Owwwwwwwwww!

Seven hard core minutes on the new elliptical machine the day before yesterday and I can feel every muscle in my legs, calves, and hips. Geez it's not like I spent an hour on the thing. But I still love it. I did alternate exercise yesterday but I think I am about to jump back on it. Wish me luck!!! Jenny

Ok, I just did five minutes that time - I could go further but dang the sore muscles... Ok, so I couldn't feel EVERY muscle, I found a couple of new ones - now the tops of my legs (above the knee) are aching. Oh well, I will build up tolerance - does anyone else use an elliptical? I swear I don't remember it aching this much when I used to go to the gym (months before surgery) and use one. I had a treadmill before but I hated it for some reason and it bothered my ankle so I really allowed myself to slack off big time. My goal for the new machine is (well it is being altered right now) is twice a day for 5-10 minutes until I am able to do more at one time. The important thing is I STILL love it and want to use it! Ok, I am going to ramble a little bit... I really have felt guilty about skimping on the exercise and still loosing. I have done great but I wonder what I could have done had I been incorperating more exercise. From now on I hope that I will not have to wonder anymore. I am 5 lbs away from losing 100 lbs and 16 days away from my 6 month anniversary. I never would have thought that I could have lost nearly 100 lbs in 5 & 1/2 months. I know that I look and feel soooooo much better but the number is still hard to wrap my mind around. Every time I look at what I weigh now - 278 - I do a double take, it doesn't seem like that number belongs to me. OT of Exercise Ramble... And I am still "head shy" about a lot of things. I am getting pretty comfortable with some things that I worried about before, it is soooo great to hop on a desk at work when I am helping a new agent without a second thought. But like yesterday at work the receptionist came and held the door open for me but he was standing inside the doorframe so instead of enjoying a little extra attention, I had this thought: "I can't fit through there if you are standing in the doorframe." Turns out I'm 95 lbs lighter and COULD fit but trying things like that for the first time since "before" are scary even when the outcome is a relief. I wonder how long it will take me to walk into a resterante and not think about the booth size even though I KNOW I haven't had trouble with that in a few months? It's not that I expect this thinking to go away in a puff of smoke but it would be easier to enjoy my thinner life if I didn't have to second guess myself. What things are you "head shy" about? What do you still worry about that you shouldn't? Thanks for listening!! Jenny

Hi Jenny, We share a re-birthday. I too have skimped on exercise and have continued to lose. -97 as of last Tuesday. I have yet to hit one of the dreaded plateaus. I am just now having some slight hair loss. Mine is already incredibly thin, so I am trying not to worry to much about it. And it is slight. Back to the exercise. I started walking (serious walking) about 3 weeks ago. Up until then, I had just been being more active. Yard work and such. I was walking at my folks in the pastures and timbers. Lots of uphill climbing. My PA (at WLS surgeoons office) said that was NOT exercise. I would bet she has never walked through a pasture. Plus I would bet she has never had a weight issue.......... Anyhooooo, now I ramble...... I do have a gazelle. An elliptical type machine. Don't know that I care for it. I just can't get into using machines, or standing in place in front of a tv doing a tape or something. As for the PA saying some activities aren't exercise, I just tell myself that I am now doing a heck of a lot more than I was a year ago, heck, even 3 months ago. I am finding our current 'heat wave' (90's and humid) here in Iowa a lot more tolerable than last year. Head shy.....I like that term. It runs rampant at times. I bought some new clothes(finally!) the other day. Everything I tried on I would look at my sis and shake my head 'no' and say 'no way', and then be totally shocked when it fit. We called it a 'conditioned response'. Took me years to learn those responses, suppose they won't go away over night. Darn it!! I think the PA said she wanted me at 250-255 on my 6 month check which I think is July 14th. I don't think I will make it, but I am not going to lose any sleep over it. I am doing what I should. Protein, water, pills and exercise. I feel GREAT. You talk about it being hard to wrap your head around your weight. Me too. I can't imagine myself at 155, which is what THEY have my goal as. I see my sister at 230 and can see myself there, but I think it is because I can see it. Don't get me wrong. My goal is not 230. I will be happy to break 200. No, WHEN I break 200! best of luck with your elliptical Keep up the good work Sheila 368/271/155???

