OH Juli

Mrs Husker You have my duaghter's dream job. She's five so she has a few years to really figure it out, but she loves the aquarium! You know, you have to decide for yourself if it's your exercise or not. If you want to call it your exercise then, by gum, it is. If you think it isn't and you are looking for permission from us (or me) we're not the ones that grant that. You are. So you decide and so it is. :biggrin1: Either way, you rock! Those kids I'm sure must have worn you out! OH Juli

My5grlz You and me both. I get on the scale daily. I don't know why, it's not moving...but I keep going at it. We got two choices keep beating away at the workouts and calories or not. Doing "not" got me to be this heavy and I don't want to be this heavy anymore. I get my fill on the 7th. Maybe we'll be the ones who get restricition with one fill. I'm being hopeful!

Thanks for the new thread. I'm excited to move my exercise ticker today! The scale isn't moving. But I've got a NSV! I'm wearing a size 24 today! I was in a 30 in January. Sure it's a bit snug, but it's on and I'm strutting. That's right.

Thanks everyone for answering my TOM question. Offering up a bit of moral support is nice. :biggrin1: I'm doing better now, but earlier today and yesterday I was a mess. I'm looking forward to the challenges starting tomorrow!!!!!!!!! I'll be clicking that exercise ticker off nearly everyday.

How has your cycle been since surgery? OMG, mine is nuts. I typically have normal periods, not too heavy, doesn't last too long, every 4-5 weeks. I'm not so regular you can set a clock by me, but they are okay. I feel for my heavy-period having sisters out there. Anyway fast forward to this weekend. This is the worst, heavyest period I can remember. And that's fine except I am an emotional wreck! I've gained back a few pounds. I eat well and I exercise like a gym rat. I know it will come off in a day. But it makes me sad. I'm hateful and weepy and so out of my normal range I can't stand my own self. I'd eat some junk if it would help, but I know it will only compound the emotions.... Holy cow! I hope this balances out soon. I'm shutting my office door and keeping out for the day. They'll thank me later.

I was told moderate exercise was okay, like cardio, after two weeks. I was told to wait 6 weeks before strength training or picking up my kid. It's about herniating your incisions. The probability is low, but there is a chance. So get to the gym and get sweaty, but hold off on the weight training.

Tammyj- Fitday.com is fantastic. It's free and easy to use. Give it a try! I like Marchies in May. "Marchies" is fun. I'd like to see it continued. Of course I have an opinion. I have opinions about EVERYTHING. I'm having issues eating TOO much as well Kyethra. Good for you for being introspective and taking control of the situation. I appreciate your frankness and honesty.

http://beauty.expertvillage.com/interviews/leg-exercises-video.htm Check out the little video clips on this one. She shows squats, lunges, dead-lifts....all kinds of things and many of them are off the floor.

This is a great women's strength training sight. It's very wordy, but spunky and fun. http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displaysection.php?sid=2 I'm going to look for some other sites to share too. G n' R thanks for the daily calorie breakdown.

Good for you for getting a scale. I know people can get obsessed with them, but you do need to have some reasonable parameters or you can let the weight gain get out of control. I had a scale that I never-EVER- stepped on. I use it now, but I don't let the daily number get to me. Just so long as I see a downward slope over a few days, I'm good. How can you do only 800 calories a day without a fill? My average is 1400. Even going only to 1000 has me feeling wiped out. Good for you though. That's great progress!

Becky- The cartoons are a riot. You have some great stand-up material in the bus and plane stories. I see a career on stage for you! And at first you did sound like a nasil American, but that went away pretty quickly. No one would mistake you for being from Ohio. Take this journey and make it into art! Fantastic.

YOU WILL BE SUPER BUFF!!! We are a bunch of Hotties, just waiting to get toned.

My port site didn't stop hurting until after week four. You might be over doing it too. And pop is a no-no because the carbination can cause irritation to your band, by being fizzy in the pouch. I'm not so much bummed about pop, I'm going to miss the few beers I drink a year.

That would be it. It's the part of the situp that actually works the abs. A baby crunch can be done on an exercise ball, where you tilt your pelvis (oh, la, la) back and forth. It looks a bit odd, but it is a good way to begin. Then progressing to crunches using the ball sure beats the getting on the floor. Who here uses an exercise ball???

