Fiddleman

I'll do the challenge again. My first name is Andy. Nice to meet you.

What is your resting HR at now? I have not checked mine in several months, but I was 44 back around April.

Wow - I cannot believe there is a whole science or religion behind the coveted thigh gap. Like I said above, maybe this is equivalent to men trying to achieve a certain ab set, biceps size or body fat %. We too can get obsessive in a similar way.

I hate to ask and feel silly googling it, but what exactly does "faking the thigh gap" mean? And why is the thigh gap so important anyways?? I guess it is something females intuitively understand. I always thought love handles around the waist was a good physical measurement. Or lack of muscular definition around the body (abs, biceps, quads, etc). Must be a mars and Venus set of perspectives.

You did say sugar free cake. That is interesting. The sugar in most wedding cakes does make people sick because the stomach and intestines are not used to all that sugar, potentially leading to the dumping syndrome. It would make me sick. the last time i have eaten sugar outside the sugar found in protein shakes and bars (usually 1-3 g) has been april 2012. I do not miss it. If you like sugar free cake and it does not cause you any issues (dumping, weight gain, etc), I say eat it. Be reasonable though. Try and stick to a single small piece.

Straws are problematic at the beginning because of the trapped air, but they are fine later on. The rules tend to be a bit draconian at the beginning for good reason. Patient is healing and doctor does not want to be sued. Here is my short list of dirty little secrets 1. Take up to 800 mg of prescribed ibuprofen for inflammation. I have taken a lot of different NSAID to deal with it from naproxen to flexor patch to voltaren gel. Still alive. 2. Drink from straws occasionally. Not too often. Only happens if there happens to be a straw sitting in a cup and I am hella thirsty after working out or feeling dehydrated. Still alive. 3. Drink the occasional SF monster or Rockstar. I like the flavor and energy. While drinking, the fleeting thoughts of carbonation goes through my head in addition to battery acid. And then they disappear. Still alive. I do not have any real eating dirty secrets (except for the occasional binge on energy squares). My diet has always been high Protein and low carb. I stuck to plan and followed doctors orders until month 7 when weight loss phase ended. The stress from micromanaging eating details is just not for me. I used to track protein (80+ g), Water (90+ oz) and carbs (20-30 g or lower). in my head until month 7. Now I make sure to hit broad targets for those 3 items (150+ g protein, 120+ oz water, 100+ g good carbs). I tend to eat more good carbs now to fuel working out hard. Eating what i am supposed to eat is pretty much like breathing. No struggle. I had my surgery July 2nd 2012 and weight on adage 175 today with between 13-15 body fat %.

No, I do not eat any of that except occasionally shrimp. My diet is really predictable except for dinner when my wife shows off her mad chef "the chew" skills. I like to keep eating simple and basic. I do not need complex flavors or exotic food preparations. A bowl of steel cut oats, a serving of lean chicken, a few ounces of broccoli, chia seeds, 2 energy squares; that works fine for me.

Running is kind of a love hate relationship at the beginning, but turns more towards love as you get better at it. It will be something you will look forward to doing after a while.

Hope you are a glutton for ass kicking. Seriously, good job and stick with it. Consistency is what will move mountains.

Agree! Go out and buy the WW scale from BBB or similar scale. It will measure your body fat % with micro currents as you stand on it. Trust me, you cannot feel anything.

A good point to start driving is 24 hours after you have stopped taking pain medicine or any other medicine that will compromise your reaction time (a different way of stating above post).

That is really great news!

I do not know about you, but my sleep quality has tanked since being active with fitness every day. I would say sleeping quality has become a Really big issue since December 2012. I stopped caring about trying to achieve a decent sleep a few months ago, even though I have consistently gone through the motions daily by getting to bed early enough to ensure 8-9 hours. Yet I have not slept soundly, have not achieved a good state of REM state and definitely have not felt rested the following day. I have tried melatonin (up to 10 ml!) and many other herbs at different times to help with getting a decent sleep. I have no problem falling asleep; it is staying asleep and also also sleeping deeply that eludes me. Night after night. Sigh... Last night I tried a GABA supplement (stronger than theaanine) for creating a strong enough ripple in my mind to initiate decent size alpha waves for deep sleep. Finally slept the whole night, feel really rested this morning and remember my all-night dream with clarity. However, I am just concerned that taking GABA supplementation will create an imbalance (a different one then I had before) that could mess with other things like emotions. I want to be able to consistently hit deep sleep to help my body recover from hard fitness routines and also to not feel emotionally tired all the time. Is it time for me to go to the doctor and get a prescription for something hat will knock me ou every night?

