OKCPirate

Amanda, What is your opinion on the accuracy of myfitnesspal.com? I am really only interested in tracking Calories, Carbs and Protein on a daily basis. Note, I have a dickens of a time trying to get to my recommended 100-130g of protein per day (not unreasonable since I lift weights and run 5 times a week), but at least I can plan a little better using this tool.

Women - learn to use dating Apps... http://www.datingsitesreviews.com/article.php?story=new-report-on-dating-app-trends-reveals-some-surprises So many guys are using phone apps that women are are vastly outnumbered - which is a good thing if you are a woman and wants more prospects. And this is why I like Match.com, where its "Two girls to every guy." Remember what John Dillinger said when asked why he robs banks..."because that's where the money is."

Here are some great stats for dating nerds... The statistical case for dating older women http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/the-case-for-an-older-woman/

Oregondaisy - this site may help your search. There are some very good tools to evaluate different sites.http://www.datingsitesreviews.com/staticpages/index.php?page=Match-com-Statistics-Facts-History I would also ask your friends (male and female) what sites they use.

JerseyCityGal - I should have mentioned that the late Gary Halbert drank a great deal and was convinced he could mentally transport himself as well as other flaws in his character...but what is great about his profile is that YOU would know what he wanted and know to avoid him. Please don't think that I was suggesting using his words, just the design - Who you are What you don't want What you do want And make it interesting.

I ran my first one this weekend (Redbud Classic in Oklahoma City). It was such a great feeling of accomplishment. I did the 9 week C25K program. Ran the whole thing and did it in a respectable 34 minutes.

Ran the Redbud Classic today. A respectable 34:38, 7 minutes faster than average. I also came in 26 of 42 in my age group, so I exceeded my goal of not being last. Ran the whole way, no Water or walk breaks. I'm 51 and from nothing to 5K in nine weeks...well I'm excited about the program.

Completed the program, my first race is this Sunday. My goal: Not to be last in my age group. It's a modest first step, but a tremendous milestone in my life. Very happy and satisfied.

You can try the at home body caliper method: http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Guide-Caliper-Black-Booklet/dp/B0000AN3UB/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1428251383&sr=8-4&keywords=body+fat+percentage+caliper This one has the milotape, which is the easiest way to measure: http://www.amazon.com/FatTrack-GOLD-Digital-Caliper-MyoTape/dp/B0000X63LM/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_10?ie=UTF8&refRID=1T3SD4NH7XSDQTPXGEKR

I'll add my male perspective on this... I am not happy about the extra skin. I am doing everything I can to minimize it four months post surgery. (Protein, Water, limit sun, cool showers, exercise to put as much muscle on as I can, and moisturize). I do remind myself the extra skin looks much better than the fat. Since I date women my own age (51), I can tell you gravity is the universal equalizer. Every woman who has had kids, is going to have things that an airbrushed SI swimsuit model doesn't have. Yes I notice, but I don't care. Confidence is the sexist thing you bring to the bedroom.

pre-surgery - walk an hour a day, weights 3 times a week. 1st month post surgery - walk 60-90 minutes a day 2nd month post surgery added 30 minutes elliptical, light weights 6 times a week 3rd month on added 10% more weight and or resistance each week 4th month started couch to 5K program, so weights 3 times a week alternating arms/legs with 30 minutes cardio and 5K training 3 times per week.

Following my divorce I took a year to make sure I was clear before beginning to date. When I was 300 pounds I had some success with Match.com. But post weight loss, I have had great success. Just being more attractive helps. Most women in my age/target demographic group are becoming more health conscious. They don't want to date a guy who is pre-diabetic. I hear some of the complaints about rejection by women, but how seriously are you taking your search? Have you invested in high quality pictures to go on your profile? Have you looked at the myriad of resources out there to put together a really good profile? Do you know how many people are visiting the site you are on? (Go to http://www.alexa.com/ and look up the dating site you are interested in. You can find out how many men/women visit per day and other info to see if the numbers are high enough for you to invest your time there). Women, please don't feel the need to respond to every guy who sends you a note. Online dating is a numbers game. It is a tool to help you get higher quality prospective dates than simple random chance. Be safe. Every state has criminal/court records online. Get to know how to use those tools. Learn to Google someone. It's not creepy, it's just smart. And always insist the first meeting be at a Starbucks during the day (lots of light, lots of exits). Invest 20 minutes in the initial meeting. If there pictures match what you see, then go for a real date. Now, why is there so much early sex in online dating? Well in my case I am mostly dating people who are divorced. We are used to having sex after going out from our marriage, so that makes sense. The other reason is by the time you actually go out you actually should have gotten to know the other person fairly well online. You get information that would normally take 3 or 4 dates to find out. Dating is just sales and marketing - don't get judgmental, so is makeup/Spanx/pushup bras. Here is a link to one of the best profiles I have ever seen. It was before the internet when people used personal ads: http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletters/2009/Gary_Halbert_Personal_Ad/Gary_Halbert_Personal_Ad.pdf The profile is perfect, it describes him, what he DOESN'T WANT, and then what he wants. Your profile needs to follow the same pattern. An online dating profile is direct response marketing. My dating maxims and other unsolicited advise 1) Women (wither they know it or not) always control the pace of a relationship 2) Men will continue to pursue as long as they are interested 3) If they are not pursing, then they are not interested 4) Some element of tension is vital to a growing relationship or it gets flaccid and it keeps everyone on their best behavior 5) It takes six months before all the shields and protections are down to really know someone 6) Biggest danger in online dating -- grass is always greener syndrome. This will keep you from committing to a good guy because there may be someone better online. Enjoy the process. It's not rejection, it's just feedback. It's a numbers game, but be safe, be real and don't be cavalier with people's hearts. Kirk

My serious answer is be sure to take some antacids like tums. It will help keep the lactic acid from building up in the muscle. My less serious answer: favorite post workout is Protein drink (25-40g) followed by bourbon - I earned it.

