OH Juli

Mely, You might want to check out a cutie pie basket for the front of your bike.

ZZ, Are you still in the flip flop manufacturing business? DD has been wearing hers and folks are asking where to get them. How shall I direct them to you?

whys and hows Jack. Good stuff. Jachut, I equate the "simple" you talk about with a switch being thrown. There was the before in the dark and the now in the light. It really is as simple as eat less and move more and it is as complicated as that... But unless you are ready you can't touch the switch. You can look at it, you can deliberate over it, you can talk about the pros and cons of it, but actually doing it is daunting. There's a term called self-efficacy, I know you're not too keen on the psycho stuff, but here's a go at it... it's that determinor of how a person deals with challenges and those that are self efficacious tend to believe they've got the tools it takes to deal with stuff, that when they get knocked down they get up more quickly, and all in all determine their own destinies. The flip side are those who lack that type of thinking, there's the belief that rallying to make change is difficult, when they don't succeed they are not surprised and it takes longer to restart again, also that the world happens to them, they do not happen to the world. Now I'm not saying you are one way and the people who inspire your ire are the other, but perhaps, perhaps, perhaps? (And my apologies to any professionals out there who know this better than I do. Please contribute your two cents.)

My SO's mother who just met me but knows I've had surgery says, "I should take your plate so you quit nibbling." They were done eating and I hadn't taken much, but as you all know it takes time to eat and I wanted ALL my food. In all seriousness I looked this 70 year old woman in the eye and told her, "I'll stab your hand with this fork if you touch my plate." We all laughed. I asked my SO if that was too much too soon and she laughed saying her mother learned not to mess with me and my food from the beginning which was a good thing. Whew....she still likes me so I suppose that's okay.

Mel, What you're riding is called a comfort bike. My feelings on the different kinds of bikes are, so long as it has a wheel or three and you're propelling yourself forward with your own energy then it's fantastic. Brandy, I love your cargo picture. Very cute.

Brandy People are full of shit. You are right. If you are sweating you are getting a cardiovascular workout. You are going for about an hour and 15 minutes right? Now, if you never do anything different and feel this is the only working out you will do between now and the end of time, yeah there's something to their logic. Your body will get used to the route and your metabolism will adjust. But I'm guessing that's still a bit of time from now. When it comes time to challenge yourself go more quickly, go further, do some strength training here and there. But pee on those people who are giving you grief about your cycling now. I just left the R and R thread, sorry if I sound harsh!

What I loved reading from Jahut, "my fat in remission" or some such thing. I feel like obesity is a disease that we control or it controls us. Oh, so many thoughts.... I haven't written these words for about a year, but here goes. There are three things that go into be successful. There's the physical change in ones body with the band; the behavorial changes, such as exercising or taking smaller portions of food; and congnative changes such as I will act or think differently about food's role in my life. If a person plays with one and forgets the other two she is going to miss a big piece of this. There's something to be said about living a life of ones own design and until a person bellys up to that hugely consiquencial decision it's easy to blame others for all the faliures. It's hard to take the praise for the successes as well. Too much of, "I still have more to lose" syndrome. You know the message bears repeating because often times folks aren't receptive the first few times they hear things...so please keep the conversations flowing.

ZZ, I sent TX a note to her house hoping to hear something back from her. I hope she's well. I hear you about being willing to eat if you are able. I too can eat far too much. Ugh. I'm tight sometimes but if I can work around the band, lord have mercy, I do. I'm getting a fill on Monday. If I can only do liquids for a few weeks I'll see that as just right.

I have got to read the rest of the thread, but I don't have time this moment. I just wanted to say, sounds like you got too much and had to PB it back up. :thumbup: I agree that if you don't work on the mental reasons why you got fat, you will fail with the band. It might not be today and it might not be tomorrow but one day something will stop you and you will fail. And of course it will be something that wasn't within your control and there you will be a victim once again.

When you get your blood pressure measured with the normal sized cuff, not the XL one.

