TexasFire

Congrats on the new bike! What kind did you get? I hear you on the ass massage. The padded bike shorts help a lot, but sure don't cure all of it. Hey, how do you handle the hands going numb? I got some gel gloves, but they don't seem to help much. I always have to repeatedly raise my arms up and back to get the blood flowing again after about ten miles. Stef

Thank you...that will help me keep everyone straight, I hope! So who is "S"? I hear you about the running. I'm going to give the couch plan a whirl and see how it goes...I may need to wait until I've lost a little more due to my knee. Thanks for saying I fit in! (I think? :speechles LOL)

HA! Yeah, I feel the love! :heh: It looks like you are about to be in ONE-derland, yourself!

JULI (are you "J"?) - You were running three miles in 10 weeks after starting from scratch? Or had you ever been able to run? I think that's amazing! I have never been able to run, and can't believe I am considering it now! Plus, I feel a little "funny" about running at my size. I know I'll push through that, though...whenever I've felt or been told that there is something I couldn't/shouldn't/wouldn't do, that is all the motivation I need to DO IT! (Just a TAD stubborn, you know!) I'm a little worried about my knees. The left tends to "grind". My BIL runs marathons and swears it isn't what people say...that if you run properly, it won't hurt you. Have you experienced any joint issues with running?

Okay, I like to think of myself as smarter than your average bag of rocks...but that Cool Running site is a mite complicated! I guess I just need to explore all that is there to get the navigation down. I got the weekly plan, which I'm sure is all I need, but there are a lot of tools there, too, and I'm a fanatic for tracking/accountability. (You should see my budget spreadsheet and weight log/food diary!)

Those shirts are great! I messed with Texas, and now I have a rash. ~ I always wear protection when I get all up in Texas. I suggest you do the same. That state is a ho.

I love it! Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by OH Juli Hi Stef, I have a woman's guide to running book I bought years ago and need to open it now. What kind of biking do you do? What bike do you ride? Do you ride with a group? Uh...wow. The pedaling kind? I'm so new that I don't know how to answer! LOL What different kinds of biking are there? Oh! Well, not mountain biking, if that's what you mean. (Jeez, do I feel dumb!) I ride at River Legacy Park near my home. It has paved, shaded trails just for walking/running/biking...no car traffic to deal with. The full trail, which can be broken up into sections, is about 15 miles and I do it twice, three days a week. I ride a Schwinn hybrid bike, but I really need to bite the bullet and buy a higher end bike, because your "every day" bikes are too short for my 36" legs! It is doing well for now, though. I don't ride with a group, but would love to! I can't seem to locate one, and everyone I know is not interested in taking up cycling. Even hubby is really not interested when he is home. He works offshore, so he is a sporadic biking partner, at best. Anyone here live in the Mid Cities/Arlington/Ft. Worth area? P.S. Everyone...the reason I was attracted to this thread? English is my second language...Sarcasm is my first!

Thank you, JC! Wow, you are almost at goal! That's great! Was it you that mentioned some running program about a couch or something? What was that again?

Thank you for the welcome! If you don't have a "STEF", that would be fine for me. I was banded June 8, 2007 and have had four fills for 5.1 CC's in a 10 CC Small AP band. I started cycling in July...first time on a bike in over 20 years! I'm a Texas girl, married to my HS sweetheart...I'm 40 and we met when we were 15. We have two kiddos...our daughter in college at 18 and our son in HS at 15. I will be reading some to catch up, for sure!

OMG! I just discovered this thread...you guys are NUTS! I love it! I have become an avid cyclist and excercise freak! I never thought I would see the day that I would excercise, much less LOVE it! I'm going to keep my eye on you guys! Very funny in here!

I am self-paying my fills right now during this transition time between insurance. At the Specialty Surgery Center in Hurst, TX it costs $150 and they do it with flouro. There is almost zero waiting, and you are on the table less than three minutes. They are great! But I can't wait for our new insurance to kick in on November 1, because I surely don't want to pay for them if I don't have to!

I can't eat anything for four hours prior to my fill appointment. They say liquids the rest of that day and progress to soft the next day, then back to "normal".

