Zannie

Okay. I was rear-ended in the grocery store parking lot at the end of April. It was a low-speed incident with minor damage to my car, but I still got whiplash because of how I was positioned (honking - watching over my shoulder in disbelief) when hit. And, really, what better excuse is there to stop exercising? And so I did. :w00t: I mean, come on! Here it is the middle of May & I'm still very stiff. My neck hurts. Period. But I'm going to have to get used to that, I believe, because it just isn't getting better. So I plan to get back to as much of my workout routine as possible anyhow. Realistically, I don't/shouldn't have to move my head all that much on the treadmill anyway. I doubt I'll be up to crunches on the Ab Lounge though! My weight loss, which had resumed in April - thanks to that exercise challenge, has stalled out again. And I refuse to waste this 2nd/last year of LapBand-assisted weigh LOSS by sitting on my butt whining! Because we only get about 2 years worth of HELP on the downward run before the Band serves as a control/maintenance tool & any additional loss is through old-fashioned methods again! I'm not gonna set a numerical goal for May, but I'll post each workout I actually get in. How does that sound? :thumbup: 2 so far...

Thanks for the tea suggestion! My mom is about to have LapBand & she's dreading the entire shake concept. I'm not a *iced* tea girl myself, but I think she might like the Nectar tea idea. My problem with the smoothies is there are so many cals in one that I'd rather be eating than drinking. I'm just after one Protein drink a day to ensure I get enough protein in. I do pretty well at hitting the low end of my protein goal with whole foods alone anyhow -- most days, but I like that "got it covered" sense of security that I get from having a shake, too. I love my latte version, but I've always been big on fruit juice & love the "idea" of enjoying a "juice-like" Protein Drink.

"I'm late, but I'm in," she says in a small voice.

Got in quite a workout today & one earlier in the week that I forgot to post... I've fallen behind this past week, but there's still enough month left to meet my overall goal. Hope y'all are having a good weekend! Zan Level 1 ~ Moderate 8 of 14 30-min workouts

Red Apple Chick is gone! When did Leopard Print Lady become the LBT mascot? And who is she? A real Bandster? Any clue/guesses? And why can't I get my friggin' exercise ticker to work?!? Even at TickerFactory, it keeps coming up as the X. Argh! Not that it really matters now, since I have NOT done a workout in a few days anyhow... Zan Level 1 ~ Moderate 6 of 14 30-min workouts

Hi... I started with a BMI of 58.5 at 5'2" and 320. I know -- not who you're looking for! :thumbup: I just wanted to pipe in on your comment about people who only have **something less than 100 pounds** to loose when they have this surgery. I started with 184# to drop before reaching the top end of the "normal BMI" range for my height. I was under the impression that doctors just didn't DO the surgery on patients with less than 100# to loose. Initially, that is! It's astounding to me how many (perfectly wonderful) people I've come across at LBT & other places who have 75-60 pounds as their total weight loss goal... And the posts about packing on a few to qualify for the surgery in the 1st place -- I can't imagine wanting to gain weight to be able to get weight loss surgery!! I'm always saying about having lost 106 pounds that "I wouldn't qualify to HAVE my surgery now" since I 'only' have another 77 to loose now -- but I'm pretty sure I could find a surgeon to do it at my current weight, especially since I was self-pay! But, frankly...here I sit with less than 100 pounds to loose & my momentum has pretty much stalled out at nowhere near a healthy weight. Loosing this next 77 pounds is gonna be HARD work, much harder than the 1st 100 so it seems. :thumbup: I can't fathom being successful at it without my Lap Band. And I could certainly see myself wanting this surgery at my current weight today -- right now, having read & seen the success others have had with it -- presuming I hadn't already HAD it! :thumbup: It's a darn handy tool! Anyhow...you're not alone in having a long journey ahead with this tool before reaching Goal. I wish you the very best with your Band! :thumbup: And in gathering together other 60+ers, too!