Janine! I'm so thrilled for you! The Hawaii trip then the new band. That's a good summer. What worked well for me was putting exercise above all other priorities. As for the band, follow the rules, I didn't start straying from them until nearly a year out. Damn the ice-cream and soft foods. But I'm hoping to get that under control again with a fill next week. As for the skin, it's not pretty. There is not bouncing back, just swaying in the breeze and jiggling when I run. But I'll take it over being heavier anyday. J

HP and D, You two are rocking the cycling and this forum! WTG, chicas. I don't have much to contribute but I'm reading every word. C, B, ZZ, TX, Whos, JC-How the heck and where the heck are you all? BG is out riding this week, I know but the rest of you are hiding!

Susan, Awe shucks, I'm glad I inspire you.:ohmy: You can get a computer for your bike that costs about $15. You can buy them and have them put on at any bike shop in town. They measure your distance, rate and speed. Your butt will feel better the more you ride, it's time on the seat that makes it better. Weight doesn't matter. Hope to see you all soon!

Seebs, Awe, I'm happy to inspire you! :crying: You can put a device on your bike, a computer, that will measure your distance, time and rate. They are about 15 dollars at performance bicycle...or roll or any of the bike shops in Columbus. Your butt will feel better the more you ride, even before you lose a huge amount of weight more. :ohmy:

Tracymom, If you get out there and (practice) ride a little bit at a time your confidence will increase. If you can find a person or two or a group that already rides on the road to give you pointers and take you out, you'll do well. There are also "how to ride on the road" guides out there on the internet. I'd look one up for you, but I don't have time...but google it and you'll find what I'm talking about. The ride sounds like fun! Having a goal is a good thing to keep you motivated. Awesome.

HP- There's no need to ask my permission. You go girl.

Lane Jane, Thanks. You'll see big numbers drop too if you keep following the band rules and moving on your bike. :ohmy:

Debi, Don't you give two thoughts to what other people might be thinking...because they are going to be thinking, if she can ride so should I. They'll be ashamed of themselves for being lazy. Where are you vacationing? Where are you from? Welcome to the bycyling thread.

funny, cool but funny

Mary, I hope it all turns out okay for you. You should have great weather for camping. Let us know what you learn on Tuesday.

Really? I had best be what? Missy, you're the one who hasn't seen the inside of a gym in how long???? Running in Keds might be a bad idea however...I will bring the bike up when we do Cedar Point. See if we can decorate it, ride on it, etc. Want to shoot for a DRESS rehersal that weekend? Y'all, you know there's a costume prize for the muddy buddy. We're not telling what we're doing, just know, it's BG and me so it's going to be horribly funny. Focus on horrible. :biggrin:

2008 Muddy Buddy Ride & Run Well if you want to see a fellow Marchie and my favorite LBT pal, Babygrl1234, who had surgery in Feb 07, make complete fools of themselves and are in the Chicago area August 3rd, check out the link, and come watch us!

Whos, I'm not running right now. It was hurting my knee. I'm actually spending more time in the gym than on my bike. It's quicker and grad school takes nearly all my non work time. (And a good chunk of my work time, shhh, don't tell my boss.) But I can walk into the gym kick my own butt for an hour and walk out. Cycling just takes more time than that, getting geared up, putting air in the tires, etc. But what I'm doing in the gym keeps me good for the every other weekend rides that I do. Me and the GF are looking at a 60 mile ride on Sunday. I'm so impressed with your tri-atheletism. And awesome time. You da man. Yeah, I know being well under 200 is stunning to me. I've had three days in a row of 190 pounds. Yes, I weigh daily. I'm going to fall over when I see the 170's. That was my wieght when I was 17. H4H, I can only imagine how freaking awesome a midnight ride would be in your city. Grapes, There's a fair amount of bitching on this thread, but we try to keep it positive as much as possible. Also, we get raw sometimes, so it's not really for the faint of heart, but we are quick to share the love with anyone who rides. So jump in!

Hey Hungry. Wish I were in NYC. 30 mile rides are good.