mistysj

Dee that sounds like such a cool experience. Isn't it amazing how much you have changed your life? I ran the end workout of couch to 5k today just to benchmark myself. It felt short! I have even increased my walking speed during the warmup and cooldown to 5.5 kph. I'm running at around 8.5 kph which is much faster than when I finished couch to 5k in nov even though it still isn't a 30-minute 5k. In the 30 minutes running with 5 minutes walk either side I JUST got to 5k. So don't worry about your speed when you are doing this program. I routinely run twice as long as that in time and my speed is increasing.

A year ago I had not seriously started considering WLS, but I was very frustrated because I was gaining weight back after finishing up a medically supervised 14-month (extended from 12 by travel) Optifast program. I lost 20 kg in that program but felt like crap, and had already put 10 back on by Feb. I was in therapy for my "binge eating disorder". That's in quotes because it mostly went away after surgery which leads me to believe it was at least partially biological / chemical. Anyway I was probably at my lowest point with no way out. I began researching in March and had the sleeve in May. Now I am 35 kg down (over 75 lbs) and I'm running at least 180 minutes a week, Body Pump once a week, Zumba once a week, and getting well over 10000 steps each day. I am in remission from diabetes. All my blood work is PERFECT. I'm the smallest I have been since I was 18 years old. I'm not quite at goal yet but I won't need to make any big changes to get there. I'd like to be under 60 kg by my one-year mark in May but I'm not stressing about it. A year from now, I'd like to be at goal with several months of maintenance under my belt. I imagine that my daily and weekly routine will be similar to now. I don't feel the need to add a lot more minutes of exercise, though I hope the intensity is higher and I'm stronger and faster and more flexible. I will almost be 37 and I expect to be healthier than at 27 or 17!

You need to go to the website itself, on your computer,to reset the password.

So I can identify with you both, Lissa and Sue. On the one hand I was always the class clown because even though I was fat, at least I could make people laugh and that must mean they liked me, right? I have always had a "smart mouth" and I think it was my way of getting the edge and of keeping people at arm's length. I think I never trusted people's motivation for being my friend because I didn't feel worthy of their friendship. After all, I couldn't even keep my promises to myself to lose weight, and I hated how I looked. Surely I wasn't worth much? At the same time I was really afraid of people not liking me. Because of that, I would always back down in am argument and always be the first one to apologize. I would get really derailed by negative feedback, for days or weeks. This kind of behavior was really obvious with my husband. I think in some way I felt like since I wasn't attractive (in my mind), that it was only a matter of time til he got tired of me. That's so weird because we have been married for 12 years and I was large the whole time. But it was more about my self esteem than reality. Now, I think I have moderated both ends of the spectrum. I'm less of a smart aleck and less silly. I'm more confident and self-assured. I'm more likely to stand my ground but be less shrill doing it. I take criticism more thoughtfully. I feel like there is more room in my head because the body-hate was taking up so much of it. And the food thoughts too. In arguments with my husband I am more likely to speak my mind I don't walk on eggshells. I'm more of an equal partner. Ironically I think our relationship is better and so much more "real". I feel more secure. It is weird but I also feel more like if something did ever happen and we went our separate ways (not that it is on the cards), that of course my world wouldn't end. I think it is a lot healthier. I've also been able to take more risks at work and put my hand up for things I would not have dreamed of. It's the self confidence yes, but I also think thinner people are seen as more confident and competent. Even thigh of course it's not really true. Sue, I love your new photo. You look so awesome and so glamorous! My big news is that I am wearing those weird-fitting size 12 jeans that I bought on sale months ago. There is some muffin top but it's not obvious if I wear the right top. And the legs are a tad bit loose. I think if I went jeans shopping I would fit into some 10s but this is gratifying because I could not even close them 3 weeks ago. My weight loss has really slowed but I'm still changing shape. I'm short so size 12 is still bigger than I want to be. I have changed my ticker to my surgeon's goal for me since it's so close, but I don't think I will be ready to stop there. I would like to get to at least size 8 and 25% body fat. I've added Zumba once a week and BodyPump (a weight training class) once a week, and running twice a week for 50 minutes and elliptical once a week for 50 minutes. I actually enjoy the exercise. Especially Zumba which I do with a friend and then we have dinner after

The fundoplication is to correct chronic GERD that doesn't go away with hernia repair. It's not the first step and it only lasts 10 years or so. Hernia surgery is easy. Most of us have a hiatal hernia when we are obese because our fat actually can push up on our abdomen and cause strain. Lots of us have it repaired at surgery. I did and it was no drama. Apparently I have a slight one either still or again, but not enough to have more surgery. My GERD is controlled with the lowest dose of nexium every day. If it gets worse I will have the hernia repaired again.

