Fiddleman

I love my Nike Pegasus 29 that I have been running on for 5 months now ( fitted at a local running store). They still have a lot of life in them so have held up well ( about 20 miles a week and I am primarily a treadmill runner). I will be getting these again when the time comes. They are super light. I feel like they really help me run with good form and fast (ran two 5:50 min miles this morning both before and after my WOD I did). These are used only for running. I do not use them for anything else by decision.

Such an amazing success!! Thanks for posting.

Another tip is to look for deals on group on. I can find 300 dollars worth of classes for 15-20 dollars. Just keep looking as I have found two local yoga studios with deals like this. I purchased one that will give me like 6 months of yoga for 17 dollars.

I do yoga on a weekly basis, but probably not as much I would like to. My primary motivation to do yoga is to improve my flexibility and mobility. It is definitely helping! My favorite type is hot yoga, but also enjoy hatha, yin and vinyase classes. Hot yoga is a great exercise and will have you sweating and exhausted, at least until you get a strong core (not me yet). Burns an uber amount of calories. Good luck!

No bites, eh? Well, I started my transformation today and will let you know how it goes in 12 weeks. I hope someone else decides to join the fun! The results that you can achieve in 12 short weeks of really focusing will be amazing.

Agree that the Nectar sweets including double stuff cookie and chocolate truffle are really good with water!!! They are probably a reason for my success to lose my sweet tooth. Still drinking syntrax nectar sweet shakes 10 months post op.

I happen to really enjoy reading anything posted by JDK. It is very informative and I learn something every time.

Atkins induction is what my NUT encouraged us to do also. It is not only good to shrink the liver, but prepares you for the low / no sugar aspects of the post op diet. My post op diet was Atkins style probably up to about month 6 post op. After 6 months, I have increased good carbs to support high intensity fitness.

Here is my huge assortment of Vitamins and minerals I take every morning when I get up. Lol. Impressive, huh? 32 oz pink lemonade with miraLAX 10 oz of tonic alchemy green drink 10 oz chia seed shake drink (sans Protein powder) GNC extreme athlete Vitamin pak (6 pills) 2 Omega 3 in morning and another 2 at night (4 g total). Alternatively, I take 3-6 g of super omega 3 (molecularly distilled) 1 Prilosec 1 b12 (small pill) 2 Citalopram ( hope to eliminate soon) 2 Calcium chew (2 also at lunch and 2 at dinner) Used to take b 50 complex, but no longer. I do not take any Iron that is it in my GNC vita pak and do have to be careful because too much iron triggers my gag reflex. I am used to the routine and have a pretty good system down for taking these in the morning when I roll out of bed all the way to dinner time. 1. Chew the calcium chews (little treat for morning) 2. 32 oz Water (take all morning pills) 3. 10 oz green drink 4. Add Protein powder to chia seed mix 5. Drink Protein Drink 6. Chew calcium chews at lunch 7. Take omega 3 after workout in late afternoon. 8. Chew calcium chews an hour before dinner (to avoid iron conflict) These steps usually take about 30 minutes.

