kagoscuba

Make sure you check out Dr. Nusbaum: Obesity Treatment, Gastric Bypass Surgery, Livingston, NJ Great doctor!

Ditto what Chris said. I now weigh 199, and my original goal was 180, when I started last September. My gym trainer who recently tested me says me making 180 is probably not going to happen. Why? Because as of right now, I have 16% bodyfat. That means I have approximately 32 pounds of bodyfat. If I lose 19 more pounds, and say it would all be fat, I would have 13 pounds of bodyfat on a 180 pound frame, which would put me at 7.2% bodyfat. Possible? Maybe, but I'd be a rail. The point being, I am happy where my body is. I'm in size 34 jeans again, I can feel ribs, and my stomach goes WAY below my ribcage when I lie down, instead of being Mauna Loa. All in all, very happy. :cry_smile:

Somewhat simple solution...ride a bike before you run. :thumbup: I know all of my "run-aches" are not there after I ride first. Of course, this is not an easy solution for everyone. Saw a great shirt the other day (it is Ironman related): "So, you run marathons, huh? That's cute; those are my cool-down." Those guys and ladies are sick! :thumbup:

I don't know what you were told, but my doc had me on the elliptical the Monday after a Thursday surgery, lifting less than 25 pounds that Monday, and doing ab work after two weeks. Full weights were allowed after one month.

I've maintained pretty well. My cardio affects my muscles more than my eating.

Don't worry about stretching your calves on the bike. If you have a bike computer (if not, they are only about $35), look at your mileage, and when you are about a mile out, start spinning at a higher cadence. This will loosen up any tight muscels, and it will get you ready to run. No matter what you do, your legs are going to feel extra heavy after the bike. You've just got to do it. :biggrin: Enjoy, and we want to hear all about it!

From what you've described, I'd say you already have the answer, unfortunately. You cannot spot reduce fat deposits. There are only three choices for "problem areas." 1. Lose weight to the point where there can be no fat deposits, which for you or I (I have similar issues) may be unhealthy (I'd have to get down to about 155, which is downright scrawny for a man pushing 40). 2. Have liposuction done to remove those areas. 3. Accept is and know you are healthy anyway, if you are at your goal weight.

Swim: Bike: Run: FINISH!!!!

I thought the other athletes were awesome. Everyone I met seemed to be having a great time, and they were very friendly. It was an open-water swim of 500m, bike 11.8 miles, and a 5k run. My next tri (Sept 27th...one year to the day band anniversary) is also a sprint, but the distances are 800m open-water swim, 18 mile bike, and 5k run. My joy was a bit tempered this morning, when I found out we lost a competitor yesterday. One of the male swimmers never made it to shore, and they had not found him as of yesterday afternoon.

Well, I'm hopelessly hooked now. :teeth_smile: I finished in 1:30:55, and I FELT GREAT!!!! Time to work some more on the run and some on the bike. I did not train at all for the swim, as I feel really comfortable in the water, and I did 500m in 11:12, so the times I need to focus on still are the run first and bike second. I was in awe of the elite athletes. The winner finished in 53:38...amazing.

I competed in the NJ State Triathlon this morning, and I met most of my goals, except my stretch goal of breaking 1:30 and breaking 30m on the run. Here was the breakdown: Swim: 11:12 T1: 3:55 B: 41:01 T2: 2:56 R: 31:52 Total: 1:30.55 Overall I was very happy. I surprised myself with the swim, considering I had two swim train sessions in the last 6 months. The bike I was actually happy while riding, thinking how much fun I was having, and trying to save a little for the run. My overall speed of 16.8mph I was fairly disappointed in as I thought I was doing better. The run was a gut it out and go. I had run as "fast" as 28:30 while run training in isolation, but I didn't get it done today. I am estatic about finishing though, and I am another one hooked.

My first tri is this Sunday - NJ State Triathlon: 500m Swim, 11.8M Bike, 5k run. My goal is less than 1:50. Some sick dude won it in 58 minutes last year. That's just crazy.

sounds normal to me. You'll get used to it eventually, and so will your body.

My one year anniversary will be this Sept 27th, so I'm pretty close to your time too. I eat 2100-2400 calories a day, and I work out 9 times a week. Yes, I double up on some days, but I have to because of my exercise goals for this year. Plan your meals out days or even weeks in advance and stick to them. I pack my Breakfast, lunch, and pre-workout dinner to take with me to work, and I have not visited a vending machine in almost a year. Keep a food log; keep an exercise log; and keep on trucking. :biggrin:

I am finally below 200!! I weighed myself on Saturday and today and both days I was 199, so I consider it official...even my F'ing BMI (I hate BMI)says I'm not obese anymore!!! :thumbup: *doing a little Snoopy dance*

I cannot believe Plain uses such antediluvian vernacular.

