Kathybad

Jeannie... I usually walk on my between days. I take the dog for a brisk walk or take the kids with me and walk a bit slower. On those days we go to the playground, so there's always running involved (playing with the kids). Not exactly a cardio workout... but it is movement. I've searched online for some home based strength training ideas and have put together a beginner program for myself. I'm going to start it tomorrow. I'm also going to go look for that book that Whosya suggested. After dinner today we took the kids for a long walk and ended up in the park. We brought the soccer ball with us and spent about 20 min. running around playing soccer. So here's my NSV... last summer, I would have sat on the bench and watched my DH play soccer with the kids, as I wouldn't have been able to participate much more than the "stand and kick" role. Tonight, I was running, kicking, chasing, and running, running, running! At the end, I wasn't even winded. I could have continued for a lot longer!!!

Ok, where to start... Mamato... take each day one at a time, or even moment to moment! We're here to listen, so log in whenever you have a few minutes for the support. What you are facing right now is monumental, and takes priority over everything else... so no outcast thoughts... you're one of us! Whosya... WTG! Excellent time and even with a flat tire. BTW, how's the bike now! What is the distance on each leg of the triathalon? I've always wondered how far you have to swim and bike! Smith... slow down your speed, then you'll have more endurance to go longer. My DH, who's been running for years, runs at 6mph and up to 7.5 for a sprint... it took him awhile to get there... so slow down! Right now you want to concentrate on increasing your time, not your speed. Go to our first page of posts for the podcast download, which makes it easier. In case you miss the post... as pages build, here's the links. The following links are to the podcast that most of us use and the interval schedule it follows. Enjoy. http://www.djsteveboy.com/1day25k.html http://www.djsteveboy.com/1day25koutline.html We took the kids to Toronto yesterday for the day. It's only a 2hr drive away, and was a last minute plan. We called my DH's Aunt to see if we could hook up with her, but she was busy. So we went to Chinatown first. Took a long walk through there, seeing all the different vendors, foods, gadgets, people watched, etc. Then went for a late lunch to our favourite Chinese BBQ Noodle house. We used to live in Toronto, so have some familiar places to go. It was excellent. My son is not adventurous, but will try different things when we're out... so he tried BBQ duck, wonton soup, dim sum and seafood with noodles. Our daughter will eat anything, and is so happy and friendly that she draws people to her. At this particular restaurant, they seat you with anyone... so we were at a table for 8, and there were 2 other couples at our table. They were Chinese and spoke very little English. Sarah won them over... so they were giving her all sorts of food to try. It was hillarious. She tried congee (kind of like a rice soup... I love it in the Winter), sticky rice, chicken feet, cuttle fish and something else I'm not sure what it was. It was hillarious! Even one of the cooks came over to say hi and offer the kids a sweet. In this restaurant, we were the only caucasion people in there, so we kind of stuck out. However, since we used to live in Toronto, we'd been there so many times that they remembered us... so we were like welcomed back friends. Its funny how so much changes... but then so many things stay the same. It was the same wait staff and chefs as when we lived there 7 years ago! After lunch we went to a Chinese bakery and got some cakes, buns and cookies to go. Then we went down to this beautiful parkland by the lake (Lake Ontario) and walked all through this park. It was filled with meadows, water ways, beach front and parkland. Lovely! We stopped and had our dessert and then continued our walk. We didn't get home until 11pm... the poor dog was crossing her legs when we got home! LOL! What a nice day!

Lyn... NEVER STOP POSTING!!!! You are such an inspriation. Laughter is such good medicine! LITE... I'm in! Luluc... I don't need as much sleep anymore either. I used to crave my naps on the weekend, but now when the kids and DH lay down, I stay up and do stuff. I'm still not a morning person... never will be... but I feel as tired throughout the day. Your goals sound great! Georgia... I love your thought of working in a gym. In my old gym there was a staff person who was heavy, and she was such a motivator for everyone. She started when she was 100+ overweight and achieved her goal within 18 months. She was then the go to person for everyone who wanted motivation and weight loss tips. Excellent idea! Well no running for me today, as I'm off with the family on a trip to Toronto for the day. We're going to visit DH's Aunt and then go to Chinatown for dinner... YUMMY!!! Then to our favourite areas to walk around. Spontaneous trip idea... I love these trips! Have fun everyone... talk to you tomorrow.

