Frangipani

I got session one of week two of the Couch to 5K plan in tonight, and Molly, during the first interval, I had a "leadless legs" moment. Gravity took over with a vengeance very quickly thereafter but.... I got a glimpse of things to come. An absolutely adorable young boy of about seven decided that he wanted to do my intervals with me -- so we raced (he won, of course :thumbup:). Have a great night everyone!

Wow, I need to catch up with all these new postings! Michee, you look wonderful and the transformation is truly amazing -- you look like a totally different person and a real hottie to boot :thumbup:! Marathinner, huge transformation for you too, and in such a short time!!! You must be so pleased and eagerly anticipating the future as well! Pizzi, thanks for sharing your journey with us, the photos are amazing. You seem to be brimming with enthusiasm and joy, and I am just so happy for you!!!! Congratulations on all the wonderful things happening in your life right now!!!!

Hi Stranger, and Whosyadaddy, Thanks for the encouragement. I just completed session one of week two, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I can honestly say that I probably would have just repeated week one, if you two hadn't given me a little push, so thanks again :thumbup::smile::thumbup:! Stranger, I tried to download the podcast, but it seems to download in QuickTime, and to convert it to iTunes, it appears as if I need to pay $29.00 to upgrade to "QuickTime Pro," -- do I have to do this? Or am I doing something wrong? Free would be a lot nicer than $29.99, if at all possible............

Best of luck to you Nip50. It seems like the ladies posting here have been on a real winning streak with the insurance companies, so I'm guessing yours will come through as well, but I am still sending good vibes your way. I never thought I'd say something like this, but WOW, I am so jealous of your skin conditions ladies!!! I mean, who would have ever thought that something like this could save you thousands of dollars!!!! I keep looking, wishing, hoping that a rash will appear somewhere on my lower abdomen, but so far nothing................. Really rotten luck, is all I can say :thumbdown:.

Thanks Coach! I at least need to give it a try, right? And the running track is right next door to the hospital..... You are off the graph with the exercise and weight loss, Daddy! Congratulations!!!!:thumbdown::thumbup::w00t: Thanks for the feedback Bigbaby -- it's good to know that this is an option as well.

Dave, Becky made the comment the other day that scales "lie, lie, lie," and I am absolutely convinced that she's right about this. I used to live and die by the scale, but I'm over it now. For example, right now the scale is moving very slooooowly for me, but my body continues to move at a steady pace in the downward direction. I bought a fitted blouse last month (size Medium) that was just wee bit snug in through the waist -- now it is way loose in through the waist. How can this happen if I'm not losing fat or pounds? It can't, plain and simple....... Same thing with you -- losing 2 inches in through the waist is HUGE and there is no way a dumb scale will ever convince me that you haven't lost weight. I don't know exactly what the problem is with these scales, but they are woefully inadequate as a device to accurately measure our bodies.

Jody, LOL, you and I were thinking and writing the same thing at the same time. Molly, Congratulations on reaching Onderland! Way to go Girl!!!! :tongue2::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

It's hard to predict for sure how much/little discomfort you will have after surgery, but I live in the Caribbean, traveled to Mexico for my surgery, got on a plane 72 hours later, and flew back home with zero problems. I tired easily for several weeks after the surgery, but that was about it. If you are taking a business trip, it might be a bit much though, unless you have some down time. Naps help a lot! Good luck!

Hi Becky, Whoa! This is just so frustrating, isn't it? What has health care come to these days? So indifferent, bureaucratized and just well......insane!!!! I am keeping all of my toes and fingers crossed for you. I still feel like this will turn out to be a non-issue (or a minor issue) that will not hold up your PS or cause any major problems, Becky, and I am sending tons and tons of good vibes your way. As for what's going on with me, the GYN finally called!!!! We had a short, but highly concentrated talk and I got all my questions answered. It is best to do an open myomectomy, for the reason of less scarring (although I figured that out before the Dr. called back because I found diagram on the Internet that showed where the incisions are made with the robotic assisted surgery). It turns out that if I were to get the laparoscopic surgery I would end up looking like a pin cushion by the time it was all done with the combination of scars from the Lap Band Surgery and myomectomy, so that decision was easy once I understood this. I have had open abdominal surgery before and I am not looking forward to the pain, or the recovery but what can I say? In fairness to all the Doctors I have spoken to out there, it has finally hit home to me why they tend to favor hysterectomy over myomectomy. A myomectomy is a more complicated operation, has a higher risks for complications and more often requires blood transfusions. In fact, my Dr. just did a myomectomy yesterday and (as per his expectation pre-surgery) the patient is in the ICU because she had a lot of fibroids, lost lots of blood, and the operation was just that difficult. This does give me pause, but the myomectomy is still my preference at this time -- although I assume that I have up until a day or two before surgery to make the final decision. I don't have a confirmed date yet, but am still working on June 11. But now it's time for the surgical coordinators for the two Dr.'s to take over. In talking to both ladies, they are incredibly competent, knowledgeable, and organized, so its time for me to totally bow of out this and just wait for them to set everything up. Will update as I know more. Keep your chin up Becky!!! I think it will all turn out well for you.

