Fiddleman

To follow up on my last thread, the following are two good tools for mobility: A roller: I like rumble roller and the grid Roller. I like to use them on shoulders, upper back, it bands and quads. The grid Roller has some good DVDs to help use it and strengthen core. Rumble roller: http://www.roguefitness.com/rumble-roller.php The grid http://www.roguefitness.com/the-grid-2-0-orange.php Lacrosse balls: I like to use them for mashing and flossing the shoulder, upper back, lower back, it bands and gluts. For me, my tight area is left side hip region. The lacrosse ball really helps there. You can find them on amazon or at a place like Sports Authority and Big 5.

Mobility and stretching are very important, if not more important, then working out in the journey to good fitness. Two books I highly recommend: 1. The genius of flexibility by Bob Cooley http://www.amazon.com/The-Genius-Flexibility-Stretch-Strengthen/dp/0743270878/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382630726&sr=8-1&keywords=genius+of+flexibility 2. Supple leopard by Kelley Starrett http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-Preventing-Performance/dp/1936608588/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382630649&sr=8-1&keywords=supple+leopard You will thank me for these. Trust me. Both are excellent and part of my daily "study." You can find both on Amazon. Good flexibility and mobility improves the overall quality of life and also makes fitness easier, more enjoyable and joyful. Definitely look into them as an augmentation to your fitness goals. Cheers!

I want to turn on all my good DNA. Lol!

Way to go!!! A lot of VST folks work towards running a 5 k by using the c25k program. It is a progressive strategy that introduces distance slowly until you can run a 5 k at the end of the program. Check out the super long c25k thread in this forum (fitness) for anecdotes, strategies and encouragement. As an aside, my wife is also interested in doing a 5 k. Perhaps you two could pair up. Her VST handle is phoenix79. She just started in the running process so is about where you are at.

I think you guys are correct in stating the merit behind weighing every day *and* not assigning a value judgement to it. That is, to be objective about it. Neutral. It is easy to feel elation when the scale goes down and doubts when the scales goes up, even as vets. Personally I weigh on average about once a week and the distance between weigh-ins increases as more time passes. I think it is because of being content with appearance. I measure myself in other ways. For example, am I improving my max lift weights, are my workouts getting faster, can I do more pull-ups and finally, how well are those jeans fitting. On that last one, the slim 32 are getting too loose by a couple inches so need to go get a new pair. I do like to track body fat % on the ww scale, but even for that, I have stopped checking daily. I guess all this rambling essentially means the scale number does not really mean anything. It is just a number. For new post ops that have not reached goal, then yes, the scale number is a valuable tool for making adjustments if the number is not dropping. Still - it is advised to weigh only as often as you can do it without it controlling your state of emotional well being.

Do you think vets should still weigh daily? I am thinking 2 x a month would be ok, to keep an eye on fluctuations. A mirror and sense of body contours with and without clothes on seems to be a good daily sniff test.

I got in +3.5 km for warmup and + 10 k for workout run. Too hot to run outside (92 f) so I did the sport training 10 k on the life fitness machine. Those programs are cool! It simulates a real 10 k race with hilly terrain. I put in level 5 and it adjusted up to 3.5 %. Pace was 8:35 for the 10 k. I do have to say the hills made it interesting. It was a good run and my tank felt nearly full afterwards. Loved it. I liked the energy I had post run. This is definitely different and easier) then, say, 8 months ago, when I was running 10 k regularly. The metabolic conditioning from cross fit really helped the endurance running. I was able to hold a conversation with my wife while running, which means I probably should have been pushing harder. Hey, throw me a bone. I am on vacation.

First off, congratulations! Second, I am so envious. I love to cave and have done it a few times. Sounds like you had a blast.

You are killing it, daily! Thanks for posting. I am on vacation and miss my prescribed daily cross fit workout. yes it is an addiction. it is going to be 95 f out almost every day, so am thinking about running inside on treadmill rather than outside in the heat. Does anyone know if running 10 k would work in 95 f temp? That seems like a recipe for overheating to me. There is a nice gym here in the community we are staying at, but it is mostly cardio machines and resistance machines. No free 45 lb bars. There is a bar attached to a cage, but i have no idea how to use it. In my mind, It feels weird to uses resistance machine as have been doing Olympic lifts for with just me, some plates and a 45 lb bar for many months now. There are some dumbbells and some weighted balls in the gym, so think I will form a timed workout around those (cleans, man makers, etc) along with push-ups, pull-ups, jumping lunges, etc. I also brought my "be your own gym" DVD, so am planning to do that also this week.