You can put on as much weight as you want. You can change it between muscle groups. Also my instructor definitely corrected form problems. We don't need to all lift more than our body weight.

Well I am sore today! I can't imagine it won't make a difference. Especially when I add more weight.

I finally tried BodyPump at my gym today. It is so good! It's basically weight lifting set to music. You don't have to be really coordinated, the movements are simple and easy to pick up, and I found everything do-able but could have sat some things out (like the planking) if I didn't feel up to it yet. You choose how much weight is on your barbell or whether you just use the bar empty at first. I will be adding one BodyPump class a week to get in some weight training. Much more fun than doing it solo. And I am sure I will be sore tomorrow!

Yes it would be fine. You can look up the maximum depth in the booklet but it is fine for underwater swimming. Tap the same way you do the double tap to see your status.

And yes for sleep, tap it about 7 times in a row and the dots will change pattern. It is now in sleep mode. Do the same to turn it back to normal mode. I use the silent alarm to wake up in the morning and you have to tap it 5 times quickly to turn off the alarm. You can clap instead of tapping it too.

You can swim with the flex but not the force. Let it dry out after getting it really wet or it can get a bit funky. Wear it a notch looser than you think so air can circulate.

My husband has decided to train for a half marathon from 10k. I'm proud of him. He's working so hard!

Sounds like you are doing well now, Eggs?

I found ground beef easy from soft foods onward. Thin sliced stirfry beef was always fine on solids and steak by 3 months or so. I could probably have gone faster. By the way someone asked about bacon. I had it in the soft food phase because I could chew it well.

It was odd. The one that ate low carb lost more... So that must mean that quality of carbs matters more than quantity and that moderation is better? I don't follow the logic. Seems like they wimped out on their conclusion. Plus they both look pretty thin already.

Your shape is amazing!

Thanks for the correction about the band not needing staples. I never said plication did.

The staples are permanent and are not going anywhere because they are over-stitched with sutures. Plus the stomach is sealed shut with heat (cauterized) at the same time as the staples are inserted, by the same instrument. but your stomach also completely heals and would stay together without them afterthought you are healed. This information is readily available at any reputable place that talks about the sleeve procedure, and your surgeon can explain it to you as well. I don't want you to feel that I am calling you out, but I get concerned that people are not doing enough research on their own. Please don't let people on a web forum make your health-related decisions for you. The band and RNY have staples too.

They sure don't share many facts in that article or what specifically led to their conclusions.

If you are more than a month out from gall bladder removal and still experiencing diarrhea every day or multiple times a day, do a google search for "bile acid diarrhea". Some of us make too much bile and it draws Water into the intestines, triggering osmotic diarrhea. There is no cure, but if you have bile acid diarrhea it will be alleviated by taking a type of medication called a bile acid sequestrant. Common bile acid sequestrant are Questran, Cholestyramine, Colestipol, and Welchol. These medications don't get absorbed by your body, but bind with excess bile in your intestines to make it inactive. When it is inactive it doesn't pull water into your intestines and you get normal stools. The condition is common but under-diagnosed, often masquerading as IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D). I had diarrhea for 3 months straight several years ago, and 7 months straight after my surgery. I had every test, took antibiotics and anti-parasitics. Was treated for bacterial overgrowth just in case. Took high doses of Probiotics. Tried eliminating dairy and gluten. Was tested for lactose, fructose, and gluten intolerance. Had a full endoscopy and colonoscopy. Nothing. I had a gall bladder until a couple months ago, but it had basically shut down. Removing it stopped my gallstone attacks but the diarrhea actually got heaps worse. As soon as my doctor put me on Questran I had relief the next day. I have had relatively solid stools ever since. I switched to colestipol because it is a little stronger so I only have to take it once a day. If I miss a day I know it the next day. It's possible I will have a remission from this, in which case the medication would start causing constipation.

I'm in Australia so they are different from the US: Blackmores Sustained Release with Antioxidants multi - 1 per day Blackmores Total Bone Health (calcium citrate, Vitamin D, magnesium - 600 mg total calcium) - 2 per day Fiber chews - 2 per day Nexium 20mg - 1 per day

I added lime juice and wedges and it really helped! Spent a fortune on limes. Now I can drink normal water again especially when it is cold.

I find optifast is less protein per calorie and hence not worth it. Musashi high protein tastes better to me and is thin and not gluggy. I love the vanilla with a spoon of instant coffee. 30 grams protein and 170 calories!

Just for accuracy sake, cottage cheese has some carbs.

That's 300 calories for 36 grams of protein. Seems a bit high.