Hi Jody, Thank you so much for caring and asking :thumbup:! I'm still waiting for a return call from my GYN, and at this point I'm getting pretty frustrated. I know he's busy, but gee whiz, at this point it is pretty inexcusable that he has not taken five short minutes to return a phone call. The surgical coordinators cannot do her job (per the Dr.'s instructions) until he has spoken to me, so I am really getting pretty ticked off at this point. They know that I live 1,100 miles away and that I cannot simply drop in at their convenience. :eek::mad::tongue: Thanks for letting me vent about this........ Apparently the Dr. also told his surgical coordinator that I should go with the "open" surgery, which is contrary to what he told me (i.e., that laparoscopic might work well because the PS does not need to cut through the abdominal fascia). Because I know almost nothing about any of this, I'm really confused and not quite sure who to turn to for a definitive answer. All I know is that I want to minimize all pain and all risks. I probably could talk to my plastic surgeon about this, but he's a busy guy too and I don't want to waste his time before I have talked to the GYN to see what his thoughts are exactly. How's everything with you Becky? Hopefully much better!!!!

Hi Jenny, Good luck with your surgery tomorrow!!! Let us know how you're doing when you feel up to it. :smile::thumbup:

I have been a yo-yo dieter for some time now and have fluctuated from a size 6 to my highest weight last year, size 26. I have consulted with plastic surgeons during my previous downward cycles, so I definitely knew that there would be work to be done at some point. However, I was not ready to focus in on plastic surgery until I was closer to goal because I simply did not know what was going to "bounce back" and what wasn't. I am very pleasantly surprised that the skin in my upper abdomen and body has fallen back into place very nicely and I have smooth skin, no fat and a slim waist. However, I am quite surprised (extremely appalled actually) at how poorly the breasts, buttocks, and pannus made it through the battle. I honestly figured that it would be a waste of time to focus in on this issue earlier in the banding surgery/weight loss process, and looking back, I was right. The "wait and see" approach worked very well for me. In fact, if you had told me early on in the process that I might need to have my breasts and buttocks lifted after I lost 100 pounds, I might have gotten very discouraged about the whole thing, as these were issues that had never been a problem for me in the past. Now I'm okay with it though, because I have worked very hard to get this weight off, and I feel that this plastic surgery is a thank-you gift to myself. Hope this helps a little ! I very much appreciate your highly educational posts and your sincere efforts to advise us, Dr. Schulman.

Hi fellow Couch to 5Kers! I finished week one, but I'm really wondering if I'm ready to move on to week two. Has anyone stayed on week one for two weeks? Or should I just try to push this to the next level? Today (my last session of week one) went fine, but it was still a real challenge. It's not so much the cardio part of it, it's my body -- which just feels very heavy and sluggish when I'm running......... Thanks for any advice/suggestions :wink2:!

Okay, when exactly does the "legs-of-lead" stage end, Molly -- any idea? Hi Guys! I just realized that I haven't checked in for the past few days, I have been hanging around the PS forum. Pizzi -- welcome back!!!!! Thank you for sharing your photos with us. You look great and really healthy, and I also must say that your Aunt is so adorable!!! Jody, I hope your knee is better. And I hope all you Mothers had a wonderful Mothers Day :smile:! Even though I am not a Mom (except to my two cats, aged 19 and 2), I went to a really lovely Mothers Day party yesterday. All the guys cooked and waited hand and foot on the ladies, and surprisingly, the guys are pretty darn good cooks. The food was outstanding and I ate more than I usually do. (Unfortunately, the scale is beating me up for that today , but oh well....) Just to catch up, on Saturday and Sunday I did one hour of cardio and today I did another session of the Couch to 5 K running plan. Looking forward from moving on from "Legs of Lead" to "Chariots of Fire." Have a great night everyone!!!!

Hi Diane, I cannot believe that I just found this thread, but add me to the list of those sending lots and lots of good vibes your way. That is a really funny story about DH, he sounds like a wonderful guy. Thank goodness you have him at your side to see you though this. Best of luck, and I hope you are able to arrive at a decision that gives you peace and comfort very soon.

You make some good points ladies, but my feeling about this is that 15 years from now, my body will have shifted enough that I will probably want to have some additional PS done anyhow. This is not to say that I want to have more surgery or spend the money again, but as we age that's just the reality of things. As far as the longevity of the implant, I too have heard from my Dr. that they may or not need to be replaced. In fact my Dr. told me that he recently told a patient who had 15 year old saline implants that they were fine and did not need to be replaced at this time. I am actually more concerned about the implant I already have now, my Lap Band. When I read some of the stories from people who have had their bands for 5 years or more, I'm really beginning to wonder if that will need to be replaced. I hope not because it will give me zero satisfaction to replace a piece of hardware on the inside of my body..........

