OH Juli

No cycling for me, though it's a beautiful day. Yesterday I went to the gym and to a nice picnic. Today is homework and yard work. Yuck to both. What's everyone else up to???

Jen, My advice: Stay the hell off the scale! Just kidding. But you know you need to get the right perspective on the scale if you are allowing it to ruin your day. It's a reality check, if you aren't losing weight you are not doing something you need to be doing... It's okay not to lose, there are times when other things are priorities, but you've got to be honest with yourself if you keep seeing the same number for a month about what you are eating and how you are moving. You can't expect the scale to move if you're not doing the work. I'm talking to myself more than I'm lecturing you. :frown: J

When you can spin harder and better than the skinny chicks in your spin class because you are in better shape then they are.

WA Gwen, Living long distance is hard. My SO is about 300 miles away and we shoot for every other weekend too. It's hard when something comes up and it doesn't happen. Your schooling sounds interesting. Very full days keep you on your toes. I'll be happy to be done with school though. I've been at it without a quarter break since May of 05. So this is my start of my 4th year. I suppose a BS and MBA in 4.5 years is something to be happy about...well there were the classes from youth that helped with the time line... Anyway, I made the decision to go to the gym today for a spin class that also (much to my surprise) had a boot camp tucked on to the end of it. I stayed for all of it. Who knew I could do sprints?! I think my decision to go had everything to do with reading this thread last night. Thanks gals! XO Juli

I posted this on the yahoo list, but I didn't realize that the weekend for the food donation is during the Pride festival downtown. Sorry I'll not be able to make it. I do however love the idea of making a food donation equal to the weight I've lost. There are so many people in economic distress...and I like the photo opportunity piece as well. Sorry to cancel.

Howdy my Marchies. Janine, that's the best news. I must say that I think of you often. Gwen, I love your attitude!!! You are the best cheerleader, EVER. I'm inspired reading everyone's new found energy thanks to warm weather. I was waffeling about getting a fill the first part of June so I cancelled. I'm rescheduled now for the end of the month. I can so eat much food it's not funny. But I'm working on some changes. I'm at a new gym. I'm looking at smaller goals like 10 pounds by vacation in August. School is rough, it's always rough...I learned that I'll be graduating sooner than I realized. My last class for my MBA will be done in March of 09! I thought it would be August!!! So there's some good news!

I started this journey with the need to lose 180 pounds. I am more than half way there and I'm only 10 months out from surgery (tomorrow!) and I can't be more thrilled. The band has been fantastic and will continue to be the best thing I've done for myself.

I have no idea where the academy is...by the fair grounds? I feel like I should know that, but I don't. Funny!

Really, he'll be staying at the school? I'm not surprised, we have many different people stay... Our security supervisor is an ex state patrol gal. Does DH know her or is his connection to the school just through the patrol? I'll take him cycling if he's around.

Looks like a great bike. The biggest concern is "under buying" a bike but that doesn't seem to be an issue with what you selected. I ride a $600 bike and it gets the job done. I can take it up hills with out too much torque and it will carry me for 100+ miles at a time. Don't the carbon guys get to you. Also, tell yourself if the Masi works well for a few years you can upgrade to carbon. That's my 2 cents.

:giggle: What with all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote “the Hokey Pokey” died peacefully at the age of 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in…and then the trouble started.

I keep telling myself I've got three years to make it to goal. But the reality is that I've got a year before I leave this job and want to have PS while still employed by the state of Ohio. So I've got to up the activity and stop eating shite. Let me know if you come up with a plan that works, I need something too. Herumph.

Is someone drinking Mt Dew again??? Just teasing. Is it me or is it increasingly difficult not to want to cheat more these days? What's your goal for August? I need to set some number goals for myself. I'm losing only about 0.5 pounds a week. And that just will not do. About Performance, I feel spoiled. There are so many bike stores in this town and there's such a cool cycling community. There's a non profit, Consider Biking, group that's really amazing. They are working at combining the different cycling interest groups together, from the green college kids to the older retired bike enthueists...I'm looking to give them some of my time when I get some. All very awesome.

Carol You sound a little tight...it's your call if you are too tight or not. You can get some food in you at some point so you're not going to die and you can get in tea/liquid in the mornings. Give it two weeks, they do loosen up a bit, so if in 2 weeks you are miserable get a tiny unfill...but don't panic, what you have going on is normal. If you need to puree your meatloaf or chicken salad to get it down, do that. Don't rely on ice-cream to get you through this tight stretch. Just saying.... And woot woot, watch the numbers drop on the scale. BTW, I'd love to have you in Columbus, but what about DD and high school???? OMG, would she be miserable?

