salsa1877

It has to be prettier than my Jabba-the-Hut Belly. At least when I look down at the scar my mind will not automatically think that I still weigh 250 pounds. My excess skin makes me look WORSE than I did when I was fat. It is very mentally taxing. They could cut me open with a chain saw :scared2:but if I don't have 2 flabby rolls...I will be happy:w00t:

So I did finally make it home and with fantastic news!!!! I didn't break the 30:00 minute mark but I did run a personal best of 31:42. :thumbup::thumbup:I cut 2:48 off my last run. I felt fantastic. I ran an average of a 10:14 mile. That is ALMOST 6 miles/hour. The foot is good. I went to the EUgene Running Store and had a video analysis done of my run and we found the shoes that would work the best. They were 100$ but worth every penny. My foot didn't hurt at ALL during the run. I was #260 out of 522 overall, 132 out of 322 in females and 31 out of 53 in my age group. Not bad, not bad. I was very proud of myself considering I had to come up with alternate training this week. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures:thumbdown: They changed the course and didn't tell people until this morning and I couldn't get word to DH so he was standing in the wrong location and by the time he figured it out he wasn't able to get to the finish line in time. He was REALLY dissappointed, but there will be other runs. Fortunately the half-marathon in June starts and ends in the same location so he won't have to worry about getting from one place to another. I have another 5K race June 1st in the town up the road that I am going to do, and training starts again on Tuesday.

So I did finally make it home and with fantastic news!!!! I didn't break the 30:00 minute mark but I did run a personal best of 31:42. :sad::thumbup::thumbup:I cut 2:48 off my last run. I felt fantastic. I ran an average of a 10:14 mile. That is ALMOST 6 miles/hour. The foot is good. I went to the EUgene Running Store and had a video analysis done of my run and we found the shoes that would work the best. They were 100$ but worth every penny. My foot didn't hurt at ALL during the run. I was #260 out of 522 overall, 132 out of 322 in females and 31 out of 53 in my age group. Not bad, not bad. I was very proud of myself considering I had to come up with alternate training this week. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures:thumbdown: They changed the course and didn't tell people until this morning and I couldn't get word to DH so he was standing in the wrong location and by the time he figured it out he wasn't able to get to the finish line in time. He was REALLY dissappointed, but there will be other runs. Fortunately the half-marathon in June starts and ends in the same location so he won't have to worry about getting from one place to another. I have another 5K race June 1st in the town up the road that I am going to do, and training starts again on Tuesday. Well it sounds as if everyone had a decent weekend. I think I was WAY under on my calories this weekend. I am always paranoid when we go out and I don't have an accurate calorie count so I tend to overestimate the calories and not eat as much. However, I am having pizza tonight, so that will make up for it! I must go! We have to unpack! I MISS EUGENE ALREADY!

Peaches - I had to pay a 40$ copay because I went to an outpatient "urgent " care facility because i dont have a pcp. Okay I am leaving now to go to the land of happiness. I love Eugene! It is SOOOOOO my home. Chat with you on Sunday

I found that walking, walking, walking, and even more walking is what helped me the most. It moves it around in there, so that the gas isn't pressing on the nerves. Hope you feel better...later on the band will be so worth the discomfort.

I am having an extended TT with a vertical t-inciscion. As Dr. Schulman mentioned in his post the reason for mine is because I have massive amounts of skin that would not be able to be pulled tight enough if they just pulled straight down. My PS said that I would most likely not be happy with a traditional TT because I would end up with ZERO figure and might actually end up with rolls off to the side. For me I NEVER plan on wearing a bikini so the vertical scar is very much a price I am willing to pay to not have all this excess skin. I carried all of my weight in my stomach area and she said there was no way she could remove all the skin without the vertical incision. I too had a hard time trying to find pictures, but I was glad that Dr. Schulman posted that link. I am going to go look there as soon as I finish this. My doc said it would be hard to find before and after pics online because it is not a common procedure and that most docs post their "best" pictures in their portfolios, and a vertical incision often scares people because it is visible. However, for me the trade off will be so worth it. I am not sure when you are having your surgery (or want to schedule it) but I am having mine on July 3 and will be posting pictures! Hope you find your answers. Thank you Dr. Schulman for the description and the link. It really is helpful to those of us who are having the rarer form of abdominoplasty!

