Fiddleman

Steel oats are whole grain groats cut into pieces. Minimal processing is performed on them. I buy mine from trader joe here in the states, but I think they are fairly universal from country to country. They originally came from Scotland, a very close skip and a hop from you. I bet you can find them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel-cut_oats

+5 miles today running for 88 total. I did another grueling crossfit WOD today and will do one more tomorrown and, phew, rest over the weekend. 5 for 5 this week cross fit sessions. I know, a big no-no. Next week, I will get on the "3 on, 1 off" schedule. By the way 6 lovely holes on my two hands after today's WOD. Here is my right hand cleaned up showing 2 new large holes (was bleeding with skin falling off after round 1 of 5 today): Caused by 16 pull-ups in the set of exercises per round. The coach said grin and bear it. I did. I think this is just a phase every cross fitter goes through. Update: feels better today with Neosporin. I am going to try wearing some training gloves from now on.

Two points: 1. I have found a solid diet of Protein and veggies eliminates carb cravings. It is the little bit of sugar in energy squares or Protein Bars that sets me off to desire more. For this reason, I have cut way back on Protein Bar consumption and usually only have 2 energy squares when waking and before working out. I am not going to eat a protein for the hell of it. there needs to be a very good reason. Typically, the sugar amount is small (2-3 g), but enough to spark the desire for more. Low glycemic carbs do not trigger This desire. I do not eat dairy, breads and only the occasional fruit (blueberry). No sweets also. I am very particular about when I eat complex carbs per point 2. 2. The best complex carb i have found that is low on the glycemic index has been cooked steel cut oats. My wife helps me out by making a big batch about once a week. We put about 1/2 cup in each Baggie. I have 1 serving every morning when I get up mixed with about 40 G Protein powder. Yummy! I also have 1 serving about 1.5 hours before daily cross fit mixed with 25 g of protein powder. It is perfect for gassing up the tank before working out and also before taking on the work day. Highly recommended.

You are doing absolutely great Laura. Keep up the awesome fitness work. Remember just a few months you were an observer of fitness and now you are an active participant with your mountain biking and running. Look how far we have come. We are all moving forward towards our individual goals. Every day is a new day to try something new.

+7 miles today (11,200 m) with running and rowing combo for 83 total. Workout today: Warmup 1600 m run 3 rounds of 20 pull-ups, push-ups and sit-ups Mobility and stretching For time: 2000 m run 2000 m row 20 box jump (24 inch) 20 thrusters @ 125 lb 20 burpee pull ups 20 power cleans @ 175 lb 20 hand stand push-ups 20 kettle bell swings @ 70 lb 20 toes to bar 20 dead lifts @ 175 lb 20 jerks @ 175 lb 2000 m row 2000 m run Cool down: 1600 m run Finished in 38.5 minutes. This is easily one of the most challenging cross fit workouts I have done thus far. Burpee pull-ups and hand stand push-ups were new, and surprise, I actually could do them. It was weird. just a couple days ago i was lamenting over how weak i was at strict pullups. I think burpee pull-ups are easier than strict pull-ups because the back muscles activate more explosively. I also learned some key points about efficiency on some of these other movements by watching YouTube videos late last night. For example, kipping the handstand push-ups to drive momentum with the hips, using a hook grip and not looking up at the bar for faster burpee pull-ups and resting at the top of a box jump instead of the bottom in order to " bounce " through a set of box jumps. Less energy is wasted. My wife gave me some efficiency tips on rowing faster by really driving the power through the legs. It made a huge difference and allowed me to do 2000 m fast without killing my upper body. This is my 3 rd crossfit day in a row and am wondering if I should take tomorrow off or go all the way through Friday and take Saturday and Sunday off as active rest days. Starting to get the old man aching body feeling when I get up ( dissipates by mid morning after some bouts of stretching, fish oil, etc. also noting rib cage is starting to ache around the parameter due to inflammation, even though I am taking a tbsp of fish oil every morning. Just trying to figure out how to play the cross fit workout schedule as this is my first week of open gym (unlimited access). I feel i could do a workout tomorrow and friday, but do know the importance of rest. darn it, love pushing myself too much to take a day off. What would you do?

