kagoscuba

FINALLY got below 30 minutes for 5k. Finished my training run last night in 29:38. Started at 6 mph, after I got into my pace, increased to 6.2, then for last 6:38 bumped it up to 6.5. I was so happy to pass 3.1 miles before the timer said 30 minutes. That happiness will be short-lived though, as today is my "kick my ass" day of the week. 15 mile bike ride, followed by a 5k brick. I'll see how much of that I actually end up running versus walking - it's hot out there!!

I cannot believe Plain uses such antediluvian vernacular.

Personally, I just drink a sugar-free Red Bull and get to it. :thumbup: Morning work outs are the worst, which is why I typically schedule my bike workouts for those. At least I can "wake up" on a bike. Running with no food, barely any Water, and generally feeling grumpy is not fun for me. I know the caffeine is not optimal, but either is not doing the exercise. :cool2: Only one more month to go before my 2 hours of heaven/hell. :smile:

They are assuming you're biking is at your optimal exercise heart rate, which I doubt happens on your commute. Riding the bike is great for the environment and it certainly helps a little in weight loss, but unless you get off the bike feeling "beat" at least 2-3 times a week, then you are doing little to improve your overall fitness. Your body will adjust to an exercise load that becomes too routine. Shock your body and you will notice results.

Awesome job Chris. Were you racing in the Hy-Vee Triathlon?

Nice!! Way to go!! For those of you worrying about stride length in comparison to pace, there is good news...you can stop worrying. The bad news is how the running gurus say to speed up, and they always talk about cadence. It's not how far your legs move; it's how fast they move that makes the difference. I just concentrate on form, landing on the middle of my feet, and keeping my cadence high. Lengthening your stride without keeping cadence is actually counter-productive, as it wastes energy. If you extend your stride, your cadence should never change (that's why elite runners look like they are floating on air). After about 2 months of this, I am starting to actually like running a little...good thing, since I'm planning on doing it for years to come. :smile:

I weigh myself every two weeks, and I don't peek in between, because weighing myself more than that will drive me nuts. I can lose up to seven pounds on a hard exercise day as weel, so the scale remains the least of my worries as far as figuring out my progress. Fitting into clothes I haven't fit into in over a decade or having to go out and buying new ones because no clothes I currently owned fit me...that's the way to measure progress. :rolleyes2: It's also fun to be able to feel every rib and feel your stomach fall below your ribcage when you lay down. :thumbup: My weight loss has slowed to a trickle at 205 pounds, but according to my trainer, I should not be too upset. She says, if I lose another 10 pounds slowly, I'll be in awesome shape, and I'll probably never get to 180 unless I stop exercising. How is that for ironic. :smile2:

Not even close to me. Decent possibility of death with GBP or fairly certain of walking away from the hospital on the same day with lap-band. Not that I needed GBP, having to only lose 85-90 pounds. My aunt and my babysitter have also both had the band this year, and they are both enjoying outstanding results. Personally, I liked the fact everything "stays in place," all nutrients get absorbed the same, and the main thing differently is I can't eat at the "hog trough" anymore, like I used to. It's a lot different eating out of normal sized dinnerware, rather than just sitting down on the couch with the serving bowl.

The only failure is never trying. You've already beaten that point. All this talk I hear about how many ml go in the band baffles me. Who cares? Get the fill done under flouro, and ml will cease to have meaning. You'll be able to see your restriction in action as you watch the barium get choked down from a flood to a mere trickle. That visual will stay with you, as you start to eat. You'll KNOW you can't eat a lot, because you know what the restriction looked like. Other than that, there were some other great pieces of advice in this thread. Making a food journal being one of the best ones. I did it, until I got into the groove of eating right. Now, I'll just journal a few times a month to ensure I'm still eating right (hint: don't always journal the good stuff - if you cheat, see the impact it has). In addition, exercise cannot be stressed enough. You may even begin to enjoy it. Last September 27th, I got winded getting off of the couch. This September 27th, I'll be doing a triathlon. You can and WILL succeed.

Your band works in conjunction witht the fat/muscle around it to stay tight. As you lose weight, your band will loosen; that has already happened to me once, and I believe it has happened again, as the more I exercise and my body composition changes the more I am able to eat (not a lot more, just more than when filled the second time).

