Fiddleman

What sort of dysmorphia do other vets deal with? Is it minor or major? I guess I have an eye for perfection. It is not causing stress, but is still slightly annoying.

It works. I think the key for me is keeping workouts between 30-60 min, no longer, including warmup, cool down and stretching. I have on average 3 hours an evening to spend with my wife, less if I have dead lines to crunch through at work. I do try and get quality sleep at night so essentially retire at 9:30 pm and am up at 5:30 am to do a quick run and then start work at 6am. I workout mid morning and mid afternoon usually. Work is usually done by 6 pm for the day. Run after dinner is new, but I am going to try it for 30 min.

I started kind of late, but added 3 miles this morning before power cardio workout and will add another 2 this afternoon before Cross fit session and 3 after dinner. Total since starting on Sunday will be 12 by end of today. I think it will work to throw in 2 miles when I wake up, 3 before morning power cardio, 2 before afternoon cross fit or at home body strength workout and another 3 after dinner. So that is about 10 a day. we will see if that is sustainable combined with usual daily workouts. Running 2-3 miles per run is relaxing at around 6.0 mph, enough to get a light sweat going but not hard in terms of cardio or that time intensive (30 min for 3 miles at 6.0 mph). That is the way I want it because my hard cardio will not come from this running.

Walking, walking and more walking. I did this consistently for about the first 2 months post op before getting into the elliptical. Typically, each walk was about 45 minutes. Sometimes we were out for 3 walks a day. Added hills and speed after a while. I remember the first walk aft coming home from the hospital. I think it was about 100 feet.

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!

http://www.nicks-sticks.com/ Any of you tried these? I ordered some as a replacement for Ostrim sticks because the Ostrim is so loaded with sodium and perhaps some other, erm, preservatives. I hope Nicks Sticks are good! Nutritional Info about Ostrim sticks I found: http://www.fooducate.com/app#page=product&id=6C68708E-1B64-11E2-83D2-1231381BA074

Those look awesome! Maybe we will have to bake up some of these and report on their taste and texture.

I think I will participate in terms of running. Currently my warmup is about 3 miles for 4 days a week and 2 miles for 2 days a week. That puts me at 16 a week or 64 in 1 month. I could add 2 miles of running after each workout to add another 48 miles over the next month. That would push it a little bit over 100 and certainly not too much cardio when split up into 2-3 mile increments before and after cross fit or power cardio (cardio with body weight exercises or light weights) at home. My body is very conditioned to running 3 mile increments without much effort (about 5 k), so it should not be a problem combining it with whatever my daily workout is.

At 13 months, I love Protein shakes! I am a weirdo. Up to 3 Protein shakes a day: 1. Breakfast - chia seed and muscle milk cake batter shake - 50 g (2 scoops) 2. Post work out - synth 6 Cookies and cream - 50 g (2 scoops) 3. Night time - ON gold standard double chocolate casein shake - 48-60 g (2-3 scoops, I like a certain consistency like pudding). The calories are high, but it does not seem to matter. My body likes it and I am able to build lean muscle while weight is staying within +-2-3 lb of current goal weight (175 lb @ 5'11") I do not always have 1 and 2 because some days I will have protein oatmeal (40 G Protein Powder mixed in) or a recovery bar like AMRAP. I do not see myself giving up protein shakes anytime soon because they are so yummy and help me hit high protein goals. I also have lean Proteins and veggies for the other 4 meals. Total of around 2000-2300 calories a day. About 30-60 min exercise a day @ 5 days a week.

I think the key is to remain mindful at all times as the others have stated above. We can not get comfortable with our success and must always stand on guard. One slip here and there may not manifest in measurable artifacts such as scale increase or softness, but repeated slips will aggregate into weight gain, and worse, feelings of disappointment and a lack of a strong foundation to stand on. Lets stay strong together and always be mindful! Happy labor lay to my American friends.

Does anyone know of a technique to relieve long term stiffness in the neck? Is it it just a matter of fixing my standing posture and chair ergonomics? Do I need to work more on strengthening my upper back muscles and mindfully relaxing the back tightness (getting better at this)? I also lift, but that is fairly new and neck muscle soreness has existed forever. I would like to fix it permanently and not just temporarily with neck exercises, hot/cold, massages, pain medicine, etc. thanks!

Here is the energy square I enjoy called chocolate paradise: http://www.nuts.com/snacks/energy-squares/chocolate-paradise.html They are really good.

Thanks for the words of solidarity around this issue. Telling ourselves that old behaviors are eradicated seems like a nice story until they start reappearing out of the blue post op. I know - it is a common theme in the vet forum. However, I do not feel like it is something that needs to be battled everyday, but when it does strike, it is time to remember why we worked so hard up until this point. Is binging really more important then losing 180 lb and becoming really fit? Hardly. I also consider myself one of the non moderation folks as one bite of the wrong food would lead to 10 bites. I have such a binary personality. on or off. black or white. there are not really any shades of gray for me. that is both an asset (strong decisions) and a liability (success or failure mentality). However, one positive I have learned about binge eating : if one can wait about 20 minutes after temptation strikes, it will lessen and finally whimper out of existence.

I think doing the 100 mile run challenge is a fabulous idea! It is going to be hard, but I guess it really depends on how you slice up an average of 25 miles a week. Are you going to do something like a 10-10-5 split for 3 x a week or perhaps 10k for 4 days a week? Sorry I will not be joining you in the form of running as it is too much cardio with regards to my lifting goals this month. However, I am wondering if I could do 500 pull up challenge instead? I know it is not running, but it would help me make some real headway on completing a large number of unassisted pull ups over the month. There would still be some kinship throughout the month among the group even though we have different physical goals. Good luck on the countdown!

Omega 3 fish oil is a good supplement to start with. Recommendation is 1000 mg active ingredients a day' date=' but I take a higher dose of 1 tbsp to help specifically with cross fit induced inflammation. Anything high in antioxidant power will help fight belly fat. Other considerations might be fruit like blueberry or blackberry (go dark and/or berry for higher antioxidant values), acai and Pom juice (careful with the calories though), high concentration veggie blends ( think: green drinks) and some Beans (kidney and green for example). And I am speaking from experience. Here is my before belly (from 5-2012): Here is my after belly (from 4-2013):

I tried to kick the PPI habit 2 days ago and it kicked me back last night. Back on it for the near foreseeable future...

Protein cookie habit is way better than the apple fritter habit, right? I need to break my energy square habit of 2 every morning. However, it gives me energy and does not cause weight gain, so all is good...

I have been experimenting with cutting out my PPI recently. We shall see if heart burn rears its ugly head. As I have said in the past, spicy foods seem to get the acid churning. Even an Ostrim stick will do it even though it is not terribly spicy.