My surgery was Dec. 11, 2011. You can see my stats below. Life is great. This summer I got back from a trip where I had to hike 13 miles in and then back out of a canyon. I'm climbing mountains and loving it.

The only problem I'm having is the extra skin which is bad, but not bad enough to be covered my insurance and these last few pounds I would like to loose.

I am afraid that I've gotten my body into a metabolic syndrome by restricting calories for so long. I'm short and don't seem to need much, but am still at 800 calories. If I add carbs or more calories, I gain rather fast. To loose I'd have to drastically cut back, but what will that do in the long run?

Anybody dealing with this? Anybody have a guess about what I should do to get going again. I think I have been gaining and loosing the same 5 pounds for two years now.

A strong core makes all the difference. I don't ride as much now as my neighbor moved with her horses. I used to ride a sturdy Morgan. She had real issues with people on her back off balance so even when heavy I was pretty good. She did not startle easily at all, but one day, not paying attention, she jumped back at a rabbit and then spun half around. I was unseated and fell off still clutching the reins (boxed in by major streets). I landed on my side and messed up the ligaments in my lower back. Took me an age to get over that.

My profile picture was on a horse in Supai, Arizona. This one was owned by a Havasupai Indian and he was busy with a pack train so he said, "Ride ahead. I'll catch up." and "They will run." BTW, If you heard that the Havasupai don't take care of their horses, that is bullsh**! That is their bread and butter.

Anyway, that was the first real ride I had taken. The way in and out of Supai is horse, mule, hike or helicopter. It's a 12 mile ride with the last (or first) mile up a VERY steep canyon wall. All the horses and mules take the whole trip at a fast trot with either mail or supplies. They are in the best condition of any horses I have seen. Our weight, or lack of was probably a mini-vacation for them. That and I let him play in the Water at his leisure and intermittently walked. When the trails forked off, I trusted him to know the best way. That was funny because he would pick a path and then look at the other path not taken, sigh and move on. I could actually hear horse brain gears turning. He probably thought I was stupid.

My point of this long story is that I rode fast and rode well. The pack train only caught up to us as we were heading up the canyon wall.

Cowboy mounted shooting!!! I like. I would probably like competitive trail riding.

That sounds like so much fun and adventure! I haven't spent much time on a horse. Just a ride here and there... No doubt the horses thought I was stupid too! It was really fun. I had a boyfriend in HIghschool that was a "cowboy". He rode broncs in Rodeos. Quite a wild boy.

I never call them fast days or feast days really.

I would feel too deprived if I thought I was fasting. I call them low cal days and regular days. My regular days are below 1300. I had my resting metobolic test taking to find out how many calories I need to eat , or how many less I need to eat to lose.

I hardly ever make 500 on low cal days. I always end up at about 550.

When i joined the 5:2 website and filled in all the forms, they recommended 550 on fast days for me. Good thing! Thats where Im at on most "rest" days.