OH Juli

Well howdy new people. Hungry, I want to think there's a fella from NYC on here but I can't remember for sure and of course I'm too lazy to go back and check. Hopefully he will reveal himself shortly! Thanks dez, I'm doing the best I can, I feel great.

BG Where are you???????????

Okay, I'm in too! Name............ Current......... Goal....... Lost......Still to Lose OH Juli...........201..............190..........0.................11

All I do is laundry! I have only clothing enough to get me through ONE week, because I refuse to spend more than I need to, but I also refuse to wear clothing that is too big! I'm happy I don't work in an enviroment where I need to dress professionally. Whew. That would be costly! I can't wait until I get to goal. I'm all about buying the $500 trench coat and pieces that will last years! I'm also looking to change jobs around that time too, so bring on the professional fashions! (I'm working on the MBA right now...)

I went 6 mos with out a fill. Like you, when it slowed I decided it was time. There is only a finite amount of room in the band so my thinking is use it when you need it. Most folks need it ASAP. I guess we're just lucky, huh?

Hlayne Congrats on your weight loss! How about I join you on your Quest to get back to basics? I had my blood work drawn today, being a year out, and I realize I'm not doing all that I should be doing. I don't take my Vitamins. I eat too much bread, crackers and other simple carbs. My fill is tight so I tend eat the easy things, not what I should be eating. So my goal is to get look at my food diaries from last spring and start eating like I used to...baked fish, veggies, yogurt, drink my Water. I want to be at goal by the end of 08. With spring coming I'll be outside and more active. I can't help myself when it's pretty outdoors!

TX, I hit you up on facebook. I'm not that savvy on it either. Favorite, What Traci said was pretty smart. You are smaller than me when I started riding. You're size isn't an issue. The question to answer is what kind of riding do you see yourself doing in 4 months. What kind of bike does that take? Unless you are going to mountain bike on paths stay away from mountain bikes. Hybrids and comforts are good entry bikes. The local bike shop's bikes will cost a bit more, but you'll get fitted to your bike, and start a relationship with someone who is passionate about biking. It can't be said enough, don't buy your bike at Walmart or Target. The savings aren't worth it for the service and knowledge a local bike shop (LBS) person will give you. And don't worry about your size. Big people ride. Then they become little people. :biggrin: HP- I was at the GF's this weekend, cooking and entertaining...also doing school work. Why is it when life gets busy getting off the computer is the first thing we do? I'm back!

Welcome to Bicycle Cleaning 101 Something shared sent out by WOW, my cycling group.

There's frost on the windows and the grass this morning so we are probably not going to ride. Well, if the weater gets above 45 degrees we might go out. But I have a paper I've avoided writing all week. I'll check in later.

Virgina Congratulations! Nikki You look fantastic!!!!!!

We all moved to clipless pedal systems. And the rule of thumb is you fall once or twice with them... I got my fall in, now I'm done, no more falling.

Tammy You are looking great! Tia and Gwen Keep us informed with what your doc says.

I rode 14.6 miles yesterday and I FELL!!!!!! We were at a stop and I had one foot on the ground, but then I lost my balance...I said, "Falling!" I landed on my hand and bruised it badly, but my bike land on me...I was still attached with my left foot, so I didn't scratch the bike, so there's a bonus. But that was half way through the ride. We ended with a couple a big hills. WOO HOO!!!! I rode my bike!

JC Thank you for your kind words. They mean very much to me. As for you struggling with your lapband, there is a light at the end. You'll be getting fill and moving forward with your weight loss. You've had a great year. You know, new toys, new relationship...sorry the band hasn't been perfect, you are in my thoughts... Keep talkin' to us!!!

Show of hands, who has tried on bathing suits since losing weight? I think it's the idea I had as a size 30 that when I got to a size 18 that there would be more choices (which there are) and that automatically equals a better ability to dress (which it doesn't). It is because either the suits are vampish, way expensive like $90, printed with bright giant flowers or matronly. All I want is a black suit that's not got leg holes cut up to my ribs, that's not so deeply cut in the front you see the swell at the top of my stomach, that doesn't tug or dig and doesn't have a granny skirt that's hard as hell to swim in. And I don't want to pay two arms for it either. It was easier at times to buy a tent, when the only concern was is there enough material here to keep me covered than it is to find stuff that fits. I know much of it is my oddly shaped body and also this image of me at 18 as a size 18 and me at 39 as a size 18. The intervening years were not kind. And it certainly doesn't help that it's January and 15 degrees outside. The suits are few and far between, but I'm taking the DD to an indoor swimming pool and my old suit is way too big.

Hi people. I'm closer to goal than not, but I have an issue that I'm hoping your combined experiences can help me with. It's about my skin. I need to make peace with the sagging, drooping skin that I'm living in and which is only going to get worse until I get to goal and have plastic surgery. The thing is as a SMO woman weighing in at over 300+ I could strut nude in front of the One I Love but as someone who has lost over 100 pounds the I can no longer strut. It's like I'm focusing on the negative (so far the only one) of losing weight and not the positives. But it's huge and I know I need to make peace with it because I'm a solid year or more away from PS. And this discontent has me making really poor, deliberately bad choices. At least I've been able to make that connection. Any way, any help you give, tips or ideas about living happily in this body while I become thinner and healthier would be appreciated. TIA.