Edit: Thinking about this challenge some more, it should be opened to everyone. I originally thought about it being tackled only after weight loss because it would not seem good to have such a transformation challenge interfere with weight loss. However, now I think anyone should be able to do it even to help with weight loss, as long as you are able to physically and mentally rise to the challenge. I will let you define what this criteria means to you, but I would think it excludes those that are less then 2 months post op. I would probably not attempt it until 5 months post op, but that is just my opinion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transformation is something that may interest some veterans who are done with the weight loss phase of VSG. Losing weight is the beginning of the transformation process to become a beacon of health and radiant energy for yourself and those around you. I am really a big fan of both transformation programs that the Phillip brothers have spearheaded. In 1999, bill Phillip created the much revered Body-for-life program that is 12 weeks of intense transformation. Some have trouble extending their success of the 12 week program to the rest of their life, possibly because they jumped in too fast or did not have the mental and physical strength to continue after 12 weeks. That is where his brother Shawn Phillips came along more recently and created the Strength-for-life program. This program focuses more on developing habits of strength in all areas of physical and mental health. The results gained from exiting the 12 week strength-for-life will be foundational for the rest of your life. The strength-for-life program includes a base camp phase that is 12 days long. It is important to do this base camp phase before starting the 12 week program in order to set your body up for success. During this time, you focus on rebooting your body. Essentially, 1. Eat lean, clean and green 2. Drink Water in abundance (no alcohol, sugary drinks, energy drinks, etc, just water) 3. sleep at least 7-8 hours of restful sleep a night 4. Have an attitude of gratitude 5. Recharge with the base camp training plan As VSG post op, we know how to eat and how to drink water. Try and keep the Protein as lean as possible. Drink as much water as you can, but do not drink the energy or sports drinks ( too much sugar). sleeping restfully will lower the cortisol levels and help the body detox. The base camp training plan is essentially Training 3 days a week with body weight movements. Do 3 sets of 3 different exercises, pausing for 30 seconds between each set. Monday: 15-20 reps of push-ups. 3 sets. Wednesday: 15-20 air squats or lunges. 3 sets. Friday: 12-15 ab crunches. 3 sets. If you slip on any of the 5 principles listed above, start over. It is important to get thought the 12 days successfully before moving onto the 12 week transformation. You may see some weight loss and or lean muscle gain during this short reboot. However, the real change will occur over the next 12 weeks. Here is where I would like to propose a transformation challenge. The challenge will be 12 weeks long and success is defined by achieving a set of clearly defined goals. Make sure the goals are as personal as possible and link them to your feelings. Create 2 physical goals and one inner strength goal. For me, I am : 37 years old 5'11" 188 lbs pre transformation (as of yesterday) Married with no children, a dog, 3 cats and currently provide a place for my brother. Physical goals: I will lose 15 pounds of fat, gain 5 pounds of lean muscle and lose 2 inches around my waist by September 1st. I have high energy and soaring confidence. Mental/emotional goal: I will have positive energy to share with my wife and brother. We enjoy 1 family activity a week that is not centered around the tv. I will read 2 leadership books and hire a business coach to strengthen my career by September 1st. Be sure to measure along the way: Weight Body fat percentage Resting heart rate Blood pressure Cholesterol Other Take weekly photos : front, back and from each profile. Shoot the photos in the same position and location, wearing the same clothes. At the end of the 12 weeks, you will literally be able to see the transformation from week to week. During the transformation, consider the following eating guidelines: 1. Shoot for macronutrient balance, eating lean protein first. 2. Eat 5-6 x a day, keeping each meal small. 3. Avoid sugar and alcohol 4. Eat your Omega 3s. These really help with inflammation. 5. Get more Vitamin d either as a supplement or being in the sun 6. Eat organically During the transformation, consider the following strength training guidelines: 1. Monday - Upper body push (chest, shoulders, triceps and biceps) 2. Tuesday- HIIT and abs 3. Wednesday- lower body / legs ( quads, hamstrings and calves) 4. Thursday - upper body pull (back, rear delts, triceps, biceps) 5. Friday - HIIT and abs 6.saturday - circuit (strength, stamina, stretch) 7. Day off - recover and rejuvenate Train strong and not long. 1. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday should last 33 minutes to 44 minutes 2. Tuesday and Thursday HIIT would be 20 minutes 3. Saturday circuit should be 20 minutes followed by 8-12 minutes of stretching The strength workouts should be no longer then 4 sets: Set 1: 12 reps Set 2: 10 reps Set 3: 8 reps Set 4: 8+ reps For example, I will be using a pair of dumbbells at home to complete the strength training Try and be very focused during the strength training. It is the focus that is going to help the most with achieving the transformation. Be progressive and increase the weight from week to week. Make every rep count. Make them super high quality. HIIT training is far more effective then long cardio training at steady state. 1. Start with 3 minute warm up 2. First interval is 60 seconds at high intensity 3. Second interval is 60 seconds at lower intensity (catch your breath) 4. Repeat 2) and 3) for 18 minutes. No more. 5. Cool down for 2 minutes For example, I will be using cross fit training with a PT to complete the HIIT workouts. On the 7th day, it is a rest day both nutritionally and physically. If you want to eat more calories or have that treat, this is the day to do it before diving into the next week. Each week should be programmatically the same, but should also increase in intensity. It is important to keep a diary of your training during this 12 week challenge. This will help you with keeping on the program and motivation. After the 12 week transformation challenge, you will be in a position of strength to set new goals and achieve them. Good luck everyone!

Wha...they make you call now? What happened to the instant buy, gotta have it now mentality! Lol. That is what I really appreciate with Amazon. One click satisfaction...