Unfortunately I don't have great words of advice, but I do want you to know that you are not alone. I struggle with body image as well. In fact I think a lot of us do. I know for me that I have been fat my whole life. I was put on my first diet at 8 years old and until August 2007 yo-yo dieted my whole life. So for me being thin for 2 months is nothing compared to the 20+ years that I spent fat. So in my brain...when I picture myself that is what I see. Though now when I try to picture what I look like...I have no idea. I have no concept of how much space I take up or how I look compared to someone else. Throw that in with the 10-15 pounds of extra skin I am dealing with and I am a mess. I have realized that I deluded myself into thinking that I was a lot smaller than I was when I was fat...and now I am deluding myself into thinking that I am a lot bigger than I really am. Do you have before and after pictures? I have found for me that when I put those pictures side by side on my desk at work that it helps me to constantly remind myself that I am not 250 pounds any more. There were days when I would be walking out of work and to my car and thinking. "Damnit Karri...if you could just lose 100 pounds you would be just fine." Then I would have to stop and realize that I had lost almost 100 pounds, and that I was trying to stop the weightloss. I don't know that we will be able to see ourselves as thin for a while. As a result it does set us up for other eating disorders. That is why I figure for a LONG time I will be counting calories...not just so that I know that I am not eating too MUCH, but also so that I don't eat too LITTLE. So I hope that this message brings you a little piece knowing that you are not floundering out there alone. You have done a wonderful job on the weightloss and we should be proud of that.

Becky - I am sure all will be well. I know what you mean about being anxious though. That was one of the main reasons that I was so excited to find the half marathon 4 days before my surgery was scheduled. It certainly does give me something else to concentrate on. I can't be worried about surgery when I am pushing myself to the limits on running. For that hour+ that I am training...I am not thinking about how I look, or what I will look like, or recovery time. Running pain is actually a good distraction. When I had my lap-band surgery I went from decision to surgery in less than 1 month! Not a lot of time to think about it. With plastic surgery it was more like decision to surgery in 4 months...an eternity to think about. I am eagerly anticipating your surgery, though I am just having the extended TT with vertical T-incision. I guess I was "lucky" that I only carried my weight in my tummy. My arms aren't pretty but the PS said they are not bad enough to even consider for surgery because of the visible scar that would be left. My thighs are GOOD! I had sculpted thighs at 250 pounds! What does the Lower Body Lift entail?

Congrats...that is a major accomplishment! I, like Candle thought am a little jealous of the skin...Mine is NOT so pretty! To have done this, you had to have changed your ways, and that should be admired. You truly do represent what the band SHOULD be used for.

I of course am in but as you can see I am keeping with the milage goal. However I am having to rearrange my training schedule because of the foot injury. I just have tendonitis so it is nothing horrible. I am getting new shoes AGAIN tonight. This time though I am going to a running store and getting them properly fitted. Yep...that's going to cost a fortune...but that is truly important when it comes to the amount of running that I do. So my miles are going to be a combo of running miles and eliptical and 1/2 bike miles. I only count half the bike miles because that is about equivalent to how fast I could run in the amount of time that I do it....and the eliptical doesn't come close. I only did like 1.5 this morning on the eliptical in a half hour...I can run almost 3 in that same time frame. So I figure it will all equal out if I do my little math equation. Doctor said I can run on Sunday and then if the foot is feeling better to start cross training more and pure running less. See earlier post about running schedule if you are interested. Good luck to everyone this month!

I started running before I was in onederland, but you have to take it VERY slowly. I started at a quarter mile and worked up a quarter mile every week. I did not run everyday (3 times a week MAX). Even training for my half marathon now, I am only going to run 3 days a week: two short days (3-4 miles) and 1 long day (5 - 12, increasing as the weeks go by). The TT should be a great incentive. I am running a half marathon 4 days before my extended TT. You really can get an amazing HIGH after running, especially when you make it a distance that you have never done before or when you get a personal best time. I am NOT a fast runner...slow and steady. I am pretty certain turtles could pass me, but I am getting faster. Good luck and there really is no time like the present!

