mcgreen

you look great! congrats! thank you for sharing those photos!

Salsa- you are TINY! congrats! I'm sorry you are feeling so bad however- try to increase the amount of fluids you are drinking and GO SLOW- sitting to standing; standing to walking and that may help with the dizziness.

I have a bodybugg and have found what the machines say I'm burning vs what the bodybugg says I'm burning are VERY different. For the eliptical to give me the "accurate" bodybugg reading (and I put that in quotes because the bodybugg isn't 100% accurate- I think its in the 80-90% range) I have to put a weight in of 110 lbs!!!! There is a benefit of these walk/runs- there is data that high intensity interval training where you go moderate intensity (fast walk) with bursts of high intensity (run) can increase your metabolism long beyond your workout so try not to get fixated on what the machine is saying you are burning. did week 3 day 1 today. The second 3 minute jog was not easy. I was able to finish and my heart rate came back down very fast but this week may be the one I need to repeat before week 4's 5 minute jogs. I'll see how I feel at the end of the week. happy running everyone!

don't stress about the weight gain! It's likely water weight- when you are sick your body produces all sorts of inflammatory cytokines that can screw with fluid retention! Glad you are feeling better (I agree with you about week 2) :biggrin: Bonnie- good for you for pacing yourself! Its better to do that then get frustrated and burn out. congrats on the 10k! whosya lyn- there is some good info about treating/preventing shinsplints on the coolrunning website feel better!

I'm staying on plan today because every day I wake up wanting to eat crap (chips, cake, pizza, etc) and if I gave into it I'd weigh 340 lbs again

Bonnie- yea for finishing week 1! Definitely don't move ahead until you are ready :thumbup: I have to say that I feel ready for week 3 but I look ahead to run 3 of week 5 and it SCARES me - eek! 20 minutes pure running! I need not to read ahead happy week (whatever week you are on!) of couch to 5k!

congrats on making through that day full of tempting foods! Hopefully you will adjust quickly to this new diet and it will become a habit like bandster eating keep up the good work!

What a FABULOUS NSV for you both! Glad you had a great time!

Hi Harvest- don't feel bad! For 38 years I considered "exercise" a four letter word! After banding (may 07) I was 295 lbs and horribly out of shape. About 2-3 weeks after surgery I started by walking at night. I would first go for 20 minutes and then slowly built up an additional 5 minutes a week 3-4 times a week. I joined a gym in July 07 and had been losing weight so exercise was a bit easier. I started on the eliptical and to do 30 minutes almost killed me but I kept with it. Don't expect to run marathons at first! Heck, I can barely run now but I am in so much better shape than I was a year ago. I do 45 min- 1 hour of cardio 5-6 days a week and spend an additional 3 hours per week doing resistance work with a personal trainer. Now I actually miss exercise if I skip a day. Then, not so much. The way I got into the habit (and it took about 6 months for me doing it on a regular basis to have it be something I missed) was scheduling it like I would a doctor's appointment etc. For me, that meant getting up before work so I had no excuses to be too tired etc when I got home. After all, I was willing to put my health at risk for an operation, wouldn't I want to do everything possible to get the best results! Start slow, give yourself some slack but stick to it and it will be another habit that becomes second nature (like not drinking during meals!) good luck!!!

Renewedhope and Wendy- feel better!!!! Bonnie- congrats on exercising while you are traveling! Its always a challenge for me to keep exercise and diet on track when I travel- yea you! Did run 3 of week 2 today- no major issues except my hamstrings were sore going into it from my personal trainer session on Friday (yes, my insane trainer worked on the 4th). They were tight at first (even with stretching) but by the end they'd loosened up.

and heck- I meant spinach was full of potassium! it is full of calcium too :thumbup: It's hard ignoring people's comments- even when they are well intentioned. I've had people tell me to stop losing weight as well because they can see my ribs. I want to pull down my shorts and show them my fat heiny and ask if they still feel the same way!

