Butterthebean

Martin Berkhan is pretty much the expert on the 16:8 method. Here's a link to his guide and it's excellent reading... http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html The specific article about resistance training while fasted and increased growth hormone is here... http://www.leangains.com/2009/12/fasted-training-boosts-muscle-growth.html Also, if you have Kindle I have the book "Eat, Stop, Eat" which is great reading about the 5:2 method. Lots of scientific data in this book, not much bro-science. PM me your email and I'll send it to you.

That's a great start. Give it 2 weeks, you'll notice a difference. Be sure to hydrate well.

Love it....I thought I had a cool shirt but that takes the cake.

I believe I think about food just as much now as I did before surgery...which means all the time. The difference is I can't indulge my cravings each and every time like I did before, and that makes it hard to deal with. The only way I know to deal with it is to stay busy and log those crappy foods before I eat them...seeing them on my food diary makes them much less appealing.

Yeah....the local Sonic had to lay off several people after my surgery. But buying so many new clothes....then getting rid of them because they got to big and buying more.....evened out the money savings. But I foresee a huge savings in the future on medical bills that I won't need now.

Globetrotter, it does kinda sound like sugar withdrawal. Presurgery I used to feel that way every 3-4 hours if I didn't eat some high GI carbs. I was constantly eating or else I was miserable. After surgery I broke my addiction to that kind of food and I feel much more even. While I haven't tried the fasting, missing a meal is no big deal to me now like it used to be. I do get hungry but I don't get that shaky, irritable, headachey feeling.

Oh man I pretty much wrote off bibs because I was too fat to wear them. Now I'm not, I may go try a few pair on. Tanks for that reminder. I also want to say that padded seats are actually less comfortable on longer rides. I seems counterintuitive but it's true. On rides longer than just a few miles, the padding gradually compresses and you end up riding on the seat rails which is not comfortable at all. A firm seat will not feel as comfortable on the fist mile, but after 10 miles it will feel way better than one of those big soft cushioned seats. If you look at my seat up there, it has no padding whatsoever...just leather stretched very tightly across the frame. I've ridden 75 miles in a day with that seat with no problems at all.

I don't post often but when I do I like to make it count.

I've been riding for years...2 things. First of all, a good pair of cycling shorts with a good chamois (crotch pad) is worth it's weight in gold. Second, you might try tilting the nose of your seat forward just a smidge. It makes a difference. Tilt it until you feel like your sliding off the front, then go back one small notch. That's a good starting point for most people. Now if you have peroneal pain, you need a seat with a cutout like this.

I sucked the cream filling out of some twinkies.... ....then stuffed a jalepeno sausage in them and ate it with relish. Kidding....kidding.....I didn't have any relish, that would have been foolish.

Last I checked there still is no proven cure for the common cold so I'm pretty sure this concept of killing off bacteria through exercise induced heat increase is just a theory. Besides, at what temp does the virus burn up? And just how much to you suppose you raise your core temp? Your core temp doesn't go up that much...if it did you'd die. I'd give your body a chance to heal. Consider it an opportunity to catch up on your reading...exercise of the mind is just as important as exercise of the body.

The worst thing I did was lick the seasoning off of some wheat thins during week 2. But I must say, those wheat thins were delicious. My sweet lab mix was happy to eat the evidence after I licked them.

Great job John. Running in the heat is doable, it just takes time to adapt to the heat, extra hydration and generally you go a bit slower. It helps being young as well.

Me too Globetrotter. My people definitely survived the famines.

High intensity interval training Basically, 30 seconds sprinting, 60 seconds recovery....repeat...that's just 1 example.

You look terrific, and I'm not just saying that because you're heavily armed.