Y'all've (oooh - what a conjugation THAT is!) inspired me to make a "real" exercise ticker, TG & BG. Okay, so really -- I'm just avoiding housework. Shhh! :sneaky: I logged on in an obvious attempt to sidetrack myself, but everyone's left me in the lurch today! What? Do y'all have LIVES or something? :biggrin2::laugh: Anyhow... Since I'm only getting the X box in the "preview" mode, kindly pardon my testing of the format here... http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wbfHOjV/s-exercise.png[/img]</p><p>"]

Okay, so my weekend is all off already... My kiddies were supposed to go to their dad today, but that's been pushed off until Sunday for a number of valid reasons. And though it's nothing new, it does mean that they're "under foot" for ME all day when I thought I had a day off coming! :biggrin: I had big plans to tackle the overwhelming clutter in my house on what was supposed to be (but isn't) a rainy Saturday. And I was planning to start the morning with a 1-hour jaunt on the treadmill after dropping the kids off. I've never done a solid hour, but any excuse to avoid housework will do! I'm so tempted to just "play all day" (Busch Gardens anyone?) instead of get cracking on the major overhaul necessary as my tendency for "sloth" has really taken over the house... But I'm pretty sure that is NOT the right choice! Hope y'all are having a good weekend wherever you are! Zan Level 1 ~ Moderate 6 of 14 30-min workouts

Not I, but then I didn't before surgery either...

Awh, shucks, BG & SJ...thanks! :sad_smile: Happiness in life ebbs & flows like the tide. For everyone. Focusing on the bigger picture is what keeps me going, frankly. And there could be a whole hell of a lot worse happening right now than the crumbled state of my marriage & disillusionment of 16 years worth of dreams. Things were already tight financially for me/us when my DH moved out in Nov & are particularly so now with his not being able to work the 2nd job (due to breaking his foot while skateboarding) & his just having blown out his car's engine (which there is no $ for repairs) ... sounds bad, right? Whine-worthy at least, eh?!? Sometimes life sucks, but things could be much worse. I do have my moments of being completely overwhelmed :scared2:, but for the most part I try to focus on being very grateful for all that I am blessed with... Call me the eternal optimist! So I'm working on the things I can control, and at the moment that's on ME getting healthy to be an example for my kiddies (the extremely picky eater & his sweet-tooth prone sister!). I just got off the treadmill & I'm gonna go make a mint-chocolate mochachino for my Protein shake. I plan to do the application while I cool off with my drink. Gotta have a plan, or so my Daddy always says. :laugh: Zan Level 1 ~ Moderate 6 of 14 30-min workouts

So I totally don't feel like functioning at all today... Which means I must force myself to do something good for me, right? That's the theory I try to live by these days anyhow. :redface: And that is why I'm posting now... before I even get the kiddies down to bed. I need to salvage this day which was both emotionally draining & diet-poor. (Basically I've eaten nothing but cookie dough...not good.) So please allow me to make myself accountable to y'all... My goals for this evening include: 1] treadmilling for 30 mins 2] a shake (um, I mean Protein -- not a malted! :tongue:) 3] completing my re-admission application for college (I'm 8 credits shy of my bachelors & it is time to get'er done! Oh joy.) Zan Level 1 ~ Moderate 5 of 14 30-min workouts

That sounds like such a good event...and thanks for the offer because it IS sold out! Unfortunately, I just found out that I'm gonna be out of town that weekend. (My newest goddaughter is being baptized in NJ! I can't wait to meet her!) Oh well...

