Ava324

@@katesuccess - Same here! It's so bad that on Tuesday, when I did C25K and had to jog 25 mins straight, FitBit thought only 6 of those minutes were "active".

I was nervous and embarrassed at first too. Everyone starts somewhere. And now I love having a trainer and look forward to my sessions. Not a single con. It holds me accountable, keeps me motivated, and I get results. I was sleeved mid-December 2013, and I've worked with my trainer once a week since February. Compared to what I could lift in February, I've at least doubled all the weights. On some level you want to impress them, and I'm my strongest and can do the most reps when I work with him. I've learned so many different exercises. A friend asked what I did at the gym, and my honest response was "What don't I do?" Last week we did this planking thing with my feet on upside down frisbees. I had to slide my legs apart and then together and do as many of these scissors as I could. I maxed out three times and loved it. When I first started PT, I couldn't hold a plank for a second. So painful!! If I'd been on my own, I would have just accepted that. Or I would have focused more on crunches, tried planking again, failed again, and then would have given up for good. He found the problem though. It wasn't that my core was weak per se, but my back was very weak, and that has dramatically improved. Thank goodness for his expertise! I contractually committed to 6 months of training, but I just extended it another 6 months.

Your whole post was spot on, but this really drives the point home. So true!

I'd like to know this too. I didn't take ibuprofen for a month before or a month after surgery, because of the bleeding risks. I didn't get instructions to keep off them any longer than that, but also nothing about it being okay. I've taken ibuprofen maybe 10 times in the last 6 months. I don't think it's hurt me..

So I did my first run on Saturday. 2mi. Place (women): 64 Time: 27:36 Pace: 13:48 My time was so much better than I thought it'd be! And I could have kept going. Which is a good thing, because I'm signing up for my first 5K - 8/15. Also, I'm so freaking proud of my husband. He's hasn't had surgery, but he's been supporting me every step of the way and getting healthier too. He's down 60+lbs to 215 now. Place (men) 102 Time: 21:53 Pace: 10:56

This is where I order for Walden Farms. They have kays too: http://www.lowcarbcabana.com/ I love love love the Blissful Wellness (HealthWise) drinks. I'll have the Protein marshmallow hot chocolate in two hours for Breakfast.

What are some of y'all's favorite Walden Farm products? I've looked at reviews for various products on Amazon, and they seem hit or miss. Like the french onion dip and marshmallow cream are supposedly inedible. I love their caramel sauce. Also their pancake syrup is spot on. The chocolate syrup is okay as a topping, but if you taste it alone, it's very very chemically and burns a little.

Everything's going well here. I religiously log my macros and take my Vitamins. I workout at the gym (mostly weights, but occasionally do a circuit) 4 days a week. I try to make an early morning yoga class once a week. I do C25K 3 times a week, and I'm in Week 6, did my first 2mi race yesterday, and registered for my first 5K on 8/15. 107 pounds down and feeling great! From a size 26/28 to 10/12. If the sleeves are forgiving, and I can get my bat wings in, I can wear a small shirt. I'm coming to terms with the saggy skin. I accept that I'm just not going to look like I wasn't big. At this point I'm on such a high from it all and so motivated, that I've even worn a tank-top to the gym with pride. My arms "give me away", and they're sorta like battle scars. Who knows how I'll feel about it in two years though. I've had a handful of bad food days.. During my last TOM, I snacked pretty badly. "Good" Snacks (like turkey jerky, string cheese, and Protein drinks), but frequent and unnecessary. The calories added up quick. Two nights in a row I had an entire pint of Arctic Zero. 150 cals each. Not the worst thing, but I usually keep my daily intake between 500-700 cals. It was a wake-up call. I'm 21 pounds from my initial goal. I want to get down to 140 pounds. But I've since switched that up. I'll certainly get there, but body fat % is more important to me now. According to the Body Impedance Assessment scale at the Dr.'s office, I'm at 31% body fat. That's still obese... I want to get down to 22%. I'm focusing more on muscle and strength than the scale.

I'm glad others enjoyed these as well. There really are so so many I love. @@Moxy - My husband is the Whovian and will probably get the "Run like the Doctor just told you to" shirt. Lol!

I found this website, and the shirts just crack me up. http://www.lookhuman.com/browse/apparel?collection=401-athletics I ordered this one: Here are some other faves:

I'm young and have been married for less than two years, but here it goes... My husband and I met online 13 years ago (I was 13 years old), we've been together for almost 8 years now, and half of that time was long-distance. We've been through a lot. There were years of what we now call "the dark time". Various forms of betrayal, and I know that pain well. We both have had to overcome demons. His neglect growing up and subsequent low self-esteem led to lying. He lied and hid just about anything that could upset or disappoint me. This included his off and on smoking habit. For all the lies I'd either play detective to find the truth or he'd admit to it long after the fact. The betrayal would tear me to pieces, so much more out of proportion than the actual offense would have. It was a self-perpetuating cycle. The more upset I'd get, the more he'd feel he needed to hide unhappy truths, and the more he lied, the more damaged and scarred I became. Anyway... Counselling counselling counselling. That's the only way we've recovered. We have a better understanding of our own and each others weaknesses. I know he'll lie again under stress, and we're both better prepared to overcome that. Also, I've read this book like 8 times. http://www.shaunti.com/book/for-women-only-2/ There's a For Men Only too.. I gave a copy to my husband as a gift with my own notes and scratched out parts that didn't hold true to me personally. P.S. He uses a vaporizer now with the rare cigarette.

