30 seconds to make it flat and then that was that. Woke up this morning it was still completely flat and feels very squishy like a water balloon whereas last night it felt firm. Strange haha but i will take it.

[Era]

I've completed the first 7 days of my diet and its gone great i haven't cheated once or even been tempted. Today i get to have a solid meal for tea so im going to have a bit off the bbq. I lost 9.4 lb which is awesome even though im a bit gutted because i had a bet with a girl im into that if i lost 10 or more i got a treat darn haha. My chest and nipples have calmed down a lot now as well. The incisions under my right areola have healed to the surface now and are looking good, the one on the left side still hasnt fully healed and is about half a mm away. What i mean is its slightly below the level of the rest of my skin if that makes sense.

Here are the pics from today Sunday 7th July 7 weeks post op

[ThinkingAboutIt]

Your diet seems to be going sweet man, you will be ripped in no time!!

Think im gona leave it a few weeks before I really start a strict diet, food seems to be the only source of entertainment at the moment!

Your recovery seems to be going really well too!! From the pics you cant even notice you have had anything done now?! You had much scar tissue at all?? I'm trying to prepare myself for it, but its almost like when your at the cinema and you know there's gona be a bit that is going to make you jump lol

[Era]

Just checked out your thread your results are awesome mate i bet your over the moon. Yeah its going really well hopefully i will be ripped up like rambo by the end of the 28 days haha.

My recovery has gone amazing tbh i had a few days with my nipples where i wasnt happy but i just stopped looking at them and after like 2 weeks they are awesome now. As of now scar tissue is non existent im 7 weeks post op and have massaged like 4 times. Im sure im not some lucky freak and i will develop some more soon but im not bothered or thinking about it. I wouldn't worry about it mate the times you read its bad and all that are just that, the times its bad. A lot of peoples are fine im guessing and they hardly mention it.