Just as an FYI, you don't have to take the numbing medicine. I can't imagine that the fill is any worse than the numbing shot, anyhow, so why get stuck twice? My office doesn't numb you, so I didn't even know it was available. But the fill is such a piece of cake, never really any waiting, always under flouro and I'm on the fill table less than three minutes. It's great!

What you say is so true...every bit of it. In addition, the support factor is very, very important to most people, and people love to cry on others' shoulders and be there for the others as well. It's just human nature, and I'm fine with that. I don't mean that negatively in any way, trust me. I prefer more of the information side. Granted, I love to rant when the scale isn't moving, but it's more to vent than to seek comfort from others. I would love to see more real info about what is working for people as far as Protein intake, excercise, calorie intake, types of foods that are working, supplements, and the like. I've basically been branded as obsessive by the needier folks who still eat ice cream every day and think walking for ten minutes twice a week is adequate and then wonder why they aren't losing what they would like to. (Okay, yes, that was sarcastic...BUT TRUE! LOL) I'm a "bottom line" kind of girl...give me the info and I'll work with it. If I don't, then I know I only have the person in the mirror to blame, right? I am just starting to look at the other threads outside of the monthly support group area, so what I am looking for may be here. Shoot me links if you have them!

Oh my goodness! You all are doing so good!

SUZZZIE - You will break that goal before you know it! I get on the scale several times a day. It's amazing how it changes based on the time of day. I've been trying to break 200 for a month and a half now, so yeah....you could say I'm obsessed with the scale! LOL ALL - Everyone is doing so well! I'm so proud of everyone in this challenge! Just the fact that you are here at all really shows dedication to your new life tool!

And I just ate 3/4 of a small Butterfinger Blast from Sonic! :omg: I wish their "small" wasn't so BIG, though! LOL

Okay, I can respect that. (Both the excercise comment and the apple! Sounds positively DECADENT!) But I want you to see something. Over on My-Calorie-Counter.com, I entered 5.5 hours for walking like you did today. Adjust up or down for the weight difference between us, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Add Activity - miscellaneous - touring/traveling/vacation involving walking and riding Based on your current weight of 200.2 lb / 90.8 kg , you would burn 1001 calories. 5.5 - Qty in hours (for half/quarter hours, use decimals) recalculate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A thousand calories is nothing to sneeze at! You burned off way more than you ate in that apple! I just wanted you to see just how much good you did today!

Shoot! I'd be counting the whole thing! Maneuvering around people and shops and almost constant walking? Oh yeah...I'd so be counting it all. (I counted the whole thing when hubby and I went to the Grapefest a couple weeks ago!) Count it, girl!

Way to go, guys! You're doing great! After talking with one of the trainers at my gym, they looked at my diet journal and my excericise journal. My weight loss is pretty stagnant, so I'm stepping back for a week...excercising less and eating whatever I want. Now I know that I really CAN'T eat that much, because I now have given myself "permission", but my stomach can't accomodate me. Oh well. I am having a lot of different things that I love that I wouldn't allow myself before...like Cereal and milk, ice cream, more fruit, chicken cordon bleu...yum. I expect to gain a pound or two, but haven't so far. Weird. Anyhow, hopefully my body will completely reset within a week or so and I can get back to work! I'm still going to be doing my weight training, but will do zero cardio this week. I don't know if I'll make my goal because of this, but we will see.

HOLY CATS! 80 Minutes on the elliptical! That is freaking AMAZING! I can't touch that, so my hats' off to you! You SHOULD be proud! And that is too funny about the jogging thing, too. I can't imagine ever even CONCEIVING of the idea for me to go jogging...no way. I don't know what got into you tonight, but it's way cool!

Monthly Total = 565 Minutes 45 minute dumbell workout

SUZZZIE - I just made your meatballs, and WOW! They are wonderful! Before I cooked them, I drizzled them with a cranberry-mustard glaze. Thank you so much for sharing that recipe. Now I know what I am taking to the family Christmas party this year!

Monthly Total = 520 Minutes 65 minutes dumbell workout