I came across this article yesterday: http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-get-rid-of-loose-skin-after-weight-loss/ I'm 26 years old and my arms are looking awful. Definitely a subcutaneous fat issue for me.

Post-op - from what I understand, the problem is nicotine and ulcers. I use a vaporizer and nicotine free juice.

Holy cow, that's fast! My 16mins/mile speed with C25K includes 10 mins of walking, but still. Great job!!

I have my first run this Saturday. I'm getting pretty freaking excited. Me excited about running?? It's wild. 2 mi. run/walk along the MS River levee. It's an evening event, as there's no way I'll try a Louisiana summer event during the day. Maybe next year.. My measure of success is simply to jog the whole two miles taking the shortest walk breaks as I possibly can. According to my C25K app schedule, I'll be up to jogging 22 mins straight on Saturday. I'm averaging just under 16 mins a mile. We'll see if I can do better...

7.5 months out. Here are my usual: Breakfast: casein Protein shake or 1/2 C steel cut oats (I add vanilla Protein powder & Torani's SF Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Syrup) Lunch: 1/2 C low-fat cottage cheese with either 2TBS SF jelly or a small amount of no sugar added fruit cocktail & either 8 turkey pepperoni slices or 1/2oz turkey Jerky Pre-workout: 1/2 Quest bar Post-workout: 1/2 whey Protein Shake Dinner: Savory cupcake (emilybites), flat bread pizza, boiled seafood, baked fish & string cheese or mini crustless quiche. The rare dessert: Arctic Zero, 5min protein cake (theworldaccordingtoeggface), and I'm starting to dabble with Quest bar recipes (like peach cobbler and key lime pie, where Quest bars are the crust) I'm a calorie counter and get 500 - 700 a day. Protein typically between 50 - 70 grams. Last night we went out for Japanese and I had two very rich baked mussels in "egg" (mayonnaise) sauce. Felt gross after... Then about a third of a snow crab salad. So today is a liquid Meal Replacement day... (554 cals & 92 gr protein). Edit: 80+ oz of flavored water/tea/shakes. I'm 24 from goal, and I'm sticking with this until then. Then I'll try to eat more whole foods bento-box style. I say I'll stop counting, but I'm sure I will for a long while more. I take my plan's recommended Vitamins every single day.

This makes sense to me. I've come across research recommending shorter meal times. My sleeve has a full "tell" that I try to obey. Some people get hiccups, and I get a gurgle. That's usually my stopping point, and it's around the 20 min mark.

I was going to post the same thing! They told me pencil eraser size and chew that 20-30 times. I guess you heard it from Surgical Specialists/Vesta too? I cannot stick to that at all, but I try to slow down and chew well. Sometimes I'll have to ask whoever I'm sharing a meal with if they can slow down, because I'll keep pace with them without thinking. 10 mins later it hurts. So far the only thing that feels like it gets "stuck" on the way down, no matter how well I chew, is chicken breast. Can't complain about being on a seafood diet.. Crawfish, shrimp, fish, and crab. Yum!

Wow-za!! Lookin fabulous!

I've had the FitBit Zip for two weeks, and everything was going well with it.. Until Saturday morning. I woke up, got my FitBit off the nightstand, and it read that I'd taken 32,000+ steps. For about ten minutes I thought I had a defective device and was pretty bummed. Then I remembered this was the first time I'd put it on my nightstand, which also has a table fan. Not defective. Careful where you put these things!

Yeah, it's a short amount of time for me to try and make this year work.. In two years, I could be a new parent. And this year, I'm trying to ride the honeymoon phase wave as high as I can.

Hey, ladies! I'm hoping to attend OAC's conference in Orlando September 25-28. The chances of me going are largely dependent on splitting the hotel room cost. Anyone else planning or wanting to go? I'm easy to get along with, don't snore, and I think the whole event will be a blast. http://www.ywmconvention.com/

I'm not sure if this is the best place to put this topic... Anyone going to the conference in Orlando? http://www.ywmconvention.com/ We had a member of OAC give a presentation at my support group last night, and I'm totally enthused about this and would love to go. Has anyone been before?

I'd measure more by body fat percentage than BMI. I'll see some after pics of people who have a higher BMI than me, but they're leaner and more toned/muscular. If you still have an above average body fat percentage, then I say I keep pushing. My surgeon gave me a target weight of 140-160lbs. I'm only 4lbs from his maximum goal, but I'm not close to mine. My body fat percentage is near 35% (down from 52%). It's going into the 20s, and I'm taking a non-negotiable position on it. My body and I are getting there. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/body-fat-chart.php

I would have loved to have shared with you!