Hey there you mommas. I'm a momma too. Mine is 6. I'm not skinny yet, but you know that reason, that cute little child/children that you want to see graduate from high school and college? The one you want to go and watch play soccer and ride the roller coaster rides with? The one you want to teach how to tie her shoes and ride a bike? It's so much easier and fun and satisfying when you aren't obese. If you are scared of dying, congratulations, you are normal! But really the pros out weigh the cons. Life is really much better raising kids when you can participate in their lives rather than when you are sitting there resenting yourself because you can not. So alay your fears, do what you've got to do to make yourself feel better, write them letters, get your wills in line...but don't let it stop you. Life is good on this side of 200. XO Juli

You've been given some great suggestions. Talking with the people about how their behavior, though well intentioned feels overbearing is a good place to start. That being said some folks won't hear you, so you might want to thicken your skin and know stuff will still get said that you don't want to hear, so you come up with a way to deal with it on your own. I have one coworker who didn't say boo to me before the weight loss and now only talks to me to tell me how good I look, to ask how much I've lost, or other things only related to my weight loss. I say thanks and move away from her as quickly as I can. And it's not that I don't like talking about me, but I hate that she's that narrowly focused, or shallow or whatever. As for telling my pounds lost, I don't generally tell. I give people the, "No you didn't just ask a fat woman how much weight she lost" look. Followed by, "You don't think I tell that kind of information, do you?" Some folks assume I'm going to announce it at the end, and some heavy people, who have interest for their health, not in me as a side-show get the ball park figure... My point is you get to set your boundaries and you are allowed to go back after the fact and say, reset them. You can say, I didn't think my weight loss would be such an attention getter or some such thing and say let's have a no fat talk zone here at work for a bit... Good luck.

D, Were you born there? Idaho, Ohio, they are the same right? Well kids I called for a fill. You might recall I had and cancelled an appointment for the first of the month. Yesterday's ability to eat a Mc D's sausage biscuit, in the morning and in less than 10 minutes pretty much convinced me I'm far too open. (keep it clean, BG) This is some stuff. Well that's about it. I did work out today and will again tomorrow. My trainer dude is being replaced by a trainer babe. Should be fun. XO

Carol, ARe there any rides happening in your part of Ohio that we all might want to do? You split the difference between BG and me.

I do interval training when I'm running..okay when I used to run. It's a great way to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. I'm like HP, I try to maintain my cadance but I'm a distance rider at this point. I tend not to bother getting on my bike unless it's 50+ mile ride. I'm such a snot. Really it's about time. I'd just assume go to the gym if I only have an hour to work out. BG, A and I are doing this ride on the 22nd. 6/22/08 Sunday BERRIEN COUNTY CANCER SERVICE BIKE RIDE Start: Stevensville - 7301 Red Arrow Hwy Distance: 15, 25, 42 mi, 100 K Fee: $15 Ind/$30 Fam; After 6/13 $20/$35; DOE Bike through southern Berrien County. 100K will showcase some of the most picturesque roads over hills on a lightly-traveled, scenic, winding course. 42-mile route will miss some of the bigger hills of the 100K. 25 and 15 mile routes are designed for family riders on relatively flat roads. Berrien County Cancer Service - Barbara Lane, R.N. (269) 429-3281 | staff@bccancerservice.org www.bccancerservice.org I know you'll be doing PALM, but I thought I'd tell you any way.

Hi gang. HP, we're here but I think since we are all getting beyond a year post surgery our commitment/interest in the boards are waining. It just happens. I do check in pretty frequently. I'm still worried about Stef. The ride was great. And seeing BG in person is always a treat. We both agree that we are more similar than we are different and giggle each time that becomes apparent. Sorry to hear you won't make it to DFW, HP. It's on my agenda. B, I've not checked the website for any updates, but I will. I want to go to Texas just cuz. Having a LBT conference makes it all that much more appealing. As for the cycling conversation (I'm all over the place today) looks like you get specific answers if you ask questions. We aren't novices like we were this time last year, so there's less to discuss. Well, and I'm on my bike less because of school. Anyone else venture to guess why? XO

The storms were horrible. Seems like the last 3 days every evening storms have been rolling through. I'm happy to be here. :tongue2:

Poor Babygrl, It will come off again, it will. I'm still in MI, I don't have Zoe tonight so I stayed an extra night. Yippie!!!!

Rock on Whos!! Congrats. HP, as for your tingling fingers it could be your reach like you are thinking. Look at how you rest your hands/wrists on your handlebars. Good luck with that. The ride was fantastic. What's more funny is that after the ride they served lunch. I got a huge plate of food and BG was like, "You gonna eat all that?" We had a good laugh. Of course I didn't eat it all but I was hungry. My eyes were bigger than my stomach!

We rode, it was windy, but beautiful!!!! Good to see you BG!!!

When you're on a fieldtrip with your kid and she tells everyone that you can't eat pizza because you are trying to be thinner. and "My mom used to be fat."