Map out your day, once banded, and you will be able to lose. I do not follow all rules of the band (I eat about every two waking hours), but I still lose. Your schedule will differ from mine, but the concept is the same: Know what you are going to eat the day before you eat it and stick with that. Here is a sample schedule from my day: 5:20 - out of bed, drink a sugar-free Red Bull 5:40 - on bike 6:40 - end of ride, time for a shower 7:14 - Drop son off at school and begin commute - Eat a Quaker Oats Breakfast cookie and bottle of Water 8:30 - Arrive at work, with meals in small cooler type lunchbox 8:45 - Eat one yogurt and one sugar free pudding - bottle of water 30 min after 10:30 - eat Clif bar - water 30 min after 11:50 - lunch - tuna salad and Soup 2:00 - Yogurt and sugar free pudding bottle of water 30 min after 3:30 - Red Bull - time to wake up. 5:00 - Start commute to gym - eat a Clif Bar and drink bottle of water on way 6:00 - arrive at gym 7:30 - leave gym 7:45 - arrive home and have some type of fruit and water...if it is a cheat day I may have a little full-fat, full sugar ice cream...moderation is key - never buy more than a pint at a time, then tell yourself not to finish off the pint that week. :cool2: In bed by 10:00 - non-essential chores get done on weekends.

Congrats on the Tri!!! 1:47 isn't too slow. As long as you finish in under 2 hours, that's pretty commendable. Heck, finishing at all is good. My bike riding and running are coming along, but I have not started to swim yet. I'm not scared of swimming, as I used to lifeguard and I still am in the ocean a lot, but I know I'd better get at least semi-serious in the next couple of weeks. The second sprint I signed up for gave me a bit of a surprise, after I looked at the small print...the bike portion is 18 miles! That's only 33% more than I was expecting.

I don't know if you have the same opportunity as I do to bring food to work, but this is my typical day: 5:20 - out of bed, drink a sugar-free Red Bull 5:40 - on bike 6:40 - end of ride, time for a shower 7:14 - Drop son off at school and begin commute - Eat a Quaker Oats Breakfast cookie and bottle of Water 8:30 - Arrive at work, with meals in small cooler type lunchbox 8:45 - Eat one yogurt and one sugar free pudding - bottle of water 30 min after 10:30 - eat Clif bar - water 30 min after 11:50 - lunch - tuna salad and Soup 2:00 - Yogurt and sugar free pudding bottle of water 30 min after 3:30 - Red Bull - time to wake up. :tongue2: 5:00 - Start commute to gym - eat a Clif Bar and drink bottle of water on way 6:00 - arrive at gym 7:30 - leave gym 7:45 - arrive home and have some type of fruit and water...if it is a cheat day I may have a little full-fat, full sugar ice cream...moderation is key - never buy more than a pint at a time, then tell yourself not to finish off the pint that week. :smile: In bed by 10:00 - non-essential chores get done on weekends.

So, it is Africa hot here in NJ. I had a scheduled 5k race I was not going to miss because of a little warm temperature. I ran the Mountain Top 5k, which by its name I should have realize had hills, not matter the fact the race website said it was a nice flat course. It was 94 degrees at 10:30, when the race started, and the humidity was so high, I think I saw fish swimming through the air. I ran the first mile in 8:26 and was feeling pretty good, but I bonked because of the heat and ended up at 32:16. This was only slightly better than my last 5k time of 32:38, but the diference was I noticed I was finishing with people who looked like runners, rather than the casual or first time runners. I ended up 48th out of 104, which made me happy, then when I got home and checked the web I found out I placed 2nd in my age group for men! This euphoria was short-lived, because I found out there were only 3 men in my age group, but placing is placing baby! :tongue2: I waited until 6:50 p.m. to do my long Sunday bike run, for both heat and rest and did 15 miles in 75 minutes. I got home, downed some water, went to the scale, and yep, down 7 pounds for the day. :smile: Of course, this will mostly all come back, but it felt good to see that needle dip. Only a little over a month left until my triathlon, and I can't wait.

Thanks everyone for your kind words!! :thumbup: Only one more day of sub-tropical temps here in NJ, thank goodness!!

I was banded last September. On Sept 27th of this year, my one year anniversary, I will be doing my second triathlon. The band may not work for everyone, but it has helped me not do one thing: binge. That's what killed every diet I ever tried. I was a huge portion eater, not a grazer. Maybe that's why the band helped me.