At Sonics (and 7-11) you can get diet versions of their slushy. Ours only has the cherry flavor, but that may not be the only diet syrup they make. It is pretty tasty & makes me feel "normal" while there rather than like a freak who can't eat the friggin' bun & slimes on the tots & really shouldn't touch the fries since they DO go down! :crying: My downfall is The Milkshake (I :heart: choc.malts :drool:) so it helps A LOT to know what alternative I'm going to choose before arriving at any place that DOES sell shakes!Anyhow that is my Sonics tip! :sad: I spend most TUES nights over at my parents' (they babysit the kids for me to attend both a "Boundaries" group & a "Celebrate Recovery" meeting that is supposed to help in dealing with DH's adultery). So that explains my absence yesterday -- sorry if y'all felt abandoned. :wink2: But but but!!! Because I was there this morning, my mom & i finally got to work on a task we've been putting off since January: making a work-out room! Her guest bedroom now contains one Ab Lounge II, one Cardio Glide, two exercise balls, two yoga mats, a shit-load of exercise videos...as well as an old big-screen TV, 2 beds with nightstands, and a dresser. We still need to move her treadmill upstairs but that'll require more MANpower than we have between us! And the Nordic-Track remains in the attic for now -- we'll have to see if it fits once the treadmill is in place. It looks like a bloomin' Curves studio now! Yea US! The next step is to establish a set schedule for our exercising together. PLUS, I not only helped move exercise equipment & rearrange furniture today (a workout in itself, right? :thumbup:), I did my first-ever Ab Lounge routine (um, apparently I really need to strengthen the core :eek:)! So I'm on track for the week & my monthly goal -- which feels great since I'm pretty sure I'd've been playing catch-up by now in previous challenges! Zan Level 1 ~ Moderate 5 of 14 30-min workouts

Hey! I'm from Williamsburg. I know, not exactly next door neighbors, but I thought I'd say HI! And I'd love more info about the May seminar you mentioned! I'm a good year away from plastics but the current state of my "apron/dunlap" and "terodactyl wings" are already inspiring me to consider more surgery! Never mind that "the girls" have sunk to new lows... Saggy-baggy or not, this surgery was the best thing I've done for ME in a very long time!

I'm back...and exhausted! It was a wet weekend, but the kiddies & I had a great time in NC with my folks. (I can't testify to if my parents would say the same! :ohmy:) I've got a ton of stuff to do today in recovery from our trip, but I wanted to check in with y'all! Hope everyone's week is off to a good start! Suzanne Level 1 ~ Moderate 4 of 14 30-min workouts

How's it coming, Skinny? Thanks for spurring me on y'all... I really needed this camaraderie. I appreciate it more than y'all realize! Going out of town for a few days -- plenty of walking in store, so I ought to hit my 3rd workout req with no problems! Suzanne Level 1 ~ Moderate 2 of 14 30-min workouts

I've just completed my 2nd jaunt on the treadmill of this challenge!! Wahoo - yeah ME! :thumbup: Off to bed... Suzanne Level 1 ~ Moderate 2 of 14 30-min workouts

Done. (Where is the panting & out of breath icon?) Not so bad... I have not lost any endurance in my time away from my regular exercise routine, so that actually is pretty GOOD news. This is the 1st time I've been on the treadmill since Thanksgiving weekend! Not that there haven't been other forms of exercise in the mean time, but nothing that I count as "working out" for fitness & weight-loss. Ya know? Which brings me to something else I was thinking about... I giggle each time I read the letters BG in reference to everyone's favorite Baby Bicycling Bitch. "BG" means only one thing to me. Busch Gardens. As in the amusement park right here in good ol' Williamsburg, VA! :huh2: We were given season passes to the park for Christmas & one of those BodyBugg thingamabobs would probably help me figure out exactly how to count 1/2 a day at BG with my 2 & 5-year-olds toward my daily exercise goal! For the purposes of this challenge, do I get to count 5 hours at a theme park as a 1/2-hour workout? :tt2: Yes/No? Suzanne Level 1 ~ Moderate 1 of 14 30-min workouts

"a quick 10 miler" -- so, BG, tell us...how long does it take you to bike 10 miles? I know you really got into biking for your exercise so maybe you've worked up to 10 at a good clip I can't imagine 10 miles worth of exercise in a single day without my left knee rebelling against me! And I know I'd be on the treadmill for HOURS upon HOURS, if I even could get in all 10. My allergies are so awful that outdoor exercise is really torturous for me most of the year, but I was just wondering... Gonna hop on the treadmill now for my 30 -- I'll change my ticker only after completing it though!