G n' R- I've been trying to jump in as much as I can to feel 'Part Of' these fine people too. I came to the group a bit late, but they all deserve the chance to get to know me, so I'm staying. So let me see right, you are going to 18-30 minute sessions AND 10-40 minute sessions? How will you get it all in? What do you do now? I know cruches are rough (and no one should do them or lifting type strength training until they are 6 weeks out-so says my surgeon) and I avoid them. That's why I took up the challenge! I started doing Cardio in January. I told myself I'd start strength training after surgery. I did start back at 5 weeks out, don't tell my surgeon, and I forgot how much I love it! I know there's a super buff chick under all this fat! I do 40 minutes of cardio now at least 5 days a week and 20 minutes of strength training on those days. I prefer using the cable machine to circut machines (they don't fit my chubby body that well) for my upper body. I do use the circut machines for legs. The core-abs and lower back I really need to work on, but don't as of yet. And what's your real name, Guns? Juli

Tammyj- I am going to do the 40 minutes of exercise and cruches! I've made my ticker! I make it to the gym most days. I avoid cruches...I do. Bad me. But not anymore. I will become the Crunch Queen! Medge- I'd send you some brisket but it'd be yucky by the time you got it. And it was so good....with coleslaw on a bun...I feel like Homer Simpson, "brisket..(drooling)" :hungry: Tammyj- I will have to find that bbq sauce. Okay, I'm heading to the gym now. Work off a portion of those calories.

Today I woke up hungry. It doesn't help that we are having a special lunch at work. In theory it should be okay. Smoked Brisket- I even made a bbq sauce with reduced sugar- but I'm terrified I'm going to eat TOO MUCH. Why? because it's so unusual to break out the smoker and make this kind of food. I work in a cafeteria...yeah, it's stupid hard at times. So I'm thinking perhaps I can put some up for later meals for myself so I don't feel like I'll not have it again for a long, long time and I can eat sensibly. I wish I had a fill, so the ability to eat too much was not there. Come on May 7th!!! Seems like fancy food, difficult, or rare food is my weakness now. I've gotten past the cake and Cookies phase (at least for now). I baked choc chip cookies for my daughter's tea party yesterday and didn't even want one.:omg: I was stunned! Also, Pasta and carbs don't appeal much. Thanks for letting me fret.

Renee You get it first and tell me how you like it. Di/Texas Well, at least the band isn't a device we could resale in a yardsale. That would be a hoot! And I think this one is a keeper! Juli

You should be able to ride 30 minutes away, easily. But with pain medication I doubt driving is an option. Congratulations too!

How was that first fill? Did it hurt? Did it take long? Were you standing or lying down? You know you'll start dropping weight now! You'll be feeling like a million bucks in a minute.

I've PBed twice so far, so I know the band it there! The urge is immediate as is the relief afterward. It lasted less than 5 minutes each time. I can't say that I wanted to eat again after all the slime and stuff came up. (Sorry, gross.) And I wouldn't want to be in anyone's company either while in process. I've seen someone describe it as like a cat with a hairball. That seems pretty accurate for me. Like you I'm dying for a fill!

Julie At what weight did you begin running? I do quited a bit of cardio and so want to run. I tried at 270ish and got past the first week of 30 seconds of running and walking 90 seconds, for twenty minutes. In the second week I moved to 60/60 for a total of twenty and my knee started killing me. My lungs and butt can handle it but not my frame. I so want to run, but think it's just too much weight right now. With that in mind can you tell me where were on the scale you when you started? Thanks,

You look amazing! Dumb boy, not giving you kisses.

LoriPA- Rock On! I think that's a great idea. Let us know what they say!

Don't you hate it when all reason floats out of your head? Now you know a few chips won't kill you. And you can't un-eat them. So say, "oops" or "hehe, those were tastey" and, "eating like that will not get me to where I want to be." Now, go drink some water and eat your protein first. Not is all lost. And watch out for the hormone changes. Word on the street is that fat stores estrogen and as we lose weight we get more frisky too. :girl_hug: A bit of tough love-