So I did another cross fit session today where one of the segments was Tabata WOD (8 rounds: 20 seconds on, 10 second break): Pull-ups: 45 Push-ups: 102 Sit-ups: 122 Air squats: 150 I RXd the Tabata WOD with a good total rep count, but still am struggling to get my pull-up numbers up. For those who are really into muscle anatomy, what muscles are allowing me to kill push-ups and which muscles are causing a much faster failure rate on pull-ups. After a while, I cannot lift my body above arms at 90 degrees from a hanging start. I am really good at planks and can hold them for 5-6 minutes. What muscles are helping me hold these planks? I assume they are the same ones used in push-ups. Besides just practicing rote pull-ups, is there a smarter way to get better at these? Perhaps some isolation technique I can practice off the bar? I thought about handstands, but these do not appear to work the same muscles. I want to figure out why I am failing always when my arms get to 90 degrees (after 10-15 successful executions). Is it my biceps that are weak? Also did a split jerk WOD and running during the session after doing the usual warmup routine and mobility segments.

I am going to get me a pair of reebok cross fit nano shoes the next time my shoe budget materializes. If it materializes... Note: wife can have 100 pair of shoes, but it is like pulling teeth to go buy a pair for me. http://www.amazon.com/Reebok-CrossFit-Charged-Green-Gravel-White-Athletic/dp/B008KED0LY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1378859176&sr=8-3&keywords=crossfit+shoes Oh and +4 miles today for 76. 9th day of running. As alluded to at the beginning of this thread, I found it hard to sustain 10 miles of running a day and an hour of cross fit. I will try for 5 miles a day outside of daily cross fit (which killed me today in a HIIT way. ). In the strength portion I did PR +40 lb @ 390 today for 3-2-1 back squat sets. I grunted like a beast getting out of the deep squat @ max.

Curvy - I am doing overhand pull-ups. My understanding from reading supple leopard on pull-ups is that one needs to really squeeze the gluts, hold a strong core in a hollowed body position with feet together pointing forward to create the right amount of torque to get that chin over the bar. I do not think I am doing most of these items which is causing failure too quickly from bad form. So much to learn...

Thanks Tally! These are really helpful. I am going to get to work on these tools starting today.

Yes, I think that is a legitimate concern. My only point above was bougie size is information the surgeon's team never revealed in all the post op meetings. Nor did I find out a goal weight (I chose what made sense - center of normal BMI).

Thanks for posting the article! Most of that happened to me when I first started.

Ran another 3 miles at cross fit putting today's total at 7. If I added up right, my total is 72 so far of running /walking.

Mine has to be resistance by muse. Rise up and resist what we thought was best for us.

I never have found out about my bougie size, even 14 months out. The only indicator I have is I can eat about 5 oz protein comfortably. At 1 month out, it was 1-2 oz comfortably. At 3 months, it was about 3-4 oz comfortably. Not sure it makes any sense to go back and ask now. Water under the bridge. If I find out they did a 44 on me, what, am I going to ask them to redo it with a 34? I do not think so...

I ran 4 miles yesterday in the morning, but also did an unconventional contribution to this challenge: helping my SIL move. Lifting heavy furniture and walking about 3 miles worth over 5 hours with hill. Up and down. Up and down. Let me tell you, I was drugged tired yesterday evening. Maybe low on electrolytes, carbs or both, but all I wanted to do was go into a deep slumber at 5 pm. Still sore today. I guess moving uses a lot of new muscles. dunno, felt like a lot of squats, deadlifts and biceps curls to me. I ran 4 miles this morning and will be going to crossfit this afternoon.

I found this article today on the subject of being skinny fat by accident. It was so informative that I want to share it with you: http://www.functionalfitmag.com/blog/2012/01/31/top-10-ways-skinny-fat/ Let me know your thoughts on it. Quite a number of the items are common, but some you would not suspect as being causes of the skinny fat syndrome. I had issues with too much cardio and no lifting when initially reaching goal at 7 months post op. I was skinny fat. Not so much anymore, but there are still areas for improvement around my belly button.