Personally, I just drink a sugar-free Red Bull and get to it. :thumbup: Morning work outs are the worst, which is why I typically schedule my bike workouts for those. At least I can "wake up" on a bike. Running with no food, barely any Water, and generally feeling grumpy is not fun for me. I know the caffeine is not optimal, but either is not doing the exercise. :cool2: Only one more month to go before my 2 hours of heaven/hell. :smile:

They are assuming you're biking is at your optimal exercise heart rate, which I doubt happens on your commute. Riding the bike is great for the environment and it certainly helps a little in weight loss, but unless you get off the bike feeling "beat" at least 2-3 times a week, then you are doing little to improve your overall fitness. Your body will adjust to an exercise load that becomes too routine. Shock your body and you will notice results.

Awesome job Chris. Were you racing in the Hy-Vee Triathlon?

Nice!! Way to go!! For those of you worrying about stride length in comparison to pace, there is good news...you can stop worrying. The bad news is how the running gurus say to speed up, and they always talk about cadence. It's not how far your legs move; it's how fast they move that makes the difference. I just concentrate on form, landing on the middle of my feet, and keeping my cadence high. Lengthening your stride without keeping cadence is actually counter-productive, as it wastes energy. If you extend your stride, your cadence should never change (that's why elite runners look like they are floating on air). After about 2 months of this, I am starting to actually like running a little...good thing, since I'm planning on doing it for years to come. :smile:

I weigh myself every two weeks, and I don't peek in between, because weighing myself more than that will drive me nuts. I can lose up to seven pounds on a hard exercise day as weel, so the scale remains the least of my worries as far as figuring out my progress. Fitting into clothes I haven't fit into in over a decade or having to go out and buying new ones because no clothes I currently owned fit me...that's the way to measure progress. :rolleyes2: It's also fun to be able to feel every rib and feel your stomach fall below your ribcage when you lay down. :thumbup: My weight loss has slowed to a trickle at 205 pounds, but according to my trainer, I should not be too upset. She says, if I lose another 10 pounds slowly, I'll be in awesome shape, and I'll probably never get to 180 unless I stop exercising. How is that for ironic. :smile2:

FINALLY got below 30 minutes for 5k. Finished my training run last night in 29:38. Started at 6 mph, after I got into my pace, increased to 6.2, then for last 6:38 bumped it up to 6.5. I was so happy to pass 3.1 miles before the timer said 30 minutes. That happiness will be short-lived though, as today is my "kick my ass" day of the week. 15 mile bike ride, followed by a 5k brick. I'll see how much of that I actually end up running versus walking - it's hot out there!!

Not even close to me. Decent possibility of death with GBP or fairly certain of walking away from the hospital on the same day with lap-band. Not that I needed GBP, having to only lose 85-90 pounds. My aunt and my babysitter have also both had the band this year, and they are both enjoying outstanding results. Personally, I liked the fact everything "stays in place," all nutrients get absorbed the same, and the main thing differently is I can't eat at the "hog trough" anymore, like I used to. It's a lot different eating out of normal sized dinnerware, rather than just sitting down on the couch with the serving bowl.

The only failure is never trying. You've already beaten that point. All this talk I hear about how many ml go in the band baffles me. Who cares? Get the fill done under flouro, and ml will cease to have meaning. You'll be able to see your restriction in action as you watch the barium get choked down from a flood to a mere trickle. That visual will stay with you, as you start to eat. You'll KNOW you can't eat a lot, because you know what the restriction looked like. Other than that, there were some other great pieces of advice in this thread. Making a food journal being one of the best ones. I did it, until I got into the groove of eating right. Now, I'll just journal a few times a month to ensure I'm still eating right (hint: don't always journal the good stuff - if you cheat, see the impact it has). In addition, exercise cannot be stressed enough. You may even begin to enjoy it. Last September 27th, I got winded getting off of the couch. This September 27th, I'll be doing a triathlon. You can and WILL succeed.

Your band works in conjunction witht the fat/muscle around it to stay tight. As you lose weight, your band will loosen; that has already happened to me once, and I believe it has happened again, as the more I exercise and my body composition changes the more I am able to eat (not a lot more, just more than when filled the second time).