I wear compression shirt and shorts almost every workout because they really do help with speed when running, lifting, jumping, rowing and other gymnastic type stuff like wall climbs, push-ups, pull-ups, handstands, etc. they are really, really, really helpful for running. Running fast. That being said, I am thinking about going down a size. Currently top is large and bottom is medium, but I think medium for top would work better now that I am smaller since buying the large top a few months ago.

Oh that caremel coffee does look good. I think my favorite non guilty pleasure food is my double chocolate casein protein shake. Nope, don't feel guilty about that one. Other then that, anything my wife makes for dinner that is savory like cordon blue chicken casserole. Yum!

Had to go consult the Wikipedia on Oreo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oreo There are so many flavors and shapes now. I did not know there was so much evolution from the original design. I am also a purist and want to keep my oreo memories innocent. However, the banana split Oreo sounds interesting. Knowing the direction of our country and the recent passing of pot laws in a couple states, they will probable make pot laced Oreos in the near future. That will be the day. Lol.

Have you tried the pure protein bars? Not as tasty (in my opinion), but also not as addicting. 20 G protein and 180 calories. They make a 32 g version also, but add 100 calories. Protein bars have their place, but eventually, you may realize they are not the most nutritional choice and it is easy to eat more then one, as you can attest to. Perhaps you might try 1 a day and then every couple days until they become the exception rather then then the rule.

^^^^^ good advice!! Do what you can to work that sleeve in the first six months because losing gets exponentially harder the more time that goes by after that.

Speaking of candy that was hard to eat pre-sleeve, if we can discuss that topic, include: candy corn (way too sweet), sour patch, nerds, twizzler, mike & ike, jolly rancher, etc. All had some taste or another that did not suit me. I guess I was not a candy person, but a cookie, cake and donut person. Oreos, however, were yummy. I used to eat a whole row at once. Omg! Those were the days. Oatmeal raison. mmm. That and donuts. Mmm. Apple fritters and old fashion were my favorites. Maple bar, not so much.

Eat lean protein first and then veggies. This will fill you up and regulate your insulin response so you are not seeking snacks. Eat low carb. Bad carbs will spike your insulin response. Good carbs should be introduced only when you can be responsible with them. For example, I waited until month 5 in order to focus on weight loss without road blocks along the way. You may want to wait until you have a good momentum of success before trying to eat carbs in order to make eating healthy easier. Make a pact with yourself that losing weight and getting healthy is a way higher priority then eating junk. Reward yourself when you meet key milestones with non food something. Try and meet the bariatric goals of 80 g of protein and 64 oz of water or more. Focus on more. Get out and do some kind of exercise every day, even if you just walk for X distance or Y amount of time. Always remember where you came from and where you are going. Do not let anything deter you from success. Take responsibility for your success. It is hard work. Be real with it. You can do it!!

Quads!!

I annoy my wife with " feel my leg, feel my arm. Isn't it strong?" Or " look at how roomy the size 32 Levi are." Lol!

My wife (fellow VSG) loves them oh yeah bars. Good high protein. If it helps her meet daily protein goals, no one is standing in her way on eating them. She just had me slep off to vitamin shoppe to pick up a new box yesterday. They do look good, but carbs are too high for my taste. If I am going to have a high protein bar like this, it would have 1-3 g net carb max. I think if you can have the control to just eat one oh yeah a day, it should be fine. I just got some cookie dough quest bars for myself yesterday (a concert from pure protein bars). I am not sure how often I will be eating them, maybe once a week or less. I hope they have a long shelf life!! Per above post, I only WISH a protein bar filled me up. Alas, I can eat 2-3 of these and, consequently, they have been demoted in my diet to emergency only. They sssssllliiidddeee right on through. I envy the people who get full on a protein bar.