Sheila, I think that -97 is pretty good and I wouldn't worry about not making her goal either, you have been very successful. You're nearly in the 260's!! We had a speaker at my last WL Support Group meeting and he talked about what is and isn't exercise and yeah he agreed with your PA. I still think that increased activity is way better than sitting on the couch. Especially walking in a pasture. It isn't exactly smooth terrain. Next time tell them you went hiking, lol. I did have a lot of hair loss starting around 3 months out but thankfully it is leveling out now. Maintenance is going to DIE when I call them to clean out my shower drain, lol. Fortunately my hair never looked super super thin - I mean definately thinner than I would prefer but not intolerable. Our end goals are similar, I think they want me at 158 lb but that is a number that I had a hard time really focusing on because I have never really been there and I have no idea what I would look like. So I was really just focusing on the first hundred by my birthday (July 28th) right now. But in five lbs I will have to come up with something new, I think that it is going to happen by my 6 month anniversary, definately before my b-day. Maybe I will change my birthday goal to 50%, I had 215 total to lose so that will be 107.5, 12.5 lbs in a little over a month - definately possible if I work hard. After that maybe I will focus on 75% which would be 161 lbs. I don't know yet. Goals goals goals... What size are you in now? How tall are you? (I am 5'10" and a 18/20 top, 22 jean (close to a 20, I need to try a pair on). Have a great day Sheila!!!! Jenny

Hey Jenny I'm 5'6. The new 'real' jeans I bought Tuesday are a 26. I have a pair of cotton/lycra stretch denims that are a 22, and getting a bit baggy. I bought 3 shirts and I think they were 3 different sizes.....one is and 18/20 and one is a 22 and one a 26, I think.......All depends on material, cut and style. I don't remember the last time I wore an '18'. Let alone being able to buy jeans 'off the rack'! The jeans weren't on my 'list'. Only the shirts were because everything I have hangs like a sack. I just tried the jeans on as a joke, never believing they would fit.....head shyness......it's a horrible mind game.... But I bought them anyway! At any rate, I am ready to go shopping again. To bad my bank account doesn't agree! I got called 'skinny' yesterday. 'One' of my bosses called me that. I am a 911 dispatcher in a very small department (12 officers). We are like a big family. All those young buff never been out of shape guys have been my biggest group of supporters, next to my entire family. life is good, and getting better hugs Sheila

Hi Jenny, I too have been very lax with my exercise. Wednesday night I broke down and dug out the Richard Simmons tone and sweat tape and man do I hurt. I couldn't even make it through all the reps on some of the moves. I took last night off (because I had to work and did a lot of walking there) but am going to put that tape in again tonight (as soon as hubby leaves for work at 9:30). I have lost 68 lbs to date and noticed the weight loss was greater when I was exercising at last 3 times a week. My hubby and I are having the fight about whether to purchase an elliptical or a treadmill. My philosophy is I can walk outside if I feel like walking and I want the elliptical. He thinks the treadmill will give me a good enough work out and that because it folds up for storage would be the better purchase. I think I will go shopping one night without him and just come home with my elliptical. We have been having this battle for over a month and it is about time I get some type of exercise equip. to use and since I am the one using it I think it should be the one I want. All the little WOW moments keep adding up and are terrific. You are doing fabulous. Keep exercising. Kim 286/218/150ish?

Hey Kim - definately get what YOU want, that way you are more likely to WANT to use it. I had to look all over before I found one that I wanted, because I wanted one that wasn't too expensive but still had different programs and resistance levels and also had both arm things that go back and forth AND the options to just rest your arms on the rail for balance. I finally decided on a Weslo Momentum 950 at Wal-Mart and it was on sale for $175! I am VERY happy with its bells and whistles. Good luck on the covert shopping mission!

Jenny, That is my opinion too and since I do the shopping my husband can just put up with it. I told him I would get the treadmill if he promised to use it everyday too. He laughed!!! I am looking at the same model you bought. I felt it had everything I need and is in the right price range. Kim