Susanne

I have been largely inactive but I have now fully taken to the bike and actually did a 100 miles ride a couple of weeks ago. I try to ride at least 100 miles a week and have neglected the running a bit. But the road bike is so much fun!!!

Oh boy, it's on sale again, this time for $14.99! http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3513370&clickid=cart Again, no affiliation with GNC and I don't get anything if you click this...but you get the best tasting chocolate Protein :-)

Sorry for the late reply, and I am glad I could be of service! :-) I was never a runner, so I am even more excited that I can do it -- and actually like it Running a 5k was great, but really nothing beat the thrill of having finished the triathlon. If you have one in your area, I can highly recommend it!

The gummies have MUCH less vitamins, that is true. If you cannot stomach anything else, you'll just have to have more gummies. Unfortunately, that also means more calories. I know my nephew just said that he has the hardest time when taking vitamins on an empty stomach -- how are you taking yours? Have you tried taking them after a meal?

The bike was really my most comfortable art. See, when I am running, I am basically always at close to max. If someone is running in front of me, there is usually very little I can do to catch up. On the bike on the other hand, there is always just that little bit more that I can ush out. I think a big part is just that I do not have to carry my weight on my feet/knees/legs alone. I was racing with my SIL's helmet, I haven't gotten around to getting my own and needed to return the other one. I want to get my own helmet and then see how I can incorporate the bike as transportation. I am thinking I am riding with my husband to his work, then get the bike off the rack and ride to my work which is about 8 miles. After work, I can chose...have him pick me up at work, ride back to his work and get another 8 miles in -- or be very ambitious and ride home which is about 17 miles! The good thing is, not only do I save on gas, I am also saving time because I am combining my ride to and from work with a 1+ hour exercise and the time I would usually sit on my fat a$$ in the car is rolled into my work out.

Well, I'd care, but you know what I mean :-)

Same here, this has been awesome. In the end, I like the slimmer shape of my butt and legs more than a number. In the end, no one knows your number, but everyone sees your legs, you butt etc. Hey, if I can look like a model while weighing 300 pounds, I don't care :-)

So, today was my triathlon, and I did a separate topic for this. Come and visit me here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/20540-why-not-try-a-tri/

So, I survived it :-) I finished in 1 hour 49 minutes and it was amazing! Swimming was as bad as I expected. I was able to pull through with a steady breast stroke but of course everyone else was freestyling and really, breast stroke can't keep up with that. I came out of the Water with only 3 people behind me -- well, I came out of the water and didn't die out in the lake, right? I had high hopes for my bike ride. I started all alone, the crowd was already gone, and it took a while until I started to spot a bike at the horizon. I kicked it up and started to pass him. Next I passed a couple, then a group of three, then some young dude, another group of two and as I kept passing people I kept thinking "Yeah, I am totally still in this!" I think I passed between 18 and 20 people on my bike, fit and athletic people and it took me 50 minutes for the 14 mile ride. Next up was the running...oh, the running. OK, a 5k now...I thought "You gotta be kidding me". But somehow, I made my little footsies go pat-pat-pat and I almost ran the whole 3 miles with only minimal walking up the two hills. The run took me about 35 minutes, and while it was slower than both of my other 5ks, I had to keep reminding myself that this was after a big swim and an even bigger bike ride. All in all, it was amazing. I met my three goals which were (in the order of importance): 1. Don't die 2. Don't be last 3. Finish in under 2 hours I have been riding the couch for the rest of the day and enjoying my victory. My husband is beaming with pride and so am I. What a wonderful experience...if I could change one thing, I would have tried and practice the swim a little more

OMG, what have I gotten myself into? I actually got talked into doing a triathlon...well, not really talked into, but at first some one asked me to just run their part because of a foot injury, and then she didn't want to do it at all and in a moment of confidence I decided "Sure, I can do a tri" It's just a sprint triathlon, ie. 0.4 miles swimming, 14 miles cycling, 3 miles running but never the less -- I am still far out from athlete figure and with a BMI of 32 still obese. WTF is an obese woman doing at a triathlon??? Well, if you don't hear back from me, I drown, got run over or just died on the last leg, LOL! PS: Yes, this post is bragging but at the same time I can really use some encouragement!

And just to get this up again, I did my next 5k on 6/25 exactly 6 weeks after the first and I improved my time by 2:36 minutes. I now finished in 30:42 -- so close to under 30, but no cigar. This course was a little easier, and the to runners were around 15 seconds faster, so when I extrapolate this, 30 seconds improvement are on the faster course and 2 minutes are my training! Woohoo! I am not letting the insanity stop there, I signed up for a triathlon which is this Saturday, 7/2. It is almost like Sprint distance. Sprint distance is 750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run and mine is 640 m swim, 22 km bike, 5 km run -- I think at some point they just have to do what "matches nature" for some of the disciplines. Anyway, I haven't trained the swimming at all, so that's gonna be my embarrassing event, but I should be able to do the bike and run fairly well. I got a new bike, a Giant road bike and I love it!

