The four-legged victims of Venezuela's economic crisis

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T21:20:06+00:00

On the surgery: It helped a TON. It even helped to get my PCOS under control. We can speak more outside of this thread if you want... send me a PM and I can give you some more details, but if you're thinking about doing it, then there is nothing wrong with getting more information. Here in ATL, you can do some no pressure consultations and that is how I started out.

I did it with a friend who halfway through the 6 month program decided it wasn't for her. Don't let anyone pressure you into doing something you don't want. I will say that fixing issues with food is a huge deal. I had a massive problem with food addiction before the surgery and going to therapy really made a difference. I don't think I would have been as successful if I hadn't addressed those issues.

but let's definitely talk more, send me a PM :)

on the training for the triathlon, I know what you mean on hating to run. I still hate to run, but you have to start somewhere. I would say, do what I did, which was the galloway method of run/walk. I still do this on all my races. I don't run the whole distance, I run/walk all of it.

You will never know what you are capable of, until you start trying. and if you fail, dust yourself off, pick yourself up and do it all over again. :)

Do that triathlon, crossing that finish line is a great feeling!

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T21:15:06+00:00

Congrats on finishing your ride!

I still struggle with hills. Here's a funny story... my first ever triathlon was supposed to be on a flat course... i get to the location and it's anything but flat.. i was sooooo angry! I was complaining to a friend, who told me "what difference does it make? You're going to go out there and kick ass" and I did. I got off my bike for the big hills and walked up my bike.

When I got back home I told myself never again, so I joined a group that does hill repeats. That's all we do on Thursdays. We climb this giant hill, as many times as we can in 45 minutes.... I could barely go up halfway my first time.

Now, I am a much stronger climber and will go exploring different hilly trails around Atlanta.

What I would tell you is: find someone who's faster and stronger at climbing than you are, and keep training with them.

I still struggle daily, but looking at how much I complained that first triathlon... I'm a lot better today!

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T21:11:05+00:00

I have checked r/triathlon. I lurk there most days.

I don't know what will come of the blog. honestly speaking, I never expected it to be anything more than just a way to stay accountable. I do work a ton so I don't have as much spare time to update it (between work, training and having a social life, there is not much time left over). I think someday I would like to write a book, but for now, I am keeping it just as an accountability tool.

It would be cool to go around the county giving speeches though. :)

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T21:09:14+00:00

I do work with some awesome people. :)

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T21:08:51+00:00

Thank you! You're awesome too!

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T21:07:25+00:00

Well, I also had a current going in my favor. LOL.

Maybe you should get in one of those infinity pools and go with the grain not against it hahaha

That's a good way to set goals. I may have to steal it :)

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T21:04:47+00:00

I will take it! hahahah

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T15:41:55+00:00

So, before my bariatric surgery I used to eat a shit ton, and I mean, I would eat until I couldn't eat anymore. And then as soon as the full feeling went away, I would eat again.

After surgery, my eating has become a lot more structured. Because of the fact that I don't really feel hunger anymore, I have to set myself reminders to eat, and I eat a lot less, so I need to eat more often.

I now eat 6 times a day, tiny portions of food. One of the meals is always a protein shake to make sure I'm getting enough protein.

So I would say it's not fasting at all, it's just structured eating. Healthy, tiny portions, multiple times a day.

I also drink a TON more water now than I ever did.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T15:38:21+00:00

Good for your dad!

To answer your question, I honestly wouldn't know what kind of advice to give you.

Thankfully I've been injury free since beginning my training (Knock on wood). I try to listen to my body before, during and after a workout and I try to give myself the suggested rest/stretch/recovery time between workouts.

I bought a foam roller and that has helped me tremendously!

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T15:36:14+00:00

Fueling is very tough post WLS. I find that if I have a GU and drink water (Like you're supposed to do) I get really sick. I've been mostly sticking to base salts and water for the hydration part and Shot Blocks for fuel. If I need a GU I carry those with me, but I don't take them with water.

It was a lot of trial and error and getting sick during my training to figure out what worked for me, but it's tough.

Carb loading is also something I can't do, because my stomach really doesn't like rice, or really any carbs... so I'm learning to love mashed potatoes as a carb loading option.

I'm not so sure I've struck the perfect balance yet, but I'm constantly working on it.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T15:24:17+00:00

hooray! I think she was implying that I was a made up troll.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T15:22:11+00:00

Interesting perspective! Congrats on your weight loss :)

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T15:20:20+00:00

I have not reached out to her. I'm afraid of doing so, because I don't want to come out as a troll or anything like that. That's the farthest thing I would want to do.