Ha! Isn't that just like the Internet for you (lifting pictures). Apologies to anyone offended for posting this article as it appears content is in poor form. Stick to Inclusion of weights with your cardio program as well as a nutritional diet focusing on a balance of macronutrients and you should be in good form to shield yourself more against the angst of skinny fat syndrome due to rapid deterioration of muscle.

Yeah, yeah. It wasn't meant to win any Pulitzer Prizes. I just found it interesting. There is something to be said about too much cardio though. It will eat away at your muscles. Cardio in moderation is fine.

3 miles of walking on Saturday and 2 miles of running today with strength training Workout. Surprisingly, some body aches that I thought were "normal" went away when I took Friday and Saturday off from serious fitness. Tomorrow is going to be the start of pure cross fit (3 days on, 1 day off) for next 6 months (will pretty much stop all at home workouts). I am excited! I will continue to put in the running miles as a recreational activity. I will probably reduce to 5 a day outside of running done in crossfit WOD.

Protein drinks do not fill me up at 13 months like they used to at 1 month. Unfortunately, that is just a natural consequence of the stomach healing up. The exception is my casein protein drink at bedtime because I make it very thick, like a pudding or even paste, by increasing the protein to between 50-60 g for 10-12 ounces of water. One strategy I have when hunger strikes is to eat a protein stick or something that is lean protein and about 1-2 ounces. I never have a problem with calories when eating protein to satisfy hunger, even if every 2 hours. Sometimes even 1 hour after last " meal." I eat to fuel. If I am hungry, I am going to eat to fuel the metabolism and stay anabolic.

GT - is reverse 5:2 going to be safe for you given your limited access to high quality nutritional food sources? You would probably need to also consider increased supplementation of Vitamins and minerals, but again, your deployment may make it difficult to source them consistently. Here is a short discussion on reverse 5:2 after a very quick search: http://www.minimins.com/5-2-fasting/310609-5-2-diet-johnsons-up-down-days.html Do you think doing a reverse 5:2 will be safe for you?

Here is something that has really helped me out starting this last week. It is the real deal and has helped me eliminate fat from those stubborn locations. For me, this is in the tummy area. Another VST member gave me the tip on the sweet sweat. Sweet sweat: creates a little mini sauna where ever you apply it. It looks and feels a lot like Vaseline, but has a sweet aroma. There are antioxydants in this product that help draw the toxins out of the stored fat. Amazing product. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001EN14CA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1376259663&sr=8-1π=SL75 McDavid wrap: a cloth wrap the really holds in your core section. With the application of sweet sweat under it, you have then ideal set up to tighten up the mid section as the fat literally drips off you as the skin is drawn tighter. You can almost smell the burn during your workout. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000UVVX28/ref=aw_1st_sims_1?pi=SL500_SS115 I found the mcdavid wrap on Amazon as I was researching the sweet sweat. By the way, the wrap and sweet sweat have worked really well this last week since I have begun to use it. I have lost a couple inches of waist and really tightening up. Big time! Love it! I get a ton of sweat after taking off the wrap following a workout. It is almost measured in cups. Lol. The wrap also provides wonderful core stability and lower back support. With the mcdavid, it has helped me do 20 unassisted pull ups for the first time and 200 toe to bar this last week. Both require strong core. I blew my trainer away. I know a lot of you are probably rolling your eyes or laughing, but results speak for themselves. Being able to get a tight mid section and avoid the need for a TT is completely worth it. Not to mention the amazing core stability the wrap provides is completely worth it. I lost 180 lbs and my mid section is the only place where I have lose skin. Maybe I should use past tense because it is almost no more. Completely amazing. My wife also noticed the difference in my tummy area when I asked if she noticed anything. I did not prompt her to what I had done or even that I felt I had lost a couple inches. She saw it for herself and commented based on observation alone. The wrap sits right under your shirt, tight against your skin. Hardly noticeable in the mirror except that you also have a flat mid section. Oh yeah. Folks, do what you need to do to help achieve your vanity goals as a post op. We know vanity is not everything,but it is important to both men and women next to health and fitness as a VSG post op. Avoid TT surgery if you can. It will save you so much money, pain, recovery time and permanent scars.