Julie,
Body fat percentage can be measured in two ways. 1) get a scale that actually measures it for you like maybe one of those nice looking glass ones you step on or something, or 2) go to a physician who has experience in using calipers along with certain mathematical equations that take into account your weight, height, and measurements.
As for chocolate, don't cut it out just yet. If you feel the need to indulge on some chocolate, try for dark chocolate, and I mean at least 70% or higher. Lindt sells 99% dark chocolate, but it is bitter. Chocolate has flavonoids, an antioxidant beneficial to the body. Try 99% dark chocolate coated over some strawberries. :thumbs:
Don't cut out anything from your diet completely, keep eating in moderation, your body still needs a some cholesterol and saturated fats to function properly. As for your iron deficiency, eating red meats is good if it is lean, but red meat is inherently high in fats, even in the leanest cuts. A supplement might do the trick, maybe some multivitamins and an additional iron supplement, but consult your doctor first.
Fiber is your best friend in this scenario, consume a moderate amount of approximately 20grams to maybe 30 grams. Along with the fiber, drink plenty of water, Perhaps starting off with one ounce of water per two pounds of bodyweight. Water helps keep metabolism high and delivers nutrients to muscles. If you feel you can consume more water, then drink more. You should never feel thirsty.
Also, don't worry about sleeping. It's the time in which your body actually repairs itself, so getting enough sleep is very important. But keep in mind that rest has to be earned.
Now that the easy stuff is out of the way... on to the more difficult scenarios. Your gastric bypass compromises a lot of what your body can ingest, and I highly recommend consulting a nutritionist for what foods can get you the maximum benefit per gram. The easy path is cut off because a lot of exercises that I would recommend are off limits to your particular agenda such as lunges, squats, deadlifts, benchpresses, and military presses, as these exert a lot of pressure in your abdominal area.
Abdominal workouts such as crunches and leg raises will strengthen your abs and build muscle, but unfortunately they aren't designed to shrink that area. The most efficient way is to work out your entire body within it's limits, that will in turn burn the overall fat and build some muscle all around, and increase your metabolism. In short, swimming is probably the best way to start off.
Depending on how your hips and legs can cope with extra stress, you can do several exercises aside from swimming.
1) Walking up and down hills.
2) Farmer's walk (you walk while hold some weights in your hands for say 100 feet, stop, rest, repeat)
3) Walk the treadmill with an incline, the incline can act as a substitute to intensity intervals depending on how steep you make it.
4) Jumping rope (works the shoulders, hips, calves, biceps, forearms)
As for building muscle in your arms, several exercises come to mind that you might be able to do without undue stress on your abdominal area, but consult a physician before trying them.
1)Pull downs (when you gain enough strength, try some pull ups, or assisted pull ups using a machine)
2)Body weight dips (either on a bench, on a machine that assists you, however you feel comfortable doing them)
3)Bicep curls (do these seated, it takes the stress off your abs and you can concentrate more on your biceps)
4)Lateral delt raises (questionable, even when seated, it requires some abdominal stability)
5)Shoulder shrugs, seated
6)Overhead dumbbell press (questionable again, even when seated, requires some ab involvement)
7)Push ups (questionable again, maintaining the proper push up position is relative to doing the "plank" and requires some isometric tension on your abs)
A lot of words for just some small things, just keep things simple, and use common sense when eating and snacking (think celery sticks or carrot sticks). And remember to stay away from high fructose corn syrups. Hope this helps, somewhat.
Body fat percentage can be measured in two ways. 1) get a scale that actually measures it for you like maybe one of those nice looking glass ones you step on or something, or 2) go to a physician who has experience in using calipers along with certain mathematical equations that take into account your weight, height, and measurements.
As for chocolate, don't cut it out just yet. If you feel the need to indulge on some chocolate, try for dark chocolate, and I mean at least 70% or higher. Lindt sells 99% dark chocolate, but it is bitter. Chocolate has flavonoids, an antioxidant beneficial to the body. Try 99% dark chocolate coated over some strawberries. :thumbs:
Don't cut out anything from your diet completely, keep eating in moderation, your body still needs a some cholesterol and saturated fats to function properly. As for your iron deficiency, eating red meats is good if it is lean, but red meat is inherently high in fats, even in the leanest cuts. A supplement might do the trick, maybe some multivitamins and an additional iron supplement, but consult your doctor first.
Fiber is your best friend in this scenario, consume a moderate amount of approximately 20grams to maybe 30 grams. Along with the fiber, drink plenty of water, Perhaps starting off with one ounce of water per two pounds of bodyweight. Water helps keep metabolism high and delivers nutrients to muscles. If you feel you can consume more water, then drink more. You should never feel thirsty.
Also, don't worry about sleeping. It's the time in which your body actually repairs itself, so getting enough sleep is very important. But keep in mind that rest has to be earned.
Now that the easy stuff is out of the way... on to the more difficult scenarios. Your gastric bypass compromises a lot of what your body can ingest, and I highly recommend consulting a nutritionist for what foods can get you the maximum benefit per gram. The easy path is cut off because a lot of exercises that I would recommend are off limits to your particular agenda such as lunges, squats, deadlifts, benchpresses, and military presses, as these exert a lot of pressure in your abdominal area.
Abdominal workouts such as crunches and leg raises will strengthen your abs and build muscle, but unfortunately they aren't designed to shrink that area. The most efficient way is to work out your entire body within it's limits, that will in turn burn the overall fat and build some muscle all around, and increase your metabolism. In short, swimming is probably the best way to start off.
Depending on how your hips and legs can cope with extra stress, you can do several exercises aside from swimming.
1) Walking up and down hills.
2) Farmer's walk (you walk while hold some weights in your hands for say 100 feet, stop, rest, repeat)
3) Walk the treadmill with an incline, the incline can act as a substitute to intensity intervals depending on how steep you make it.
4) Jumping rope (works the shoulders, hips, calves, biceps, forearms)
As for building muscle in your arms, several exercises come to mind that you might be able to do without undue stress on your abdominal area, but consult a physician before trying them.
1)Pull downs (when you gain enough strength, try some pull ups, or assisted pull ups using a machine)
2)Body weight dips (either on a bench, on a machine that assists you, however you feel comfortable doing them)
3)Bicep curls (do these seated, it takes the stress off your abs and you can concentrate more on your biceps)
4)Lateral delt raises (questionable, even when seated, it requires some abdominal stability)
5)Shoulder shrugs, seated
6)Overhead dumbbell press (questionable again, even when seated, requires some ab involvement)
7)Push ups (questionable again, maintaining the proper push up position is relative to doing the "plank" and requires some isometric tension on your abs)
A lot of words for just some small things, just keep things simple, and use common sense when eating and snacking (think celery sticks or carrot sticks). And remember to stay away from high fructose corn syrups. Hope this helps, somewhat.
:whistling: 
. I started about 5 weeks ago and if I join now, I would be at a slight disadvantage. I am looking forward to following everyone's progress.
