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I found my speed tends to match the beat of the music I'm hearing. It has made me replace my Josh Groban & Bread for CCR, CSN&Y, and Steppenwolf!

We have friends in the last ten days and I haven't had a bike ride in the last 5....I miss it. We have, however, spent a considerable amount of time fishing this week (in the Gulf of Mexico) and have landed some pretty awesome red grouper. 21 keepers this week and probably 100 undersized we threw back. I'm feeling a little like Bubba Gump - we have fried grouper, grouper oscar, broiled grouper, blackened grouper, grouper fingers, grouper tacos. . . . . I am NOT complaining!!!!

Sunday starts our new week and new goal. We are all so excited about doing 38 miles in January that it keeps us motivated to go every day. Well, almost. Yesterday afternoon we had one of those infamous Florida thunderstorms, leaving everything wet, hot, and steamy. 7 pm came - our Sunday riding time - and half of us were ready to chuck the whole deal! Nine miles was the goal. I clocked home at 9.98 miles in 56 minutes. If I had looked down at my program before I clicked "STOP" I would have dozied around my driveway for the extra 0.02 miles!!! Damn! But, we surpassed our 9 mile goal, still did 30 minutes of strength training in the gym en route, and did it in the worst heat and humidity of the week. We are warriors!!!

Thanks for the encouragement. I hadn't meant to sound like I was belittling our accomplishments, though I can see how it looks that way. Neither was I boasting about our workout schedule - just reporting. I have to remember I am among like-minded people when I post here and not subject to the scrutiny of ignorant people who don't understand the struggles of a fat girl and the joy in becoming "normal." Lesson learned! :wub:

Wow, I'm thrilled to see this thread!! One of my NSV goals is to ride the Pinellas Trail in St Pete, FL - 38.2 miles. I've never been an avid biker but I enjoy it immensely. A couple of friends have hitched their star on my wagon and we started training just after Mother's Day, riding 5 miles/day, adding a mile each week. Doesn't sound like much when I see all the stats above but for us - none of us in great shape - it's a thrill. We'll be at 34 miles by the second week of January, then we'll hit the P-trail. Three days of the week we bike our miles, swim 45 minutes, then do aquarobics for an hour, all before 11 am. The other days, we hit the gym for strength training. I don't ever see a day when I will love doing the gym thing but training for this ride with my friends has made it a lot of fun. I use AllSportsGPS for tracking my rides/progress and Pandora is a MUST for the ride! I finally figured out how to make my smart phone do both at the same time!

My doc said six weeks, also. Walking every day from the beginning, but no strenuous exercise for six weeks. MyFitnessPal is a great program for tracking food intake and exercise but I know there are others out there that people like as well. It has been said over and over again and I agree: writing down every morsel you eat every day is the best food management tool you can use. Not only does it make you accountable, I believe it lessens the guilt from having so-called "forbidden" foods. No food item is verboten; quantity is key.

You make such a good point! However, not everyone can be a spokesperson, a visible champion. Reading all the different responses to this thread, most come around to the idea that it really isn't anyone else's business so it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks about our decision to have WLS. We choose to live with others' ignorance of how hard this path really is because there is no way to explain the agonies that brought us to this point or the elation we feel at having found the tool that makes our new life possible. How long we each get to that point is as personal as our reason for having WLS in the first place.

Kris, have you had your hormone levels tested? Being in your late 30's would SEEM to be too early but it is possible a hormone imbalance is preventing continued weight loss. Just a suggestion but I speak from experience. Might be worth the needle-prick to see your levels and make adjustments as needed. Good luck!

Hence the reason I let HIM go golfing and I go fishing!!!! LOL

Please don't tell my husband! He golfs regularly and wishes I would join him. I just don't have an interest and this would give him the ammunition he needs. . . .

I don't know of any Tampa doctors. I was at Palms of Pasadena, too. Great hospital, really loved it. My surgeon, Dr. Rehnke, not so much. I don't DISlike him, I just don't feel very warm and fuzzy about him. I was spoiled by the primary care doc I had for 20 years before I moved. Now I can't find anyone who measures up.

When I had my psych eval and the Doc asked me if I used any recreational drugs I said, "Yes, about once a month, if that." She said, "I appreciate your honesty but I'm not going to put that in my report. I consider once a month use to be medicinal, not recreational. And I'm telling you this so you don't mention it to anyone else." I had to laugh at that! I was glad to be honest and happier that I was rewarded for it!

It's the time of year in Florida when we get a lot of company. Spring breaks up north drive them down here. Others just come down because they are sick of the cold! Also, I just finished finals from one semester, had a quick week of time off, and now back into another semester. So my time has not been my own as of late. I pop in once in a while but don't have time to keep up with the conversations. Think of everyone here often during the day - like between meals when I'm struggling with hunger pangs and I imagine the encouragement each of you would give me or when I accomplish a NSV.

I have a friend with the same problem. She doesn't seem to realize the impact the munchies have on her daily food goals (wonder why!). Everything in moderation in life.