Nah I don't mind you all getting on me about the doctor. I am just not a big fan of plopping down money on a doctor if I am not 100% certain that I need to see one. We have really good insurance...if you want to pay the high premiums, but I opted to go for the high deductible, zero monthly dollar premium plan because I RARELY get sick. We are getting new insurance next school year and it is supposed to be better. Today I will be dropping a bit of money on the shoes though. That was the one thing the doctor emphasized. Since I have a high arch support and run on the side of my feet I need "special" shoes. Hopefully being marathon weekend in Eugene they will have a good sale!! I suppose sitting here staring at the computer is NOT going to get the grading done that is sitting here staring at ME! I should be on a lot today as there are no students. However I am leaving around noon and will not be back until Sunday evening. Just don't want people worrying about me. AND PEACHES ----- STAY AWAY FROM DAIRY QUEEN!!!

Back from the doctor and dinner. He is pretty certain that I just have some tendonitis in my foot. The foot is not swollen at all and I can stand on it with little pain now, he doesn't think that it is a stress fracture. He told me I did the right thing by taking the week off but said to go ahead and try the run on Sunday. He said if it starts hurting to pull up and walk the rest of the way and then come back in for x-rays. He didn't want to do x-rays because when he was pushing and proding on the foot it wasn't causing me extreme pain. A couple of days ago it was, but not now. He figures it is just inflammation. He encouraged me to go get special shoes, because even though these shoes are good shoes that because of the way I walk on my feet that I need specific shoes to prevent my foot from working too hard. Since we are going to Eugene this weekend we are going to check out one of the stores there that specializes in running shoes. Well I am exhausted, so I am heading off to bed. Night all!

Wow...I do not advocate for giving in to cravings often, but those 4 little butterfingers did the trick. For the first time in a day and a half I am not starving. Sometimes when our bodies have cravings we have to listen. Seriously I feel at peace now! Now this is only the second time since being banded that I have had any kind of candy so I am perfectly fine with my choice. Geez...I wish I would have given in several hours ago. Would have made my life and the life of my student's much more pleasant today. Well I am off to the doctor in 14 minutes.

Make that 1155 calories. I just ate some mini chocolates. Yes I know...not a good choice, but I will not be eating until dinner and as long as I stay under 350 calories for dinner I will be in my alotted calorie range. I really don't like being this tired. It sets me up to be hungry!!!

HOLY CRAP...I am tired, hungry, and it is almost that TOM. I have already eaten 955 calories today. I just finished eating my afterschool snack because I am hungry but I have some major sweet cravings going on and that is VERY unusual for me. I was hungry after dinner last night, I was hungry when I woke up this morning, and frankly I have been hungry all day. I didn't eat anything after dinner last night, but with the kids pissing me off all day, being exhausted, and just plain irritated I did eat my food early today. Water isn't helping...just making me hungrier. I think I may have to go over my 1500 calorie allottment today. I haven't been over my calorie goal in like 4 weeks, so it might just be time today. Any words of wisdom to keep me on track!!!!

Well you are usually right! I think you stated it very well! Hopefully the dentist will put you into wonderland for a few minutes.

I do agree with what Janet has to say too. Maybe what you should do before you pick out an arbitrary number is to workout 1 month keeping track of how many minutes you do, and then base your goal for NEXT month on how you did this month. If you think that what you did this month is good for next month then you keep it the same. If you feel like you need more then bump it up a few minutes. But if you find that you are never going to get to 30 minutes a day then 900 would be unrealistic. You have to see how it is going to fit into your life. I started my exercise challenges the first day I joined LBT just after surgery, so we gradually moved into it. So I kmew what was going to be realistic from the start. So basically ignore my first post. Mom's are always better at giving advice. She made me rethink my original post and come up with a different approach. Gosh...isn't she good!

I think 900 minutes is a good goal, if and only if you think you are going to exercise everyday. If you average more than 30 minutes a day so that you can make up for days you don't get the exercise in they you are fine. During weightloss phase you need to exercise more days then someone that is at goal. I have never exercised everyday because I knew that was unrealistic for me. However I did set it so that I was averaging 1 hour 5 days a week which worked for me. I think by having that number out there even if it seems high, kind of pushes you. The exercise challenge thread is one of the few threads that I still post on the August board because it keeps me focused and accountable to where I need to be. That is why my signature always has the "Crazy Ate's exercise challenge." I think it is a good goal and one that is doable if you are willing to commit to yourself.

