jhclikesshopping@gmail.com

hi!!! so My invitation did not make it .... try to invite me instead. j7christiansen@gmail.com

Just sent you an invitation. We have a weekly challenge to help us stay motivated. Let me know if you want to join!!!

Hello Post Ops.... To begins - everyone - good luck with Thursday. I keep reading blogs about how to survive Thursday and I finally build a plan... I am not going. Good luck to all of you. Now for my question - I have noticed back and shoulder issues. As I was driving yesterday, I got to thinking. I lost 120 pounds so quickly, I keep thinking I am sitting or standing or walking wrong. I still do these activities as if I am 350 pounds, but I am not. does anyone have advice for how to walk, stand or just move in this changing world? Here have been some of my ideas... 1) Thinking about visiting a chiropractor to help with the alignment - making sure I am aligned. 2) maybe a PT appointment to help with the walking and carrying of my body weight differently. 3) maybe a back brace - years ago I had one and wonder if that might help. Thanks for the advice.

228.5. Whooo hooo. good week for me.

My first cycle after his surgery was totally skipped. So yes I was late.

You are not alone. Mine was horrible. Almost twice as long as four times the amount. I am now 8 months post op and i am back to normal....sorta.

At two weeks out, I was enjoying tuna with plain yogurt ( i added dill too), tomato Soup with Protein powder and soft fruit like melon and soft veggi like squash. I also used laughing cow with scrambled eggs. Still eat it today!

Another thing to consider each multivitamin has a different make up. Sometimes the different make up will not give you the nauseated feeling. Maybe you could try a different brand...you know the Costco brand versus the vitamin store brand versus blah blah blah blah

In terms of clothes, here is what I have learned.... and I have dropped 120 pounds now (since March 2015). The first 50 pounds I could still wear my size 22 clothes (bottoms were much looser than tops). Then at around the 60-pound mark - I lost my first pair of pants (yes, lost in the middle of the break room at lunch). Remember to wear pretty underwear cause when the pants go... the pants go.... I started to wear belts around this time. Around this time, I did buy new clothes but only yoga pants and leggings. I was not ready to try real sizes yet. Once I hit 100 pounds, the yoga pants were falling too. And of course no belt loops. So I went shopping. WOW oh WOW... I went to the Avenue and Lane Bryant - size 16 stretch was it.... I was SHOCKED. Then I went to Macy's and size 18 was the magic number in the regular department ( not woman's). Now that I am at over 100 pounds, I wear a size 18 normal size very comfortably and 14-16 if I go to Avenue. So my 230 weight puts me in 18 at Eddie Bauer, 16 at Lane Bryant and 16 at Avenue. I went to Macys and fit into 18 Charter Club. Hope this helps. Ohhh - and I am 5-8.

hi everyone... remember the spreadsheet is in edit mode. Feel free to add your name or targets and milestone information as you want. I did not mean to leave anyone off the spreadsheet on purpose... https://drive.google.com/open?id=18id7l5SrwltXidLudgjCTzmOsi5_Ki8tkJi4F04jDTU Also - check out this blog post on Stretching.. Good reminder as we increase our exercise. http://www.self.com/fitness/2014/01/essential-stretches-slideshow/1

At the beginning, it is very hard to learn but you will get it once you get sick. Hard lesson but we all go through it. My technique was small pieces (size of penny or smaller) and I was using a baby spoon. Then I would take a bite, but the spoon down and wait until mouth is completely empty before taking the next bite. Over time this gets easier and now I still put the spoon down between bites but I can use a normal fork or spoon and my pieces are now bigger. Early on I learned another indicator. My left shoulder would get pain if I ate too fast or my bites were too big. Turns out this is from my hernia repair. Even now at 8 months, I still get the shoulder pain. This continues to be my gauge. Finally - I know I am full when I start burping. They are small burps but this is how I know I am full. Be on the look out for your indicators. And TRUST ME - YOU WILL have them... just need to learn how body is behaving now. Good luck.

Ditto... I have been able to tie my cold to my weight loss periods. When I have a "stall" I tend to not been as cold.... Only when I am actively losing does the cold set it - and boy does it. I now have to wear thermal. Husband is from Minnesota and he rolls his eyes - we live in California.

Ditto..... I have found that I can drink right up till I eat but after I eat, I have to HAVE TO HAVE TO wait till 30 min pass otherwise I feel awful. You might be able to lessen the time before eating (as it moves faster in your pouch).

love how my fitbit does the measuring for me.... 322 activity minutes. (6 hours).

it does get better... I promise. The strips made me gag and sugar free gum did not work for me. I used Altoids - the really small one.... Also - watch out if you tongue scrape. I ended up doing some damage since I did it too often.....

weekly weigh in.... 230.5.

if you are not used the elliptical - yes its CRAZY hard. couple of things helped me. Day 1 - started with 5 minutes (I like your plan). Also - focus on your legs only. forget the arms when you are starting. And keep a good pace - like 90 strides per minute. Once you can do the legs for 5 minutes at a steady pace then start adding minutes. then start adding arms. Then add resistance.... Make sense??? Before you know it... 60 min on that machine (and I watch a TV show when I am on it) will be nothing....

All good.. be patient. It will come... this stall for me lasted 2 1/2 weeks and it felt so long. Just keep doing what your are doing... all will come. Now is great time to weigh yourself one day a week instead of every day... Or maybe twice a week (same day, same time, same clothes).

look at youtube and find some videos for stretching your legs. Focus on all sorts of walking muscles. When we start exercises, our muscles freak out so we need to take care of them. I usually find great ones on myfitness pal blogs. Here are two I have done in the past. https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/6-post-workout-stretches-to-combat-knee-pain/ https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/strengthen-and-stretch-your-entire-body-in-less-than-20-minutes/

@@caines530 - I get a sleep study every 3 years. Its not too bad. It take 30+ minutes to attach everything then about 10 min to take it all off in the morning. All the electron attachments are Water soluble - so taking a shower and everything comes off. Now - watch your Fluid intake - going to the bathroom in the middle of the night is a pain.... I love my sleep machine - it's improved my life so much that I will suffer through it for the benefit it gives me. And yes - sleeping away from home is a pain. One more note - after you sleep for a hour or so without a mask, they put a CPAP mask on you and then you go back to sleep. This is where they see how the machine can help. So - be prepared to wake up.

@@WorkinOnMe Oh my gosh.... I had the same issue. But this was the gap that appears near your neck - collarbone. I was freaking out cause it felt like a hole..... then I explain all this to my husband and he fell off the couch laughing. I did the same thing when I felt my ribs for the first time. I still think my lack of fat is why my butt gets sore so often....

Hi all - I took a stab at a spreadsheet for us to keep track. I added in your totals and notes.... in case you gave them. Here you go. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18id7l5SrwltXidLudgjCTzmOsi5_Ki8tkJi4F04jDTU/edit?usp=sharing PS - this is an editable sheet. Let me know if you have any suggestions you want me to make - otherwise, feel free to edit!!!

@@starlight710 - I do a weekly step challenge with some fiends. Let me know if you want to join in? find me on fitbit under j7christiansen@gmail.com

@@VDLT - yes. Each meal I have 2 oz Protein, 1 oz veggie and 1 oz fruit. This still fills be up (after 8 months). I usually eat 3 meals and 1 snack. I also still have one Protein shake per day. Good luck and let me know if you have more questions.

Nov 9 weigh in. 231.5!