5 Months Out and Loving life

[Stephanie Stroup McIntosh 157]

OK So It is just a few days shy of 5 months since I had my surgery. I haven't posted on here in a while. After going back to work, I didn't have too much energy left to post and had got through the stage where I had a lot of questions.

Today, I am at 210 pounds. I have actually been here for about 2 weeks, but that was to be expected. I had been doing mainly cardio when I worked out so I was losing weight pretty quickly. I did enough strength training to not lose muscle, but not really enough to build any.

My gym has 2 parts. One for the everyday gym goer, who wants to use the treadmill and maybe take a class or 2 and another for the totally insane people that want to be in pain after an hour of working out. I have been using the first part for a little under a year and was doing quite well. I am one of the people that other people come to ask about the equipment. My friend, and spin instructor, has been encouraging me to go back to the other part of the gym (costs an extra $60/month) for a while now. It finally worked in my schedule that I could go do a trial session.

I couldn't tell you the last time that I sweat that much. It was a 55 minute circuit class. I was biking, rowing, and using equipment that I have never touched, but been very afraid of for quite some time.

I started on the spin bike. This was easy. A nice warm up. (I spin 3x/week). Then we moved on to the more scary stuff. I don't remember everything that we did, but there were stairs, kettle bells, the TRX, and lots of sweat. One station was the rower. The instructor came over to make sure I knew how to use it since i was new. (He actually did this for every station and still does now when there is something new to me.) I told him that I had used a rower before, but not successfully. You see, my stomach has always been in the way. I couldn't do it, because I couldn't reach around my stomach. (I am one of those people that carry most of my weight in my tummy.) So...I tried it. And guess what..I could do it. I could do it well. He wanted me to shoot for a pace of 700 and I was coming in over 800. I was stoked.

The rest of the class was a blur, but I made it through without having to stop for more than a few seconds at a time. Then he called me out. He wanted me to stay after class. I bid farewell to my spin friends who had joined me, and waited for Matt (the instructor). He complemented me on my athleticism. I never saw that one coming. I joined that part of the gym a few minutes later. He stressed how important it is for me to get to class 3x/week. I work 50+ hours a week, so that is a challenge.

I finished out the night with spin class.

Then I went back the next day, and the day after that. With my work schedule and the hours for the gym, I can't make it on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, unless they are my days off for the week. I went 3 times last week. I have gone 3 more times this week already and will go tomorrow as well. I ran a 5k only a few days after joining. I have a 5k with the gym this Sunday, a 10k next Sunday, and then a freakin' half marathon the Sunday after that.

Yesterday, I worked out for 2 hours before I took my class. Matt happened to see me. He told me I was a beast (totally meant in a good way). He told me that he could see a huge difference already. He did warn me that classes wouldn't get easier, but I would get better and be able to challenge myself in new ways. He told me he was proud of me. Even better though, is I am proud of myself.

Due to some schedule issues, I hadn't seen my spin instructor but twice since I went back for that first class. We were in the same class today, and she couldn't believe the difference already. She said she could see that I was smaller in the tummy and more muscular in the arms.

My biggest NSV this week though was being able to get out of the pool without using the steps/ladder. When I first started, I had to use the steps, because I didn't have the strength to hoist myself up with the ladder. Today, I could get out of the pool from the side and not use either. I also did 10 elevated pushups (not on my knees) in a row today. 2 weeks ago, I could barely do 5 on my knees. Last week, I couldn't hold a plank for 30 seconds. Today, I was able to hold it for 2 minutes.

I feel better than I ever have and while I am desperately waiting to get under 200 pounds, I am thrilled with my new body and what I can do. I started by walking in the pool for 15 minutes and can now work out for 3 hours straight at a high intensity level. I also went to the doctor 2 weeks ago and got the results from my first full set of blood work. I am good on all of my Vitamins and my sugar and cholesterol are both in normal limits. My blood pressure and pulse were so low, they took them again to make sure they were right. They were all impressed with the weight that I had lost and the muscle that I retained. They even told me that I was probably the healthiest person they had at that point. I will update in 2 weeks when Matt takes my measurements again and lets me know how far I have come. (That is assuming I don't die during the half marathon.)

I just want to end with probably the most important sentence in the whole post. ONCE YOU OVERCOME YOUR FEAR, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. I was afraid to put myself out there and try these classes. I was afraid to put away the chips and Pepsi. I was afraid to go to the doctor. I was essentially so afraid to live that I was dying and so afraid to die, that I couldn't live. Its ok to start small, but start. It is so worth it. You are worth it.

[armiller 25]

How much weight have you lost

[Stephanie Stroup McIntosh 157]

I am down about 85 pounds since I got on a scale and admitted I needed help. I imagine it is closer to 100, but I refused to get on a scale for a long time. Since my surgery date, I have lost 53 pounds.

[armiller 25]

That's awesome

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Congratulations! You really are a beast. I am most impressed with your being able to get out of the pool without the ladder. I can't remember the last two I was able to do that.

[SunflowerGal 30]

Congratulations on your success!

[stevecfo 9]

Fantastic Thank you for sharing