Shoot, got rid of the size 48 pants a long time ago. Maybe I will have to swing by goodwill or value village and live vicariously for a moment by taking a picture with me in them. I am size 32 now so could go camping with them, just need my sleeping bag and pillow.

Yup - agree with that statement so much! I also think metabolic conditioning and HIIT type workouts help a lot also. Sprinting (not just the running type) is so good for your overall health.

I think you have done terrific on your daily average by consistently hitting 5+ miles! Great job. No need to use the word "only."

Somehow spinach mixed into my sweet shake does not sound appealing. I will need to find another way.

I take opti-men, but magnesium DV is 25 % of 400 mg if I take 3 a day. I usually take 2 a day,one for breakfast and one for lunch so I really get < 25 %. To hit 900 mg , I am going to need to start taking supplementation. I want more muscles!! I am pretty lean in waist, but chest is bulky (read: triangle build). Legs, arms and shoulders need more bulking!! You know I lift consistently and workout doing cross fit from my posts. I do not eat most of the foods on the list of the link above. If I do,it is very small quantities of, say, spinach on rare occasion.i mostly each protein with a green supplement daily and 2 small portions of veggies a day.

I read today that an ample amount of magnesium is required in the blood stream to promote lean muscle and reduce body fat. This is especially true for those that consume large quantities of Protein. Did not know this. I seem to have a somewhat difficult time building muscle and real strength despite eating large amount of protein and consistent training week after week. The recommendation dose of magnesium is 900 mg daily, perhaps spread out in 3 doses of 300 mg to minimize diarrhea triggered by taking recommended dose all at once. The muscle growth comes from the ionization or breakdown of magnesium in the blood stream. Sorry I do not have more information nor do I have any online references to back up this statement (read it In a muscle magazine today). There are many other benefits to getting an adequate supply of magnesium: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75

Added + 3.5 miles this morning. Lost count of total. Warmup: 1 mile jog and ring of fire Workout is called "Helen and Jackie" today. Two back to back actually. Workout 1: 3 rounds of- 800 m run, 21 kb swings and 12 pull-ups Workout 2: 1600 m row , 50 thrusters @ 95 lb, 50 pull-ups Ring of fire is where group sits in a circle and we alternate between 10 s hollow hold and 10 s ab exercise (each person picks 1). Nice "burning" sensation in the abs after this one. pull ups really toasted my arms. Runs are fun and fast as usual. I am weird to consistently like running every day hard and fast (race mode). Most find it their least enjoyable part of the workouts.

I would also like to suggest power aide drink as it has electrolytes and no calories. Drink as much water as you can if you are working out. 90 ounces a day is a good starting point. Drink before, during and after working out. Try and reduce your caffeine Intake in order to reduce the loss of water and Calcium during the day. Drink when you are not eating. If newer out, you will need to play with 45 minute wait periods. However, you can wait far less between eating and drinking once you are far enough post op.

Kettle bells are pretty awesome at creating muscle. Keep it up! I would not be too concerned about weight gain after strength training. It always happens. I bet your clothes are fitting better and weight will begin to drop again soon.

My original goal was 180. I picked it as the weight made sense for a person of my height (5'11") and seemed "normal" according to the standard BMI chart. Hit that weight during post op 7 months and lost 180 lb, down from 360 from heaviest. However, I was still not happy with overall health. I was skinny fat with a body fat % approximately 22%. And my upper body was much to be desired in terms of a good body composition. So my response is to say start with a BMI number on a chart and then make some new goals. In last 8 months, my body fat % dropped to 13% and I have a good athletic build. Current weight is about 175 and oscillates up and down +-3 lbs. Am I happy? Not quite. I am still working on body composition in addition to health and fitness every day. It is a lot of work, but worth it in every way.