I hear what you mean about squats and curls. I'm an avid exerciser. I do dead lifts, burpees, thrusters, renigade rows, some serious stuff...and I've got nice hard muscles under this skin... I stand tall and look good in my clothing and it has everything to do with weight training. Foolish are the people who do not pick up weights. But to go from 338, or maybe even higher to about 200 where I'm at right now there's no escaping the loose skin. But now I see it as progress. I see it as par for the course. I see it as it's going to get worse before it gets better so I love what I can about it...I tanned nicely, I feel soft, it feels nice to be touched...and let the rest go. When I was big, I had a, "this is what a fat woman looks like" attitude. Now I have a, "this is what a woman who has lost lots of weight looks like." Look or don't look...Often I chose not to look! LOL!

On a random note, this is one of my favorite sites on the web: bunnyshop shopping fashion blog And what's cool is that I have always loved fashion. Always. But it was kind of out of reach for a poor chubby girl and then really out of reach for a super morbidly obese woman, but now...now aside from the panic of dressing this body I've never had before I'm in love with clothing and all things bright and shiney. Now, eventhough I won't spends gobs of money because of the transition between sizes, I'm sucking up all the fashion stuff I can! I love this site too because they are Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade fans and review make-up!!! Thought I'd share.

Hi my little vegetarian buddies. I made a risotto tonight for my wheat allergic friend and her vegetarian daughter. It was sooooooooooo good. But yeah, straight up carbohydrates for me...Peas and green onions with thyme and parmesan. ZZ, One thing you can do is get a friend to hold up your back wheel and pedal the bike with their hands while you shift your gears. And see what you are doing and where the chain is moving. Most people have three on the front and most people do flat riding with the chain on the middle gear. You move to the littlest ones for going up hill (I'm pretty sure, unless I'm backward, which could be the case.) You move to big one for going faster but it takes more effort. Mostly however, you don't play with the front ones much. The back ones the rules are the same about using the littles for going up hill. I typically ride with it on the biggest one in the back, then as I hit inclines I pop one or two to help get up the hills, (or seven, then move to the little one up front, also known as the granny gear) then I pop them back down as I'm going down hill so I can pedal out of the decline and bust ass...but that's not what you need to be doing just yet. So the idea is figure out where the shifters sit when the chain is way high and way low in the back. Feel for the resistence. Also, only shift gears while pedaling. Never while you are stopped. Now, while riding the goal is to pedal consistently (cadence) and to do that quickish, not to push, grunt with each rotation of your legs. You get overly tired that way, you are giving it too much effort. But that's like cycling 207, not 102. 101, you've got down. You know what a bike is! I love that pic you posted, btw. Hope this wasn't too much information. Hope I was right too. How To Shift Your Bicycle's Gears

We used to be way more chatty! I guess it comes and goes... Hope everyone is well.

ZZ I think you are a car abuser. And my change oil light comes on a 5000 miles, for which I'm pleased!

HP Look at skinny YOU!!!! Too cute.

ZZ Car trouble stinks. But I love how your recognize the irony of both modes being out at the same time. Cute. TX Cool about fueling. I might need to learn more...Seems like there's always something new to learn. Most times that's exciting. Now with school it's exhausting...but I'm saving those links you posted! HP You're a riot! Blood to show for it! Funny, but I can appreciate a nice scrape or something that proves I'm a tough chica who got it doing something athletic. Not like a cut from shaving my legs. W, New fill? Awesome. BG, Did you ride today? I wanted to but the piles of melting snow don't instill the feeling of riding weather. Also time is tight on Kiddo night. XO

What BG said. I run colder now than I used to when I was heavier, but I'm not always COLD. I think I'm more regular now and before I was always hot. I too eat more than the typical bandster, but I exercise more than one too. Well all of us here do, that's why we are in the exercise forum. And cycling is a huge calorie burner. But this is where know what you burn per hour (or guessing really well) and what you eat come into play. You can go super low calorie and not die while exercising, you do have fat stores to live off of, but that seems like misery that's not neccessary to get to your goals. Eat fewer calories than you burn and you will lose. Last year I went to my doctor in a panic about the enormous amounts of food I was eating. The example I gave was 3 full ounces of grilled chicken, 1/4 cup of rice and three broccoli spears...all of it was able to go in and I WANTED it all. And then a few hours later I was able to eat a banana and 6 ounces of yogurt and OMG, I was going to burst my pouch...he told me to calm the fuck down. Okay, not his words, but he said you're paranoid, you are losing 10# a month and your body needs that nurtrition. He cautioned me against filling myself with easy fattening foods, but it made sense that I was hungrier and that if I wasn't hurting when I ate I was fine. C, I hate to say it but you're going to have filter what your doc and his people tell you and apply some group knowledge gathered on sites like LBT.