Well since this is the "randy" place, I'll pass this on as encouragement to those who are just beginning their journey. My girl friend was having her way with me down there, and I looked down and realized my gut wasn't blocking the view. It was amazing. I forgot how cool it looks. And she is one to really get into it. We met after I lost weight so she has no idea what a big deal it was to me, but it is a really big deal to me. And yeah, without all the fat, I am much "ahem" bigger than I remember. And with all the exercise, I can do things I have not done since college. It is so cool being 51, and playing around like I'm 19. They really need to put "improve your sex life" in the brochures.

Congrats Jamie, I am on week 5 myself. I tried the program last year, and damn near blew out my knee. Much easier with 80 pounds less to push around. Here is a cool tool to help anyone interested in trying this: I was getting distracted and not paying attention to the timing then I found this cool little site c25kplaylists.com. The music is OK, but the nice thing is the voice prompts to remind me to walk or run. I can concentrate on form and not look at my watch. I just saved the 30 minute song as an MP3 file and put it on my iPod. Speaking of form - http://www.jeffgallo...m/learn/videos/ Jeff has some great tips. Most important take away, short stride, shuffle, feet close to ground to prevent injuries. When I last tried to start running, I didn't do this and ended up hurting myself and was not able to walk for nearly a week. Two weeks of using this tip has lead to pain free running.

I wanted to share some cool little things that are making it possible to hit some goals this year. My body has changed massively over the last few months and it has allowed me to expand my ideas of what is possible. Two of my major goals are: a 5K run by April 12 and mountain climbing trip in Colorado by July. To get the 5K done I am using the Couch to 5K program. (dips. If you have figured out a tip/trick/hack that helped you meet a goal, please feel free to share and encourage.

I can relate to this. I knew when the surgery was coming I needed to quit drinking. I did self assessment and realized I had been drinking regularly for a long time. That meant there was the risk of sudden alcohol withdrawal symptoms. This article was helpful on tapering off without a problem: https://hamsnetwork.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/more-on-tapering-off-alcohol/ If you are going to drink, but still want to lose weight, you need to have a plan. I like this site, it is a middle ground between the AA model and "who cares." http://www.hamsnetwork.org/ a128blo drinking this much may mean you are like me and can't relax. That is an area you might want to explore. Figure that out and see where you are.

Great topic, losing 80 pounds that I have been carrying for 25 years did create some old habits. I just realized I can use the tray on an airplane in the economy section. It no longer is blocked by my stomach. I was looking at exercise equipment and realized all the maximum weight limitations don't matter to me. It's the little things...

Make your skin as happy and healthy as you can. It's your largest organ in your body. Lots of Water, high quality food and Protein, no hot tubs or tanning and take cool showers for a year and get muscle behind the skin with weight training. Genetics plays into this, some things you can't control. But give yourself every chance possible to let your body shrink your skin naturally. There isn't a magic product out there which will shrink it. Healthy and hydration is your best bet. And then you evaluate after a year. Yes I have lose skin going into month four, but who knows down the road. And I have invested in compression gear for the gym and dates. There is spanx for guys. Healthy beats vanity, and the other benefits blow the lose skin problem away (see previous comments in "sex, oh my god sex" in the men's forum)

I disclosed the weight loss on New Years day on Facebook, but only told those who emailed privately about the surgery. Sent link to this site to those who wanted to know more about it. There are many warnings about talking too much about the surgery to those who really don't want to know about it. So I have disciplined myself to not talk about it unless someone really wants to know.

I was scared to death, but no regrets post opp. Its all been great. Sip, get some Isopure no carb Protein from GNC and measure yourself because the wieght loss may not start for a week, but you will be glad for the starting measurements to see progress. Oh yeah, plan on walking a great deal the next month. It helps everything.

Play with it until you hit what you want to do, just turn off the auto stuff

Ejd1024 - Yes, you can bypass it by changing your Goals under MYHOME

Tim Ferris recomends: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2011/01/08/kettlebell-swing/ Try it

Get a MyoTape - and measure yourself. Much better indicator of fat loss than scale. Write down the measurements. Track food (and Water) on www.myfitnesspal.com - I keep track of only calories, carbs and Protein. Its free and easy. It is easy to "think" you are eating the right stuff and you are really grazing unless you hold yourself accountable. And then track your exercise. Make sure you are pushing yourself a little. You need a little stress to keep you moving in the right direction. If you don't you will stay where you are. Then be thankful. Your body obviously wanted to slow down the weight loss. Now you want it to start again. So you had some time to catch up, recuperate, now get started again. Obey your signals to change.