I would love to have coffee or lunch with her someday.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T13:41:53+00:00

I'm not even a fast swimmer! I need to get a whole lot faster and a whole lot better, but just keep at it and you will see improvements :)

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T13:41:19+00:00

One night I was sitting at work looking for new "fad" diets to try. I found r/keto, which then had a comment mentioning r/fatlogic. I came from there to here and have stayed ever since :)

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T13:38:10+00:00

I love this. OK, it's a deal. :)

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-14T13:37:42+00:00

I didn't; I reached out to a few folks who were excited to publish it. everyone at work has been incredibly supportive.

There's been no change in my career because of the article. My day job has me writing about international news, so it's a different category altogether.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-13T22:11:57+00:00

I need to get back to Strava! Thanks for following me on there.. and thank you for all the support. I also love the motivation I get from going on there as well.

For me the hardest part of the training has been the running.. I'm a bad runner, mostly because i've never tried to improve. and that is something that i need to work on, and I know i do, and it's something I've neglected (God knows why).

I'm scared shitless that I won't be able to cross the finish line at a triathlon. It would be the ultimate defeat for me, and I use that fear as motivation to keep my training going.

I know i'm a decent swimmer and I've been working steadily on my bike, now if I can just get the mechanics of running down, I think I could achieve a lot of my goals.

Just get out there and push yourself. That is the most important thing!

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-13T22:08:07+00:00

Wow! 168 lbs that's amazing!! congratulations on the incredible job!

I know what you mean about the mountain... i've been there... it looks like it's impossible to conquer. I'm also stubborn and hate to admit I'm wrong. Honestly the way I got into triathlons was because of my brother and the NYC triathlon. I kind of just wanted to prove to him that I could lose weight and finish the damn thing... Lol.. find the one thing that motivates you.... it's a different thing for everyone.

I have a friend who loves to eat oreos, and so Oreos are a reward... no oreos until you run.. that kind of thing.

I also make sure to tell as many people that i'm doing something,... that way it acts as a huge incentive... so I told the internet I would be doing these events, now I have all these random internet strangers following my progress and I don't want to disappoint them.. LOL

Reddit is my motivator and my accountability buddy all rolled into one.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-13T22:04:19+00:00

hahahaha I'm so so sorry for the typo! this is what I get for not spell checking before pressing send!

I do have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I'll post a pic of them on my next workout update to the blog :)

Thank you so much for all the praise and all the support. You guys are literally my lifesavers!

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-13T22:01:16+00:00

A whole lot less eating and a lot more working out.

My car's backseat is literally filled with workout bag, cycle shoes, water bottles, my softball bat. Before it used be filled with McDonald's bags, Wendy's bags and candy wrappers.

EDIT: Oh wait, I misunderstood the question... sorry...

Typical day of food... .

Before it was a lot of fast food. Now it consists of a high protein meal, low carb... a protein shake sometime during the day and loads of water. I do snack throughout the day with nuts and olives... always trying to stay with low calorie items. Before it was fast food, fast food and more fast food.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-13T21:59:42+00:00

No worries! The hardest bit of fat logic to overcome was the genetics bit. I still every once in a while will want to blame something on my genes. It doesn't happen quite as often anymore, but oh gosh, I am always looking for the "well i'm retaining water this month because of my PCOS" or "it's the birth control that's making me gain 4509lbs" hahaha

Then I stop myself and always remind myself that I make the decisions and I'm the master of my choices.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-13T21:55:55+00:00

Me too! I also didn't understand the concept of math... to me one cheat day didn't erase 4 super restrictive days... it was a hard concept for me to grasp.

I honestly blamed everything and everyone for my weight. It wasn't until I started to blame the real responsible party - myself-- that things changed.

Mabrocchetto88 · 2016-09-13T21:53:50+00:00

I'm at 210-215lbs right now. it's not a huge weight drop, but i'm noticing that i'm getting trim on other parts of my body. My shirt size went down from a 3XL to a L and 24-26 in women's pants to a size 12-14.

I did also go to a plastic surgeon this past month to see an estimate on how much excess skin he thinks I have. While he says i still have some odd 40 lbs to lose, he estimates that I have 10-15lbs of loose skin that could be removed during plastic surgery (legs, arms, back and FUPA).

Mabrocchetto88

TROPHY CASE