Wow BBK, I'm sorry to hear about the pneumonia and all that you had to go through yesterday. Take good care of yourself and get lots and lots of rest. Sending all the very best wishes your way. :tt1::smile::Dancing_wub:

Beautiful work Dr. Schulman! It amazes me how many different things can be done nowadays, and it's great that you are taking the time to explain and show us some of these new techniques. I'm very intrigued by this and it looks fabulous, but for me, I think I still prefer the perfect shape and symmetry of an implant. My only real concern going into this is that I get the right size implant because I don't want to go much larger than a small "C" cup (anything larger would not be commensurate with my look or body type). My Dr. is thinking 400cc silicone implant, but this still seems a bit large to me..............

Thanks Esmerelda :thumbup:! I really appreciate all of the helpful feedback I have gotten in this thread. I just received an email from my bariatric surgeon and he told me that if I don't want an unfill, I might want to consider going on liquids for a few days before the surgery to reduce the risk (very slight according to him) of aspiration while under general anesthesia. But I also think I recall my other surgeon telling me that the anesthesiologist will usually suction out the pouch of his banded patients prior to surgery (???). JSIL, good luck with all of this. It sounds like you've attended to every last detail. Please keep us updated with your progress. I'll be thinking of you on Wednesday. Thanks again everyone! :biggrin::smile::biggrin:

Grace, congratulations on your weight loss, but with all due respect exercise isn't just about weight loss, it is also about having a healthy body. There are so many benefits to exercise that they are actually too numerous to list here, and a person cannot be considered truly healthy unless they engage in some sort of regular activity. Furthermore, there are scores of people out there who are thin, but unhealthy. In fact there is something called "internal fat" which is fat that accumulates around the organs, but cannot been seen, the way subcutaneous fat (i.e, fat below the skin that you can see and that most of us have/had) can. Nowadays many Dr.'s believe that being thin and sedentary can put a person at a higher risk for mortality than being slightly overweight and active. An inactive, sedentary lifestyle is not healthy -- period. And the vast majority of us "big losers" exercise hard and often, and we are reaping the amazing mind and body benefits of doing so. I agree that sometimes you need to alter your activity or your diet to break a plateau, but I will never ever believe that a Banded patient should eat a Krispy Kreme donought and drink a Coke to do so. This is simply bad advice on so many different levels............ Grace, I'm really not trying to flame you here, I just do not think that the underlying message of these posts is beneficial to those of us struggling with weight and health issues.

ROTFL :biggrin::biggrin:! You guys are too funny!!! This thread is really entertaining me tonight, with my insomnia!!! Want so bad, I'm in the same boat. I never had very much to start out with (B cup), but always liked what I had when I was at my proper weight. I was therefore quite chagrined to discover that just to restore what I once had, I will need to have both a breast lift plus an implant :thumbup::thumbdown::biggrin: I talked to four different surgeons about this and they all told me the same thing. Having large breasts is just not me and is not commensurate with my look or body type, but dammit there is no way I am going to spend big $$$ for a B cup (just doesn't seem like a good value does it?), so I am "moving up" into a small "C." West Coast Fat Guy, don't feel bad, my husband has never been overweight and has been a total workout and diet fanatic for his entire life, and even he has moobs (but a wonderful head of thick hair) -- it's just one of those things that happens in the genetic wheel of fortune. That's why God created plastic surgeons!!!

I struggle with this one because I would like to keep this private. So many people (including many of those in the medical community) don't understand weight problems (i.e., want to blame it on "character or psychological issues"when it is glaringly obvious that this is largely a physiological, metabolic issue in response to our modern environment and lifestyle), and therefore do not understand weight loss surgery. However, I am frequently asked nowadays how I lost weight and when I am asked that question by someone who has a weight problem, I feel a responsibility to tell them the truth. The exception to this is my husband's family who don't know and will never know about this (per my husband's wise suggestion). They have been harshly judgmental about my weight problem and ironically just as bad about my weight loss. My mother in law's response to my weight loss was to tell my husband (in an email sent to a box that we both share) that he must be very happy about this because "no man wants a heavy, overweight wife at his side." They live very far away and I don't see them very often (for obvious reasons), so its fairly easy to keep the secret from them -- and at this point, they are probably just about the only people who don't know.

You're welcome Becky! Well, still haven't heard anything from the Dr. but I did talk to both Dr.'s surgical coordinators and June 11 is a possibility for both, maybe. Will update once I have a definite, confirmed, date.

I just returned from session #2 of Couch to 5 K. This time I went to the track at one of the local high schools. Have I told you guys I hate running? Well, I do........ BUT! I am determined to stick it out until I am 100% certain that I hate it. 2/3 of the way through my workout I got a nice, big blister from my new running shoes too :smile:........... EOW (end of whine). Have a good one everybody! :smile::smile::w00t:

Hi Everyone! I just started the Couch to 5 K program this week and am headed out to the local high school track to do session two of week one right now. I must admit, I pretty much hate running at this point, but I won't give it up until/unless I give it a fair chance. Hopefully, I will learn to enjoy it as many of you seem to have done. Talk to you all again soon -- have a great evening! :smile::smile::smile: