Fiddleman

Yup - failure is getting 1/2 way through a lift and "failing" to finish it. I go to failure all the time when I am testing my 1 rep or 3 rep of the standard lifts. For me, the easiest way to failure is on the overhead press, no jerk. Anywhere from 2 1/2 lb to 5 lb increase and I will bonk out, hitting a wall. I get my arms 1/2 way up and just cannot straighten them. That is failure. The good thing about failure is it teaches your muscles to grow and get stronger. For example, my overhead press (no jerk) is 150 currently. It has taken me a couple months to go from 85 to 150 because of bonking at that wall. For dead lift, bench press and back squat, I am much stronger. I can increase more without bonking. However, I do need to always be aware of injury so do not lift into a zone of injury, especially if the weight is getting to be really heavy, like 325 on dead lift. At least I can drop at the top of a 1 rep dead lift. For 3 rep dead lift, I need to lift a little less because good form needs to be maintained through all 3 reps. Same is true if I am doing a 10 rep set. Do not lift so much you injure yourself on the way to failure.

I just tried mat under legs and pillow under lumbar. That was interesting and definitely feels good.

No idea if any have an advantage over another other than brand name. I say go cheap. I got the following zensufu package: http://www.amazon.com/Zensufu-Complete-Acupressure-Massage-Comfort/dp/B007RZJD1S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376243789&sr=8-1&keywords=Bed+of+nails

Silly question, but do you think switching out the beef for ground turkey, lamb, buffalo, boar or chicken would matter? I like to lean out the protein a little and get a little exotic, if possible. Otherwise, the recipe sounds very tasty and easy to make!

You bet! I am always happy to help my fellow VST friends.

Gamer girl- thanks a lot for responding! It sounds good. By the way, where does your user name tag (gamer girl) come from? Just a short diversion from original thread topic.

Quite frequently in the first 6 months! It was so loud an embarrassing at times. Oh and not just stomach noises, but also room filling gas (you need a dog in order to pass blame shamelessly). After that, your stomach begins to mute a bit in the production of cacophonous music. Six months seems to be a good marker when your pre sleeve anatomical response starts to return. Everything from stomach noise to body temperature to drinking rate to eating capacity starts to feel normal again. You need to be careful though to have new habits of lifestyle in place (eating, drinking, exercise) before your body completely heals in order not to revert back to pre sleeve habits. Just a little bonus information that ties in with the reduction of stomach noises after 6 months. PPI and anti acids like tums or Zantac will help you with acidic issues that trigger noise and hunger.

I have been thinking about whether it works on the legs or not. Not sure, but am open to trying it out. The pillow takes some getting used to. Sometimes it feels really awesome and other times, it feels like it is a little too spiky for the back of head. I am trying to get it to rest more on my upper shoulders and neck, but it usually ends up just touching the back of the head. I tried putting the spiky pillow under the lumbar area and that worked really well in providing extra relief not given from the mat alone. I am sure there are other ways you can use the mat and pillow, but so far I am using them as designed and getting really good results from it. The Mat does make both my arms and legs receive increased circulation, so they tend to benefit from just exposing your back to the mat.

Lynda- I believe you on the spicy spaghetti sauce. Ostrich meat sticks does this to me now where they did not cause heartburn so much before. A few tums does relieve it, but so does Prilosec. Sometimes tums is a little more convenient to take. I think heart burn / acid reflux ( same thing?) from spicy food just comes with the territory of VSG.

Low carbing is a really effective approach to melting off theweight in the first 6 months. Low as in 20-30 carb or less. However, you cannot sustain the eating style much after 6 months because it is not going to be healthy for different physical processes in your body. Once you have dropped all or most of your weight, slowly transition into the consumption of good carbs fairly low to midrange on the glycemic nd ex. Always try and eat your carbs before noon. There is better chance they will get used for energy if you eat them in the morning rather then afternoon and evening. Little tricks like his where you understand how to optimize your body cycles with regards to energy processing will make a huge difference in your long term success. Anecdotally, I ate very low carb for first 5 months where I was not very active. I had a good loss from surgery to that point. Essentially, I went from 360 to about 225. After month 5, I increased good carbs using little energy squares from nuts.com (chocolate paradise is the best). Needed these to help fuel my workouts. After month 6 I really added In good carbs from normal foods like green veggies and fruit. Had to wait until the sleeve was comfy with eating those fruits and veggies. Reached weight loss goal during month 7. In the last 2 months (month 12 and 13), I have added steel oats. This is an amazing good carb that gives you sustained energy when you are busting through a workout. Again, make good choices about which carbs you eat as well as the time of day you eat them and all will be well. I stopped really losing any weight in feb 2013 (month 7), but have still continued with my carb strategy almost daily. It has allowed me to execute on the super hard workouts necessary to reshape the body from a smaller version of my former 360 self into an inverted triangle shape strong guy who still weighs about the same amount (175-180 lb, average - 177 lb), but has much more muscle. Hard work and definitely worth it! Understanding basic nutrition, when to eat your carbs and how to eat them combined with good fat and Protein will make you a smashing success in your weight loss and body shaping conquests.

Sugar free twix would be awesome!

Doesn't this happen every time! It does not matter what you are eating, those in your family will find a reason to eat it. Shoot first, ask questions later!! Lol.

America Ninja Warrior! I want to train for that. Looks like so much fun!

Good point about under fueling for the workout. Before starting, I was telling myself, I should have had my steel cut oats with protein but too late. I had a protein shake a couple hours before working out and hydrated like crazy, as I usually do. One positive is I really push hard. To me, a workout is go hard or go home. Not worth the time unless I am consistently pushing beyond the point of comfort. Really gets my heart peaking out and the sweat is pouring off my face. Yes, I love a super hard workout. I am going to be sure to eat enough carbs before starting one though, every time, not just for my cross fit workouts but at home too.

Okie dokie, I will check with my trainer. I do not happen to think it is overtraining, but wanted to hear anecdotal experiences from other active folks.

I have tried and tried to enjoy yoga. Several times. I just find it to be quite a snooze and get bored with it. I suppose that is the point ( to be ultra relaxed with it), but it is so boring I do not really look forward to it. I have done Hatha, yin, power vinyasa and hot yoga. Again, not trying to bad mouth yoga for those that really like it. I just cannot seem to staying committed with it. Recently, I have found that a stretch my trainer refers to as good morning stretch really helps stretch lower back, ham strings, calves and Achilles' tendon. It is good. Basically you put a PVC pipe or broom stick into back squat position and bend over at the waist, chest up, head up, legs straight, back straight. It is also called a stripper stretch too, I think, because your butt is sticking up there with flat back as you bend over. Good stretch!

That is great to do the burpees. It is a really good full body exercise. One trick I have learned is when jumping up from lay on the ground, it is easiest to have your fingers splayed out on the ground rather than palms flat on the ground. You get more spring that way, in my opinion. Also spreading your feet apart a little helps in keeping the burpee execution light and quick. I started doing them from a classic push up position and found that to be way too hard after 25 or so on my way to 100. It kind of looks like you are a frog with your arms and legs splayed outward and on your on your finger tips. The hardest part is going from that frg position up and onto your feet with your feet between your hands. Then jump up, clap and back down in frog position. It really feels like two movements, up and down, once you get used to them. Before you get used to them, there are 5-6 different movements to keep track of just on the way up.

I did a follow up sleep study 3 weeks ago (1 year post op), just because I was curious where things stood between me, mr cpap and a good nights rest. The pulmonary doctor said I had 2 events during the night and anything below 5 events is considered normal. Yay! I kind of already suspected severe sleep apnea was wiped out after surgery, but it was good to get medical confirmation. Oh and those 2 events were a very slight snore in the back of my throat, hardly even audible, but the wires picked up the vibration. So snoring kicked the bucket also! Bonus!!