So, after posting a lot for the first couple of months I went away, but I did not forget all of you! :thumbup: In the meantime, the band has been doing exactly what it is supposed to do - make me think about what I am about to eat. With enough resolve and resistence to pain it is true you can eat just about anything, but I have more of the former than the latter. I haven't had a soda or a steak since the day before surgery, and other than the occassional longing for steak, I'm ok with it. Beer, well let's not get out of control. I will take the hour to sip a beer. :w00t: It's just that I'm not having the beer's five friends as well any more. I was allowed to start exercising one week post-op, and I've been good about it so far. I ran my first 5k in almost two decades last month, and I have another 5k on June 8th. That 5k is actually just a "training" run though, as it is preparing me for my biggest challenge so far: a triathlon. I am doing the "sprint" variety which includes a 500m swim, 20k bike ride, and 5k run. Considering this will probably take be close to 90 minutes to finish, I'm not sure where the "sprint" part is. :sad: I cannot wait though. The band has freed me from self-doubt and awakened the competive spirit that longed to get out and have some fun. I've got 6 more pounds to get to my first goal (weight in tag is incorrect: I'm 205), and it has truly been the hardest to get to. The first 60 pounds were a cakewalk. :blushing: The inspiration has not just been for me too. My aunt and nanny have also decided to get the lap-band after seeing my success, and they are well on their way too. For those of you on the fence about getting this done, I'd suggest hopping on over. :mad:

I'll take a hit for the metrosexual males out here. We certainly DO have goal outfits. Tuxedo I wore on my wedding day - check; size 34 jeans that I almost forgot about - check (barely...breathing is another concern). Getting rid of all of my triple XXX shirts and being able to fit into XL and even L shirts - check. Wearing a form-fitting cotton stretch thermal with jeans and being able to pull it off without feeling like a clown - check. Actually getting into a pool this Memorial Day without a shirt on - check (probably, if the weather holds out). :blushing:

I haven't tried steak actually. I've eaten plenty of foods with lean ground beef in them, like my homemade chili. However the WORST PB I've had so far came with beef stew. I was in pain and coughing up for a good 20 minutes, at work no less, during that little episode. I figured if I can't get down a overcooked piece of stew meat, how in the world can I get down a piece of steak or even a small filet? chicken and fish are my main staples now. My wife loves it. Every weekend she gets fresh cooked fish. :blushing: Routine has been my key to success so far. I bring the same thing (with different flavors) to work every day for my Breakfast, lunch, and Snacks. With my exercise schedule I cannot eat only three times a day, so I cheat a little and eat five times a day to keep my energy up on my exercise days.

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping for the "stealth" port, because it is pretty unsightly now. I also feel like there is pressure on it all the time, and also while not painful, it is uncomfortable to have things press on it.

most triathlons won't let your wear music anyway. safety first. personally, I hate running without my tunes.

Yep, some of us have the triathlon bug. In September I weighed 265 with a BMI of exactly 40, hypertension, and sleep apnea. Today I weigh 205 have dropped 6 inches off my waist, and I've competed in my first 5k since leaving the military 13 years ago. I'm signed up for th eNJ State Triathlon in July (Sprint distance), and I cannot wait. I'm riding and running now, and in June I plan to add swimming. Tonight was a 40 minute Fartlek (speed session) that I did for the first time. I think I was less tired after the 5k!! By July I should be well below my initial goal of 199 pounds...perhaps at my final of 185. If nothing else I plan on being able to say: I am a triathlete. It is better to finish last than not to finish at all, and it is better not to finish than never to have started. (from Triathlon site)

Try Muscle Milk's protein chocolate pudding. It has 20 grams of protein and tastes pretty good.

So, I started my journey as a self-pay. Horizon denied me, saying I did not have five years of written proof I've been obese. This was true, as I did what I call a typical "man-move" and hadn't been to the doctor in about ten years, other than for "emergency" type issues, and since I had a PPO, I did not have a regular physician. Anyway, I stayed stubborn and submitted to the insurance company anyway. Slowly they paid some things, and then last week they sent a check for the hospital, which was a nice $13k check!! :eek: So I've gone from a 100% self-pay for a $22k procedure to about $1.5k out-of-pocket. Sometimes it pays not to take no for an answer and be persistent. :thumbup: I'm not saying this will happen for everyone, but there is hope.

"Can you tell me how you went about doing this - I would definately like to persue this." Sure thing. I had my doctor and anesthesiologist both submit a request for payment, from the insurance company, after I had already paid them. The insurance company, in turn, paid them, then they cut me a check to reimburse me. I submitted for the hospital cost. The weird thing about this was the hospital charged me $13k, which I paid, then the insurance company only paid the hospital $1900 (saw the activity on my ccount), but I got reimbursed my entire $13k from the hospital billing department. Not sure how all of that worked, and I really don't care right about now. :eek: As far as I know no "special" paperwork was done. All the submittals to the insurance company were done like we had no idea I'd ever been denied coverage. We played ignorant, and it worked out.