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Have you tried increasing GABA naturally through eating? Kefir, shrimp, oolong tea, kimchee, kombucha, etc. are all high in GABA. I've been doing a lot of research into using fermented foods (like kimchee and kombucha) to improve my thyroid (I have Hashimotos). I also have sleeping issues and was excited that a lot of the same foods are naturally high in GABA. I also use Ambien. I'm in the process of trying to stop using it totally. I'm down to a 2.5 mg dose once a week and a 5mg dose once every other week. I wasn't addicted to it, but I love being able to lay down and just go to sleep. My problem is my brain won't shut down and I can't get to sleep.

Surgery date 1/17/13 Starting weight 265 Current weight 187 Pounds lost 78 Height 5'11" BMI. 26.1 Goal weight/size 175 or 8/10 Pounds left to goal 12 Size 12 Tops XL/L (damn arms) Running 3.5 miles

You are looking awesome!! I would kill to have your skinny arms. I will probably end up having plastics eventually on mine, but keep hoping they will shrink. You've also got thigh gap. I never knew that "thigh gap" was a thing until recently. There are dozens of Tumblr blogs about it. How to achieve it, how to fake it, etc.

I am so excited... I set a PR for my pace this morning. My new running buddy was awesome. She had never run for longer than 30 min and she did 45 min this morning with me pushing her to go further. I ran faster than I've ever run before because her pace was faster than I usually run. My pace was 12:47 for 3.6 miles. Set a PR for 5K at 39 min. My previous fastest was 42min. I am beyond thrilled.

I'm at 87 miles for the month. I was sick last week and missed a few days of running. I'm going to get on the bike today so that I hit the 100 by the end of the day tomorrow. Thanks to BTB for starting this thread!

Yep. I stalled out the first week when I started. One thing that can cause it is not increasing your water intake. Weigh yourself before and after you run. For every pound of weight loss (from sweating) drink 16-24 ounces more water. My normal intake is 64 ounces. I lose 2 pounds when I run, so I have to drink at least 96 ounces on running days. If I don't, I stall.

My gastroenterologist told me to take Miralax every day. It's an osmotic, which means it draws Water into the digestive tract. I wouldn't recommend Smooth Move (contains senna) for long term or even regular use, but I have used it every few weeks in the past. I have chronic issues that the surgery has made worse. The only long term solution that has worked for me is a smoothly that was recommended to me by an acupuncturist. 1/2 cup papaya (I buy a whole one and cut it up and freeze it) 1/4 cup aloe vera juice 4 prunes 1/4 cup of juice (anything you have on hand. I use cranberry or apple) Blend in a blender. You may need to add a little bit of water to make it blend better. Add stevia or Splenda if it's not sweet enough. The whole thing will have about 150 calories. I love the taste of it. After 3 or 4 days you will be going like clockwork!

Welcome aboard! Also keep an eye out for the October 100 mile challenge. I'll post a link when it's up. The September thread was amazing. Everyone made such huge accomplishments.

Everyone is doing so awesome! Great to see new faces in here! Getting back on the program after being sick all week. I ran 45 min straight last Sunday, so it'll be interesting to see how well I do tomorrow morning. Also, so excited that I'm going to be meeting a new running buddy for the first time. We met through a Facebook group for half marathon training. She's a little bit faster, but I can run further so I hope we'll be able to help each other.

Awesome!! Congratulations! Can't wait for you to join us on the losers bench.

Weigh yourself before and after running. For ever pound you lose drink an extra 16-24 ounces of water. Besides getting dehydrated, not drinking extra when you are exercising strenuously will slow your weight loss.

How much extra water are you drinking on days that you run?

7 miles today for a total of 72 miles!

I haven't tried it, but http://www.coachmyride.com is one.

All of us on this thread were in your shoes not long ago! It's amazing how you can progress if you just stick with it. All of us have had to repeat days or weeks. All of us have had bad running days where we couldn't go any further. Just like with losing weight, the key to C25K is persistence. I've gone from struggling to finish one minute of running to not wanting to stop after running for 45 minutes. I've also lost 78 pounds during that time period.

I was also hoping this surgery would magically fix all my body pain. I have Hashimotos, Fibromyalgia, and a few other autoimmune disorders. The other reason I wanted to lose weight was to keep my weight from being brought up as a reason for my pain. Doctors are so bad about saying if you lose weight you'll feel better. I have lost 78 pounds and I'm running 3 times a week, but still in pain. I think I remember reading that you have hypothyroidism, but can't remember if it was Hashis? Many docs are now saying that 90% of patients with hypo do have Hashis. I've been doing an enormous amount of reading on it to try to find a solution to my issues. I have never gotten any relief for my thyroid symptoms from taking Synthroid and getting my TSH to the low end of normal. I am frustrated that I still have a tremendous amount of hair loss, cold hands/feet, dry skin, losing the outer part of my eyebrows, severe brain fog, lack of concentration, slow weight loss, etc. I've started going to an acupuncturist that specializes in guiding Hashimotos patients through bloodwork and supplements to help decrease symptoms. Although the acupuncture seems to help, he has said that my solution lies with western medicine, not eastern. He recommended the book "Stop the Thyroid Madness". There's also a pretty good Facebook group called Hashimotos 911. Based on my bloodwork, I am adding some T3 hormone, sublingual Vit D, slow release Iron, and magnesium. Have you had your Vitamin D and iron levels checked since your surgery? I have trouble absorbing Vit D from food and the prescription supplement that I take is not absorbing as well as it did before surgery. I have had to add some sublingual Vit D. The pain that I get is deep and aching. Since I've added the sublingual, I'm not in as much pain. My endo got me up to 35 on the Vit D levels (I was at 11!), but according to my research, I need to be above 80 to be at the optimal levels.

63 miles total for me (26 miles running and 37 miles walking). Ran for 45 min straight today. Only 11 more days in September!

Much better run today after bonking on Tuesday. I ran for 45 min straight. It seems like it's so much easier to add time to my run than it did at the beginning. Just two weeks ago I was only able to run 30 min. I've added 15 minutes in two weeks. Not planning on continuing to do that, but it feels like a great accomplishment. Meanwhile, I lost 4 pounds this week! How awesome is that! I'm only 12 pounds from my goal weight (175). I'm going to see how things feel when I get there and decide if I'm going to go any lower. I'm 5'11" and currently wearing a size 12 or 14. 175 will put me at a normal BMI, but I'd like some wiggle room. I love reading about everyone's accomplishments... keep up the great work!

Aw thanks! All it takes is persistence. I started when I was around 235 (1 month after surgery). I did a 5K in May running/walking in intervals and finished in 45 minutes. I got sick right after that and started back in July. The key for me is signing up for a race so that I have the motivation to keep going. I have a lot of health issues to deal with (Hashimotos, Fibro, osteoarthritis, chondromalacia, etc.) and have had multiple surgeries on my right knee. I'm finding it's getting easier, but I still have some days that are really rough (yesterday). I don't try to beat anyone to the finish line... just finishing is how I win If you're interested you'll find lots of support on the "Started 'Couch to 5k today' Anyone keen?" thread.