Hi all, I know a lot of people like the GNC Wheybolic Extreme. It is my all time favorite Protein, the chocolate has very little aftertaste and the vanilla is also a great albeit slightly bland flavor. Usually, it is VERY expensive, but right now they have it on sale for $16.99 -- this is today only, online only, and only for the small bag not the 3lbs container. I am using this since years - even pre surgery and I still love it. Mixes easily, tastes like light chocolate milk and has nothing like the bad aftertaste of the other Protein shakes. The nutritional info is also very favorable. It only has the good protein isolates (not the cheap protein concentrates). 60g of protein for 280 calories If you always wanted to try it, this is a great time to do so. If you don't like it, no loss as you can return it to your GNC store in the mall. Come and get it here: http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3513370 Price is applied in the cart. Enjoy! Susanne

For stomach content, volume is maybe better even though theoretically the same issue applies. A cup of whole strawberries weighs a lot less than if you cut them into quarters -- but that will also make a huge difference in your stomach. Whole, it's probably 5 to a cup, if you cut them, it's more like 10 and your stomach will surly feel that difference too. For counting calories and logging food weighing is pretty much a must if you want to be accurate. With our small calorie amounts - I am shooting for 900 - 100 calories over or under has a much bigger impact than in a 2000 calorie diet (2.2x as much, LOL) With my Protein, if I use 3 scoops and compare it to the weight, I am about 30% calories over -- I don't mind the extra protein, but it also is big calorie hit. Same with Cereal - 1 cup from a fresh box is much less than 1 cup from the bottom of the box which has much smaller pieces. With "loose" items or calorie dense items, I would not go without weighing it. Plus, for me it makes less of a mess. I have big yogurt containers so if I weigh out a portion, I don't have any additional dishes like measuring cups. I use the spoon I eat with and spoon it into the dessert bowl that is sitting on the scale. If eye-balling it works for you, that's great. For me, I am too much of a virgo to accept this "unknown".

You could start with something like this: http://www.6pm.com/n...ing-white-black I have one of those and they are fairly firm around the belly and actually have a fairly nice top bra section. Not enough to hold me in a full run, but for a lot of lesser impact exercise, this is actually enough to hold me in. It is long enough so it doesn't roll up (on me at least). The price is definitely right to just give it a try, worst case scenario you bought a summer top :-) I actually have a similar issue with my thighs. They don't clap but I really wanted something to keep my held together tightly. I found these here to be perfect! http://www.zappos.co...ion-short-black (I fit in an XL) http://www.zappos.co...ion-short-black (these are the plus sizes that are also 1.5 inches longer) They are not too long but they cover what I consider my problem areas (thighs and a$) and they give a really tight hold without being uncomfortable. They do not roll up or pull down. Not any of the other compression shorts I tried (ie. Nike, Under Armour, New Balance) offered even remotely the same stability. I just finished my first 5k, so I think I totally know how you feel :-)

The official pictures are out, this is shortly before the finish line and my husband was hollering my name so I waved at him. I thought it was so cool that they got me right that moment! I think this is fairly close to the finish line too, but I am not sure. It definitely looks like I lost a bit of the "good form" while running with my left arm churning. And last but not least, I am crossing the finish line, hooray - my first 5k! (and 34:37 was gun time, I did 33:18)

Sounds wonderful! I have been thinking about a road bike, and I looked at a map to see if I could ride to work in a reasonable amount of time, but unfortunately, there is no "nice" route and I am not (yet) willing to ride along some busy streets. Isn't exercise awesome if you actually enjoy what you are doing? I also think it helps dealing with weightloss - you may not lose faster, but you are adding milestones to your experience, the first time you ride 10, 20, 50 miles, the first full day trip etc.

Thanks, I was elated all day yesterday and today. I am 127 out of 290 in my age group, so I am above average -- usually I am aiming a bit higher but in this case, it's brilliant considering I am probably still 'above' average in the BMI range. I passed a lot of fit looking men and women. I ran in the earlier men's heat because I wanted to be done and it was the smaller group so I knew when I ran in, my husband had a chance to see me. This was a BIG event, 21,000 runners (6,000 in the 5k, the biggest 25k in the US) and it was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. I "took today off", lounge all day, eat a chocolate muffin and other assorted foods that I usually stay away from - I had worked so hard toward this run and it's nice to have it done now. But tomorrow I'll start it all up again. I am trying to get my husband to commit to the schedule I had in the running group. I will do all the runs with him (and hope I can get him to actually run), but I myself need to run more. I will try and do a 20 minute run myself first and then do the run with him - starting tomorrow. He has such a "can't do" attitude which drives me crazy. He only just crossed into "obese" with a BMI of 30.5 and I feel we need to nib that in the bud before it escalates but at the same time I know if you push someone in this situation, it usually backfires. He was patient with me but maybe too much so and maybe I had needed a better talking to. Ah, crapola... Otherwise, yeah me!