My ultimate goal is to run a 5k without stopping!!! Ok, so my goals aren't too lofty! Once I achieve that, I'm not sure if I want to run longer or not. So if I can do that, I'll be happy. Then I'll plan to run the 5k 3-4 x per week... maybe train the dog to run with me. My ultimate non-fitness goal is to not have my legs rub together, not have my knees hurt when I climb stairs (not necessarily weight related, so might never happen) and enter a room wearing a hot outfit and drawing all the attention... in a good way! Not too lofty... lol How will I celebrate... by dropping a lot of money on some new clothes! I've been on a cruise... very nice, but DH doesn't like them. Carribean vacations are not fun with 2 kids along, so won't be doing that!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh, I needed that one! My husbands 2 sayings... or "mantras" are: "happy wife, happy life" and "smile & nod"... so I guess mine could be "what he doesn't know..."

Thanks Whosya... I'll look for it!

Whosya... Ok... here's your cheering section! YEAH!!! Make sure you post YOUR pictures you hunk! LOL, my DH would kill me for that one!

Do any of you do strength training? If so, what do you do, how often, etc. Are there any website resources you can recommend? I don't have a gym membership, so will have to do stuff at home. But I want to start because I think it will help build my strength and tone me more. I have an exercise ball, bands (big elastics with handles), hand weights and a bar. Any advice???

Tootie... WTG on week 3! You'll do great on week 4! Keep it up. I did my run, and unfortunately today was "matter over mind". My body just couldn't do it! About 1 min into my run, I knew I didn't have the energy to sustain it. Despite eating the right foods ahead of time... I had the nutrition, just my body is weak right now (TOM). I pushed myself to do 5 min run, 1 min walk, 5 min run, then struggled through the rest to finish a 30 min session. I ran a total of 14 min, so still pretty good when compared to last year pre-band (LOL)! I think I'm going to give my body the weekend to rest and go back to the start of week 5, rather than trying to keep going for the 20 min run.

Excellent news Georgia! Well, I'm going for my next attempt at 20 min! I'm going to eat some lunch, then go at it again. This time, my head is telling me that 20 min is my mark... not 13, not 15... 20! Mind over matter! LOL

Georgia... WTG!!! I'm so glad you were able to run today. I'm crossing my fingers for your knee tomorrow!!! Thanks for the comments! I had a tough day... I got the big time stress eating munchies and downed a bowl of ice cream and some "healthy" cookies. But, again... my band saved me! I love my band. In the past, it would have been a full on binge that wouldn't have stopped there... it would have gone on and on. Today, when I logged everything on TDP, it still was within my calorie goals! Now I know its out of my system and tomorrow I'll be fine! Goodnight everyone, and keep up the great work!

I had a doctor's appt today and didn't look when they weighed me!!! I told them I didn't want to know! I realize I could have found out and it would have been fine... but its a different scale, different time of day, and it just would have bothered me. So, I'm still in the scale challenge until Sept 5th.

jbrad... here's my answers... not that I'm "Experienced" by any means, just a little farther along... What time of day is best for you to run, moring or evening? - I'm not a morning person... I like my sleep! So I prefer to run in the midafternoon. I can do this right now, as I'm out of work. When I do get back to work, I will probably run at night. Do you eat before or after? - Both. I eat something about 20 - 30 minutes prior to running. Usually a yogurt, some fruit, or a light lunch. Once its digested enough so its not bouncing around in my stomach, I can run. Then right after the run, I drink a glass of milk (thanks Georgia!). That tastes great right afterwards and helps me recover. Then I'll have a balanced snack with carb and protein, like a shake, a Lean Cuisine meal or a protein/fibre bar. Do you run outside or on a treadmill? - I run on my treadmill, but once I'm running more steadily, and don't look like such a dork (or look like I'm ready to have a heart attack), I plan to start running occasionally outside. My DH (been running for years) prefers to run outside, but in this heat he runs inside. The only other bit of advice... don't let your head talk you out of doing something. By that I mean, don't let your negative thoughts convince you that you can't do the run. Hope that helps!

Renewed... Yeah!!! What was your distance? At 5 mph, you'd be completing 5k in about 37 minutes! So you're almost there!!! BTW, I agree with you to move it forward. If you know you can run it, mise well go for it... just don't overdo it... like you would ever do that! LOL

Serenity... modifications work too!!! Sounds like you have the right plan going. Renewed... I'm glad the family is nice and you feel good about them. I'll keep you in my prayers all weekend and on Tuesday as your family transitions. Way to go on the run! You're going to hit your "Graduation Day" next week! Congrats! Mamato... My thoughts and prayers are with you right now. Hang in there. I don't know much about MRSA, but if they know what it is, they must know how to treat it, and he will heal up. Take care, and enjoy your time to unwind with your running.

