Shinyhappymommy

It looks a lot like an elliptical. I did my 20 min T-tapp workout yesterday. I was planning on doing my full 50 minute one, but just before I was going to start the phone rang and the realtor gave me 24 hours notice that she's showing the house. So, instead of spending the time working out, I spent it doing vigorous housecleaning. My grouchy (yesterday anyway) toddler was sleeping and that time is precious as far as getting things done. Not sure yet what today will hold, probably walking on the treadmill at the gym this afternoon.

What's the wave, Tap? I went to the gym last night and walked for the duration of the hour-long American Idol results show. It was longer than I would have walked had I not been watching a show that I really wanted to finish. Anyway, I did 3.25 miles walking and then for the last five minutes I did a mile on the stationary bike. My back was hurting too much to keep walking any longer.

Lil Miss Irene, You're doing great. You are brave. I have a hard enough time logging what I'm eating on thedailyplate.com, (I generally don't) I am definitely not brave enough to post it without any reservations like you are. Good for you, Sister!

I'm actually eating cottage cheese an hour after waking up. Plus I can drink my water in one shot, rather than bit by bit over time.

You feeling strong today, Irene?

I've realized that my band has loosened up a bit and I'm now able to eat a little faster and more difficult foods again. I relished my salad for lunch today. It took five weeks from the fill, but I'm glad I can eat a little more normally now. Just to clarify, I wasn't overfilled, but just maybe a little tighter than I prefer. Breakfast is getting easier, but I'm still tighter in the early part of the day which is new to me since this fill. I know it's pretty common for bandsters, though. Thanks for all the comments.

Just did my full t-tapp workout. :biggrin: Edited to add that I second tapshoes' suggestion about using the Couch to 5K program. I went from barely being able to walk the block to the mailboxes to running a 5K. I never thought I would be able to do that. EVER.

Good for you Irene. I will check in here daily to help you out. Now, KICK!!! followed by a hug. This is a hard journey and obviously not without it's ups and downs. Just don't be too hard on yourself. Just move forward with your chin up high and you will be successful!

Here I am, Tap! I did my short T-tapp workout, followed by running two miles on the treadmill yesterday. :laugh: I felt great about getting it done.

You know, I keep watching myself in the monitor at Wal-mart as I'm leaving the store hoping to have that experience of thinking that person looks skinny. Not happening yet. I still see my big backside and know I'm not done with this weight loss just yet. I'm excited for spring, but around here it means tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, so it is both exciting and a little scary.

I can't get enough chocolate. I fight it every day, but what I really want to do is sit down with a bag of Hershey's kisses and eat myself sick on them. Usually I have a couple pieces of chocolate a day, but for some reason ever since the blasted holidays I want way more than I allow myself. I guess the difference is that I'm not giving into the enormity of this particular craving. I may have to make a nut resolution, because I have discovered how much I love cashews. Yummy.

RSG, I hope WW is a great success and help for you. I think we need all the tools we can get to help us with this battle. You've already got a really amazing one inside of you. You can do this.

I know what you mean about liquids. If I'm stuck and threatening a PB, my main thoughts are, "Oh, man, I don't want to go on liquids for a day!" Luckily it often passes without the PB, but I do hate having to do the liquid diet. Good that you don't have something serious. Hopefully it will resolve soon and you can be back to normal.

blklab70, great job on getting going on your exercise. Just do what you can and it will get easier and then what you can do will increase to more and more and before you know it, you'll be a full-fledged athlete! Thanks for the compliments on my pictures. :thumbup: I went for a two mile walk today in the windy, but warm weather. It's nice, but I do miss running.

I'm 3 for 3 on exercising this week so far. Monday I ran two miles at the gym, Tuesday full T-tapp for 50 min, today I took the whole family (3 kids, dh and me) on a bike ride/walk/stroller ride for two miles. The kids' had sore bottoms from riding their bikes and my husband was surprised at the quick pace I wanted to keep. I guess he thought we were going for a leisurely stroll. Nope, let's go, Hon! 2 miles, baby. It was fun.

Good luck, St. Louis Gal! I hope it’s just a too tight band and an easy fix. Let us know how things go once you get your tests done.

My exercise has become so much harder since I haven't been running regularly. I realized at 7 pm that I hadn't exercised today. I am proud of myself for getting dressed in my workout stuff and going to the gym. Ugh. It was hard. I walked (briskly) for 2 miles and then did about .5 mile on the elliptical. (I don't get that thing.) Barely broke a sweat, but felt pretty good about doing it. How are you guys doing?

This is a marathon, not a sprint. You're a good chunk of the way there. I can't imagine going through something as big as a divorce and still worrying about my weight loss. You have a lot going and I know if it were me, without the band I would have gained during such a stressful time. You have lost this year, maybe not as fast as you would like, but hey, it's progress! Hang in there and keep on going. This is for the rest of our lives. One year down, many more to go! You can do it.

RSG, Yay for the fill! I hope it works wonders for you. After several months of very small losses, 1-3 pounds, I am at 7 for this month so far and it's because I got a fill finally. It's just part of the game of having the band. Sometimes I almost don't want to have restriction because I want to do it like so many others in my life have to who aren't banded. But that's silly, why not use this tool I have had surgically implanted in me? That's what I'm doing and I'm glad to say it's working. As far as eating and drinking, just don't have any drink available while eating. I know it sounds simple, but if I sit down to eat and don't have a beverage, I'm not going to drink. I actually usually drink right before I eat so I'm not thirsty during the meal or directly thereafter. You will feel full much faster without the drinking, I'm sure of it. Good luck, you can do it!

Breakfast has become my most-dreaded meal of the day because it takes so darn long to eat. I'm sitting here waiting for my first couple bites of Cream O' Wheat to pass my stoma. Cream O' Wheat? Seriously, this stuff should go right down. It is day old, reheated, so it's not as smooth as it is at first, but I miss being able to eat food in the mornings without so much concentration and stress. On the plus side, I'm down another pound. At this rate of a pound every two weeks it's going to take me a long time to finish up this weight loss. Oh well, as long as it's going down and not up, I can deal. Have a great day, VVs!

163 pounds in one year is a huge accomplishment! I would love to hear more about your journey and how this process has been for you. Have you kept a blog at all? Congratulations, that's fabulous.

Thank you Rhapsody and Tapshoes for sharing those thoughts. I'm glad to know both of you and plan on keeping in touch for a long time to come.

I typed out a really long post on this thread a couple of days ago. I'm not sure why it didn't post. :tt2: Oh well. I got my x-ray done and the chiropractor said everything looked fine and that I can resume training. Tell that to my hip. I did the two mile run last Saturday and again on Monday and by Tuesday my hip was really bothering me. So instead of walking like I had been planning, I went to the local hotel and exercised in the pool. I haven't swam for exercise before, so that was a new experience. I did all I could think of to get my heart rate up. I ended up being in the pool for 30-40 minutes. I didn't keep exact track. So my plan is to run two miles once a week, and walk on the other days where I used to run. My hip was fine after one run, so we'll see if it can handle that. I'm also going to try reading and incorporating the Chi Running principles, but it's not an instant fix, so that will take a while. In the meantime I'll keep doing T-tapp on the days I'm not running/walking. I just can't let myself get out of the habit of exercising because of this injury.

Also wanted to add these head-shots for comparison. Before is November 2007, 3 months pre-op and the after is February 2009.

Here is a link to some one-year photos of myself. I hope this works: Picasa Web Albums - Melissa - One year pict...