Good Job Mommy! Only 1.5 pounds to go! I am so proud of you!

Good luck and I wish you a speedy recovery. I will be there with you in 2 months 2 days! Then no more belly out the leg holes for me either!

She doesn't require a diet per se, but she does want me to make sure that I am getting a lot of protein, especially since I will be running the half marathon 4 days before my surgery (assuming I get over this injury!) However, I have NEVER had a problem getting in enough protein so I am not worried about this. After surgery I have to get in 150 grams per day. So I will probably have to add a shake, but I will sacrifice my taste buds for the sake of surgery! BTW I am sooooo excited for you, but TOTALLY jealous that you get to do this almost a MONTH before I do! I WANT MY TT NOW!!!!!

We are going to the doctor as soon as school is out at 3PM. It does feel a lot better today, but I am still going to go in and have it checked out. Perhaps the doc can give me some tips on wrapping, stretching, and cool downs to prevent the injuries in the first place. My legs are sore after my workouts. Alright I have to be done here...I MUST get 1st period grades done before I check back in. Thanks for the concern everyone...I promise I am going to the doctor!

They are all correct...this is a TOOL and if you don't use a tool correctly then it WON'T work. As you can see from my ticker this absolutely worked for me...but I did 98% of the work. The band will NOT tell you what foods to eat (in fact the unhealthy food usually go down easier), it will NOT drive you to the gym to workout, it will NOT tell your brain to stop thinking about food, but it WILL help you feel fuller faster and longer IF you eat the proper foods. I could eat 12 bags of microwaved popcorn and never feel full or stay full, but if I ate 2 chicken tenderloins (the small kind) and 1/4 cup of cauliflower I might stay full for hours. You can do this, but you must realize this is about you...not the band. It will provided some gentle (and some not so gentle) reminders of how and when to eat, but most of this is up to you. Good luck! You can do this...It has totally changed my life!

Linda - Sorry to hear about the insurance. That was why I didn't go through with the insurance. There was no way I could live with the back pain and the inconvenience and disgust that this belly for the several months worth of documentation that it was going to take. I am lucky that I have essentially no bills (no mortgage, no kids, no credit cards) so that I could pay for both the lap-band and the PS. Don't get my wrong. We live paycheck to paycheck and are broke 99% of the time, but I would take that over being fat any day. Kathy - Sorry to hear about your loss, but you are doing tremendous after overcoming that kind of grief. After my mom passed I think I gained about 20 pounds. Alright as for the foot. I talked to the athletic trainer as someone had suggested and he confirmed my fear. He honestly believes that it is a stress fracture. He doesn't think that it is a BAD one and that it should heal quickly. I asked him about the run on Sunday and he said it would probably hurt but because the distance is so short that I probably wouldn't do any damage, but that I should then stay off of it again next week. He did say that it would be fine to do the eliptical and the bike so that is what I did tonight. I did an hour on the eliptical and 1/2 hour on the bike. As for my goal, because it is in miles, I am going to count all the miles on the eliptical and half the miles on the bike which totals out to the 5 miles I was supposed to run today. Thanks for the advice on the marathon/half marathon. It is funny because my face to face friends still think that I can push through and run the 1/2 marathon...and most people on here think I should walk/run the full marathon. Literally it is split right down the middle. I need to make my decision by the 21st of May when I need to sign up so I guess I am going to take a wait and see approach. I am stubborn so even if I have not completed the entire training for the half marathon, I could probably push myself to run the entire thing. As for the PS, she doesn't care as long as I promised to be over 150 grams of protein the days following the run. She actually thought it was a good idea because it will increase blood flow to the muscles and increase blood volume which all promotes healing. Well even though it is early...it is my bed time! Off to the shower and then off to bed. I will check back in after the shower though to see if anything exciting has happened. Ruby- Slap my hand...I only got in 2 bottles of water today. I forgot my water at work, but I did get in the 2 bottles at the gym. I will TRY to get another 16 oz of juice in before I go to bed, but I am going to fall a little short.