Landed in Lihue, Kauii yesterday evening and was pretty exhausted from the plane ride (crashed at 6 pm and awoke at 6am). The plane ride was much more enjoyable with the extra space and much easier to get in and out of the aisle way. I still got very dehydrated even though I was drinking a lot of Water on the plane. Here is a picture from Marriott in Lihue taken this morning: Sipping on a nice brew of 100% kona coffee. Nice... I think we will move here someday; this is our 8th time back to Kauii. We are here on a promotion, but do own a few weeks with Marriott where we stay mostly down at the Waiohai location on the south end.

Sounds like a good thing to be concerned about, but I am the wrong person to ask about it. I just do not have the knowledge around that.hopefully someone else can answer.

V8 is a pretty good choice for the fruit and veggie servings. However, keep an eye on the sodium.

Technically, a slider does not need to be junk food but most of the time it is. The slider food does not even hang around in the stomach. It just slides right on through. Chicken, on the other hand, is a good example of an anti-slider as it will leave you full after a small quantity (for most). For example, I can comfortably eat 3-5 ounces of chicken. If I tried to eat more, I would enter a state of discomfort and physically could not eat more without serious pain or other consequences. It is better to pick foods that are anti-sliders as they will keep you full longer and that translates into better results. The definition of a slider is different for everyone. Some may not be able to eat more then a few ounces of popcorn where others might be able to eat the whole bag if they are not careful.

Slider foods, quite simply, are those foods that you can continue to eat and eat without your sleeve providing any resistence. They can be junk type foods like chips, cookies and milk shakes or they can be seemingly healthy foods like salad. The point is that the calories from eating slider foods will add up and up if you are not careful when they slide right through. Most try and avoid slider foods, especially if the nutritional value is on the low side. And yes, Cheetos (or cheerios as the other person mentioned) can be a slider because they grind up to a paste that is not very dense. For me, Mexican restaurant chips and popcorn are sliders. I know I can't eat them as they will pass through pretty quickly and I will just reach for more. Popcorn is also a trigger food for me. Stay away from your trigger foods if you lack the will power to control consumption.

We are visiting Kauai and it is our favorite island to visit.

It is so exciting to look forward to flying on an airplane in coach as a post op. it was such a humiliating and uncomfortable experience before WLS, especially if squished in between folks. Anyways, I am now BMI weight and I am sure there will be plenty of room between me and the boundary of the seat. So excited!!! Hawaii, here we come! We will be flying Hawaiian airlines. For those who have flown post op, I have a couple questions: 1. Did you pack all your food for the flight? It is an 8 hour flight so I will be eating at least 3x. I am thinking that Protein bars would be the easiest food to carry on, but know that they are not really the healthiest, even the low carb ones. They only serve one meal and a couple snack, neither that really work for my eating plan. I usually eat every 2-3 hours. 2. Did you pack an empty Water bottle to fill on flight or did you buy some bottled water after the security check point? It would be hard to refill my water bottle on the flight for several reasons. I am sure the stewardess does not want to bring me water every 15 minutes in the small glasses they give you. Seems like I will also have to be prepared for a lot of bathroom trips. Sigh. I drink like a race horse.

Mike- thank you for the wonderful information. I like your use of the word transformation as that is what I feel like VSG and the downstream habits have helped me start. I do not think my transformation is done yet even at goal weight, not until my body-for-life type goals are met. I do want to have strength of an athlete, specifically a boxer so think my long distance running days are numbered. I have really enjoyed the running so far and how it has dropped me to goal weight (BMI). Achieving goal weight is only the first phase of the transformation and continuing to run 20 miles a week is far too catabolic to achieve the body type of, say, Bill or Shawn Phillips from the fitness world. It will be sad to let that go, but now my focus will turn entirely on strength and HIIT activities that will help me complete the transformation. Life is truly a dynamic experience and it can be whatever you set your mind to. We can and should continue to adjust strategies when reaching towards goals. As an aside ( not really important), I am 37 but geared the discussion towards men 35 and older because that is when our youthful hormones start to decline and it becomes harder to lose weight and build muscle

Mike - this description made so much sense, yet was explained in such an elegant, articulate and simple manner. Thanks! This is good advice for every one of us to make the most of our natural fat burning processes. It is a shame that the doctors cannot gear their post op programs around this approach to feeding the body per Healthy BMR.