Sounds like you're dead in the middle of the 3 week stall. Many people hit this inevitable stall. It's nothing to worry about and there is nothing you can do about it except don't panic or stress...just keep doing what you're supposed to do. In my sig there is a link explaining why it happens, but I'll just cut and paste it here for everyone to read....good luck and hang in there. It will end on it's own.... Weight Loss Stall or Plateau A weight loss stall or plateau is an extended period of time during reducing efforts where is there is no weight loss according to the scale and no loss of inches according to the tape measure. This is why it is so important to take your body measurements before surgery, so you'll have a reference as your weight loss progresses post-op. We suggest you take measurements of your chest, waist and hip, neck, upper arm, thigh and calf. Be aware it is very common for your weight loss to "stall" shortly after surgery. Diana explains the reason for this below. The Inevitable Stall By Diana C. A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days. What You Can Do About a Stall or Plateau If you are experiencing a post-op weight loss stall or plateau further out there are a few possible causes. First, check that are you really in a stall. If the scale has stopped moving you may be losing inches, so check your measurements. Too Many Carbs? Carbohydrates can start sneaking into your foods without you being aware of how quickly they are adding up. For more information on carbs, see our section on Carbohydrates. If you are struggling with your weight loss you may want to examine your daily carb count. You can try to keep your carbs under 50g a day and see if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Do not eat carbs before bedtime as it triggers insulin and initiates fat storage. There are some great web site resources you can use to keep track of what you are eating. Fit Day Spark People - If you join Spark People also join the DS group. The Daily Plate Calorie King For more tips on keeping a food journal see the Personal Nutrition Guide. Eating Enough? If you are under-eating or go more than 4-5 hours without eating, your body will shift into fasting mode, slow your metabolism and conserve your stored energy (fat). This can contribute to a weight loss stall or plateau. Make sure you are eating small meals or small Snacks throughout the day and also ensure you meet your daily Protein requirements. Try eating some protein with every meal or snack. For more information on protein requirements see our section on Protein. Drinking Enough? An adequate level of water in your body aids in the effective breakdown of fat. The daily minimum recommendation is 64 Fluid oz of water a day. If you are in ketosis you will need to drink even more water to ensure the ketones are flushed out of your system. You may also need more than the minimum amount of water if you are exercising or live in a warmer or dry environment. Exercising? Exercise can increase your metabolism and burn fat. Strength training will build muscles and will boost fat burning. In a stall you can try increasing your volume of exercise or changing up your routine to overcome a weight loss stall or plateau. If you have been doing mainly aerobic activity, try doing a bit of strength training, and if you have been doing mainly strength training, try an aerobic work-out. The High Fat - High Calorie Stall Buster Many DSers swear by the fat/calorie shock as an effective weight loss stall or plateau buster. Having a day of higher fat and calorie eating followed by a returning to consistent low carb eating can sometimes "shock" your body back into weight loss mode.

First of all, there is alot of talk on the web about how sprinters have a certain physique and marathoners have a different physique and everyone wants the sprinter physique. But the question is, do they have that physique because they sprint, or are they world class sprinters because of their body type? Same with marathoners. You don't win the Boston Marathon because you were born with an offensive lineman's body but you ran and ran until you were skinny and stringy. Those world class marathoners had that body type naturally, and they enhanced it through training. Same with all world class athletes. Through out time, many people have gotten incredibly lean by doing a boat load of cardio and eating lots of carbs. And others have become just as lean through strength training, a modest amount of HIIT and very low carbs. There is obviously more than one way to do it. The only thing that is certain is that you can build and maintain more muscle with resistance training than with cardio, but muscle loss and fat loss are dependent on many factors such as diet and individual body type/chemistry, not just the type of exercise.

The new whey shots will not hurt you, but they will also do you no good whatsoever. They do not contain whey protein, in spite of the deceptive name. They contain collagen protein which will do your muscles no good.

All I can say is Tally and Fiddleman are hardcore.

This is one of those little things they rarely warn you about ahead of time. The post op diet has very little fiber in it....thus few people have regular BMs for a while. Many people suffer from constipation starting around the 6-8 week mark. I know I did. Using chia seeds in my protein shakes helped, but the thing that helped the most was a small serving of fiber one cereal everyday. I doubt you are ready for that just yet, but keep it in mind for later down the line. I'm not a big fan of processed foods but fiber one is the exception that I believe is worth it.

I've been running for 10 months and I still occasionally have bad days....like my legs have never run before. It happens, but it happens less and less. I also wanna say, if you're not fond of chi running there are other methods, bit don't give up on having good form. It will prevent injury later. It's not as intuitive as it seems but once you "get it" you "got it." 80% of all runners will have an injury this year. That's huge. The majority are either overtraining or bad form....which means preventable. Don't be part of that statistic.