And today was the day! I made it, I ran the whole 5k, no walking and I finished in 33:18! I guess I am now officially a runner since I am featured on Active.com

I'd guess those should you about double the amount you actually burn. I would guess normal walking on a treadmill gets you a maximum of 100 calories in 20 minutes. Really fast walking may get you 200 calories, but for that you'd be huffing and puffing and sweating up a storm. The Gazelle uses a lot of gravity for the exercise, and I would say it burns about the same amount. Most machines overestimate the amount, even more so if you put in your weight and are obese. Somehow, I think those machines consider 250 pounds weight as a very muscular athletic person (think Arnold Schwarzenegger). Heavier people burn a bit more, but your "fat weight" burns pretty much nothing.

BTW, are you logging your food? You sound like you are just eye balling calories and portions, and that can be catastrophic...

Well, I don't think you can eat much more than most. I think everyone here can eat a lot when they start grazing. Would you have been able to eat all that in 1 sitting off 1 plate? Probably not! I can eat 2 eggs if that is all I eat, but if I have a piece of toast and a turkey sausage, then 1 egg is more than enough. I do understand your question though - I feel I can eat more than other people, and a bigger variety of things and yes, it worries me. I can eat bread, rice but Pasta makes me queezy. I can eat a little beef slider with the bun. When I told this at my surgeon's nutritionist's group session, everyone was like "Wow, how can you eat that??? I can't eat that!!!!" making me feel like a glutton. Watermelon is mostly Water, so I don't think it is a surprise you can eat a lot of that. Anyway, sucks that you can eat that much. I see where you are coming from, you were hoping that the smaller stomach will completely control portion size, but for some it doesn't -- that means you have to be careful. I am sometimes jealous of people with more restriction, but at other times I am not. I am losing slower, but I honestly don't care. My husband just asked me -- "Does it really matter if it takes you 6 months or 9 months or 12 months? It took you 20 years to put it on, and as long as you are staying in a long term losing mode, it seems like all is good." He is right...I don't like feeling like my loss is less, but I lose and I am happy -- that's what matters to me.

It's 166 not 100 days since Thanksgiving, and it is not a perfect linear "per day" loss, but let's look at the whole picture: In order to lose 100 pounds, you'd need a deficit3,500 calories per pound lost. 3,500 x 100 pounds = 350,000. That means, over 166 days, you must run up a deficit of about 2100 a day. You started at 375 pounds and a BMI of 50.9, which means you are around 6 foot tall. With those values, your BMR should be 3044 calories. This is resting, so even if you don't exercise, your actual daily burn is probably higher. You said you eat less than 1000 calories a day....and voila, comes out pretty much perfectly. 3044 - 2100 = 944 calories per day!

Well, I got the workouts down, and have been running over 60 miles since March 29th. I was looking into running a 5k, and I found a practice group by a local running shop that I am now running with twice a week and I get together with couple of the gals for a weekend session. I paid $60 for the 8 week course, and that includes a free moisture wicking shirt, a "good form running" analysis of your gait by Good Form Running (this was a proper deal, incl. filming our feet while running etc.), VIP tent for the race day and some other goodies. They have 4 trainers in ever session so no matter how fast you are, there is someone close by. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself (after VSG)! I have gone from barely making it 5 minutes at 4mph on a treadmill to running 25 minutes at 5.2mph. Yeah, anyone can run anywhere but ya don't, LOL. Being with the group and with almost exclusively fitter people makes me work out much harder than I would on a treadmill because I am competitive and makes me actually do it because there is someone waiting for you every Monday and Wednesday. I am still big, there is only one gal as big as I am, the rest is small to medium runner gals but I have not ever found a more supportive community than this. They know it's harder for me, they Celebrate my runs and I am actually getting real good at it -- well, for a bigger girl, but I am always in the first third. No one has ever given me that look - you know what look I am talking about - and I can't wait for my race day to run with thousands of other people and have people by the side of the road cheering and hollering! If you can find something like this in your area, go for it. I am pretty sure you will not be sorry. Check the web site of local running stores or of events for training/practice groups.

That's amazing, I am so happy for you! I am at 6 months and just made it to half way there - you're really killing it! Congrats!

I want to be happy in one year! I feel there are way too many unknown factors for me to fully control my weight loss, so my goal is to be happy with my life with whatever I have lost. I am exactly 6 months out today, and I am also exactly half way there, so I know goal will not be a feasible weight, but goal weight is just a number on a piece of paper right now. I did a test 5k run on Saturday to prepare for my real 5k run in two weeks...I'll do a 4 mile fun run on Thursday...things like that are my goals right now :-)