TG, that's not so weird... I'd have to ask my surgeon the specifics again but, apparently, there was some WLS study that took the cardiac health recommended exercise (a minimum of three times a week and a minimum of 20 minutes per session, with a 5 min warm-up before & cool-down after for a total of 30 minutes or 90 minutes a week) and applied that to post-op WLS patients. The study was looking at total minutes exercised, not at how much was done each day. The groups studied, if I recall the minutes correctly, were assigned to do 90 min & 120 minutes (one more day) worth of exercise a week, not minutes-per-day. Just adding one more days worth of minutes had a substantial impact on the amount of weight lost by the WLS patients. Anyhow -- that was a long way of getting at you're not being crazy to do it per minute, rather than per workout. My workouts just happen to be consistently the same length of time on the treadmill each day, or they were until Thanksgiving when I stopped cold-turkey! (eemmm...TURKEY!) So my goal for April would be 1260 minutes , which sounds far more daunting than 14 days on the treadmill for 30 minutes! :tt1:

Y'all with your pizza & panini talk! That bread would just gum up the works these days though -- I'm very tight. Tuesday nights are crazy for me & it's nuts trying to get in an uninterrupted workout with the kids underfoot during the day (let alone a shower), so I am making no commitment to get my 3-days-a-week in today or any Tues for the foreseeable future. I WILL, however, jump on the treadmill Wednesday after putting the kiddies to bed. I just wanted to post my "status" for the sake of accountability. So no objections then to my prodding Tracy to join the exercise challenge? :biggrin2: Suzanne Level 1 ~ Moderate 0 of 14 30-min workouts

Natures Best makes a 40g protein Isopure ready-to-drink clear drink that isn’t milk-like at all (think Kool-aid, but with more intense flavors). They come in glass bottles (like a Snapple) & are a bit pricey. I know you can get them at GNC. Syntrax makes Nectar protein powders with 23g of protein per scoop, which are opaque but NOT milky at all (they have an apple cider appearance & texture -- cloudy but smooth) -- mix them with water or crystal light. They come in fruit juice and tea/coffee flavors, as well as chocolate & vanilla. My GNC does NOT sell them, but our Vitamin Shoppe does. You can buy both of these at all sorts of online stores, too. The best secret in non-milk protein comes from Springfield, MO though!! There is a store selling to-go bottles that make a fantastic "juice" protein! (Thanks so much for this hint, MazieMommy!) The single-serve Pineapple Orange Shaker & Cran-Grape Shaker (more grape than cran) are my favorites. You just add water right to the powder in the plastic drinking bottle they come in & shake. The flavors are all very mild & they have an apple juice-like consistency. It's perfect for when I need a change from the creamy, latte-style shakes that are my standard. The only problem is that you have to order it by phone (417.881.8600) if you are not local to Springfield -- no on-line ordering yet at www.healthy-weight-supermarket.com. And I wish they sold the powder in bulk canisters!! I hope this helps you – I got tired of milky protein quickly!

Kimberly -- I'm so sorry things have gotten to this point! My only additional advice, beyond get a good lawyer, is to consider checking out www.al-anon.com or attending a local meeting. Long-term substance abuse is the over-riding problem you see in your marriage, and it seems to me that they are the people with knowledge to help your specific issues. Perhaps you'll even get some hints regarding "proof" needed for your custody battle... My husband & I have been living separately since November (over his adultery), but not are legally separated, in part, because of the money-issues. I've not been employed since we decided to have children seven years ago! There's no cache of funds stowed safely some place for that "what if" day that I never thought would come! So in terms of the money, perhaps I'm in your shoes!! Like TerriDoodle brought up...don't count on child support/alimony when making plans for your housing/support. It's fine to say you know he would never do something evil like short Mazie on child support (if you can say that), but what is the reality of his substance abuse if you are at the point where you feel your marriage needs to end because of it. And while garnishing of wages is routine (in my state) for all child & spousal support payments, his maintaining a job plays a vital role in the reliability of that income!! If your DH is headed on a downward spiral that could lead to his getting fired, that is another something you really need to consider! Can any honorable intentions toward you & your daughter he might have be relied upon when/if his life is so unstable? Take the time to play out the scenario further than NOW before you make any rash decisions... I wish you the very best of luck!! And don't forget to take care of you, too. Because Mazie will need her mommy now more than ever before!