Wow, it's been slow today! I did my run, and made some improvement over Monday. I ran the total 20 min, but had to stop to catch my breath a few times, so walked in between for a min at a time. So I did: 13 run; 1 walk; 3 run; 1 walk; 2 run; 1 walk; 2 run; cool down. I felt really good up until about 12:45, then I just couldn't catch my breath. I think it was a bit psychological, because I set my goal at 13 min, so my body gave me all it had until then. I notice that after I stop the first time, I have a hard time keeping it going after that... hence all the short runs. Lyn, I tried your breathing advice "in - TWO" and IT WORKED!!! I kept doing it whenever I couldn't really catch my breath and it really helped!!! THANKS!!! It also helped that I ran at a slower pace. Instead of the 4.5, I ran at 4.3 and I could sustain it longer. Oh, I love my running. It makes me feel so much stronger, and has helped me deal with my stress!

Ok, since I didn't make the full 20 min last time, I'm going to continue with the "Quest for 20" by running until I have to stop. I did 11 minutes last time, so if I can make it to 13, I'll be happy. However, my energy level is really low right now, so not sure if I'll make it or not? I spent yesterday at the hospital getting my eye checked out... apparently I have "pink eye", which is no big deal. I've had it before when my son was young. But since neither of the kids have it, and I don't know where I got it, they wanted to do some tests to make sure it wasn't something else. Well, now I know my eyes are great... except for the pink eye. 3 different doctors checked them out, so I had drops in on 3 different times.... Yuck!

Mamato... hugs and support being sent your way! I'm so sorry for the ordeal you will be facing, but so happy the surgury was a success. I was thinking about you and your DH on Monday, hoping he'd come through with less pain. I know his recovery is going to be slow and the burden will fall to you, but at least he is on the path to recover. Stay strong, and unload on us whenever you feel like it! Bonnie... let it go! Beating up on yourself is the fast road to giving up, so forgive yourself and keep on runnin'

I started with a BMI of about 44. I've been banded for over a year and have lost almost 70 lbs. Slower than some, faster than others, but all around pretty good. Especially since I really didn't stress over it. I just let the band work for me. I made a committment to myself that this is a lifelong journey and I wasn't going to live on a diet the rest of my life. So I eat healthily, but don't deprive myself when I really want something. Of course, the band saves me on a regular basis, and I eat healthy about 95% of the time. But I do have an occasional glass of wine, some ice cream once in awhile, etc. My doctor believes 1-2 lbs per week is a huge success, and you get your best weight loss within the first 18 months. So don't stress over the first month or so. Plus, remember that post-op people swell and retain fluid. Once you get your first fill, it might not be enough, so you may lose slowly. Eventually you will find your sweet spot and your loss will begin. Hang in everyone. This is a lifelong journey and one to be embraced and learned... not rushed.

Lyn, your breathing technique sounds great... I think I'll try it! Tootie, you're doing great. I remember week 3. It took me all week to complete the full intervals. The first day, I didn't make it, the 2nd day I almost made it and the 3rd I did. So you're doing great to have done it the first day! Keep pushing yourself and you'll progress well.

Luluc... sorry I can't offer any advice! My typical run has me "sucking wind" so controlling my breathing means staying consiouse! Good luck on your 5k, and don't let your mind talk you out of it... you can do it! Bonnie... way to go! You are doing awesome! And the speed thing is great. Trust me, 4.0 is fine, 4.1 is great. I've been running between 4.5 down to 4.3, and can't make it as far as you. So run at whatever speed gets you there. Renewed... 31 minutes of running (28!!! + 3) that's excellent! You are going to have the greatest photo finish on your 5k. You'll be able to compare it to your last one and say "wow... look at me, how much I've improved!"

Ok, I earned that one! Thanks Leslie! :wink2: I'll listen to you!

Leslie... YEAH... you did it! Congrats. Well, as suspected, I wasn't able to do the full 20 min. I did 10-1/2 before stepping off for about 45 sec. Then I continued 2min on, 30 sec. off until the end. So I ran for a total of about 17-18 min. I'm really happy with being able to run the 10+ min. I knew I wasn't ready for the full 20 yet, and expect that it will be a few weeks before I am. My body was working against me today as well... nasty TOM! And, I found out I didn't get the job I was interviewing for, so I was a bit bummed out. Regardless... I'm thrilled that I ran that long. I think I'm going to try and run again tomorrow.

Morning All, Ok yesterday was a write off. I didn't even attempt the 20 min run. Sorry... TMI coming... My TOM kicked into high gear and there was no way I was going to run. Now that the kids and DH are gone for the day, I'm going to give it a try this morning. At least I'll have some privacy! Lyn... there is no way in the world I would have given up the scales just a few weeks post-op! So don't be confessing yet! Go ahead... weigh away! But when you're a year in like I am, then we can talk. lol

Is anyone else having problems getting onto this site? I keep getting error messages, and am wondering if its just me? Oh well... I'm here now. Today I'm going to give my 20min run a try... wish me luck! I will consider it a success if I make it to 10min!