that's GREAT! congrats on your time :eek: I'd have run fast too to speed by those donuts :thumbup:

gosh that is hard- one suggestion is to join a gym with extended hours (if you can) and get up before the family does. I get up at 415 so I can exercise before work- it isn't ideal but it might help. also when your daughter is in dance class- maybe you could wear your jogging shoes and go for a walk/run nearby while class is ongoing? I think most of us think our exercise has to be done at one time but any extra activity you do during the day adds up- (thank you bodybugg! for teaching me that) good luck! (I live in houston and am very sympathetic to the heat/humidity- august and september are MISERABLE! even my dogs don't want long walks those months! :thumbup: )

glad to read you are doing so well! You've been a great source of support and inspiration for many on this board :thumbup:

Hang in there fellow may bandster! I was reading your blog- do you think some of it (and this applies to me so I'm suggesting rather than 'diagnosing') has to do with the way you mentally feel about yourself? I find that even though I've lost all this weight, I still feel fat and that has to come across to others in some way (I guess). Hopefully as I get more confident that I look externally good, that mental image will shift. I've noticed that I'm much more confident now than I have been in the past and its reflected back to me in my interactions with others. As we accept ourselves as normal weight/thin, maybe that will also come across? anyway- you are HOT! (saw your photos) so don't be discouraged by people putting you in the friend category. It won't last long :thumbup:

Hi Karey- if they let you eat raw spinach with this diet, that's full of Calcium and might meet your handful of salad requirement at lunch :thumbup: Love how you talk about the LB helping you stay where you need to be- I think that's one of its greatest benefits, not only does us help to lose but maintain as well. My weight was stable for almost 6 months until I got the motivation to start really pushing to get it off. This last 20 will be the hardest for all of us. When we were morbidly obese, losing 10-20 lbs was only a small % of body weight. Now, its much higher and I think it will be harder. You can do it! we all can do it! Paulax! So happy you reached goal! And its GREAT to hear that you felt the last 20 made the biggest difference. I remember how frustrating it was at first- I'd lose freaking 30 lbs and barely drop a size but closer to goal even 5 lbs can knock you down a size :eek: happy 4th yall!

glad you are doing well and YEA for getting rid of Jabba! :thumbup:

that's great you are on week 4! the last time I did this, I got to week 3 and my foot gave out. Actually I started out on the thread with daddy! However he's now a triathelete and I'm worried about week 3 :tt1: thanks for the advice and support! looks like everyone is working hard! The first time I tried this I was?? 30-40 lbs heavier than I am now and in worse shape- I currently do the eliptical and some stairmaster 5-6 days a week 45 min - 1 hour. This time is easier but my heart rate is still getting up there. I'm finding that its dropping very fast back to normal during my walk. Finished week 2, day 2 today. I actually lost track of time (not using the podcast) and ran 2 minutes for my last segment instead of the 90 secs! :thumbup: I am finding that having a pair of shoes chosen for me by a running store is really helping- if you are able to, consider going to a place where they have employees trained to look at gait (how you walk) and guide you to a good pair of shoes everyone is doing great!!!

I know EXACTLY how you feel! The bodybugg will help- even cutting back 100-200 calories and moving a little more will get the weight off gradually :thumbup:

good luck to you all! Karey- I've been reading about the HCG diet and it is very intriguing- I'm looking forward to reading about your progress- I know you can do the diet! Think back to how restrictive the diet is preband and post band - those weeks will make this hopefully seem like (for lack of a non food word) ... CAKE! I'm 21 away from a normal body weight for my height. My PS told me I don't need to lose more weight (having a LBL and BL in the fall; need inner thighs and arms as well) but I have a hard time believing he's going to cut away 21 lbs so I'm going to try to lose 10 more and see how things go post op. you all can do it!

great news!

becky- congrats on your weightloss! sorry you are having skin issues also

best wishes to you- you are going to look even more smokin hot than you are now!

PowerBar: POWERBAR® PRIA®: FAQs I get mine at Kroger; most grocery stores here (houston) carry them but only kroger has the lemon crisp (my favorite flavor)

I exercise at 5 am so I need something to help replete my stores post work out but my band is pretty tight in the morning- I drink a glas of skim milk around 730 and then around 9 I'll have a power bar pria (110 calories) and I'm good until 1 or so