GO JENNIFER!!!!!!!!! See, you feel better about life now don't you? I am so proud of you and glad to see you back at it! You know, you gotta start somewhere, and it's better to start off slow and easy and work your way into it. That way you don't get burnt out, or hurt then give it up altogether! Keep up the great job! Val

That is awesome Jenny!!! I must get something like that, when I get to a gym I like the eliptical machines that you can do intervals, and hill climbs, very cool.

All I can say is I am amazed at how many physicians still poo poo the idea of wls. He's right, it doesn't take into consideration the % of bodyfat/muscle ratio. But I think it was very unprofessional of him to discuss that with you at your husband's appt. How did that make your hubby feel? I wish these anti wls docs would really look at the big picture. I mean, those cases he's talking about are most likely people who aren't following the diet, who aren't getting enough nutrients in, or extreme cases that were problems before surgery. Good grief. Sorry, Val on the war path today huh? My strength is coming back and quick. Man, I was totally admiring my muscles the other night....YOU CAN SEE THEM NOW!! Couldn't under all that fat! I don't know if I will be as strong as I was before, but it took me two years to get to that 200 pound bench. Considering I did lose some muscle, and took over a year off training, I know it isn't going to come back over night. I am a work in progress. Earl is really working hard, I don't know if the numbers will ever be as high as they were before, but I was watching him do speed squats last night... OMG The man was EXPLOSIVE!! I remember when it was major effort for him to do those things. Now he can even squat lower than he did before. So, I think it is somewhat of a trade off. Heck yeah, I will trade a little strength for my health, and the flexibility, and the agility, and the ability to do the things I couldn't before! Whew...ok. Done. I am off to get my daughters tonsils out now! Take care, I will be thinking about you with your cath. You will be just fine! Hugs. Val

Thanks for the support guys! I did finally make it back to the gym last night. My body can tell I took a full week off - but I do feel better since working out! I think I just needed a break because I do generally go to the gym 5x a week - but doing routines that are equivalent to working out 7x a week. I do have a lot on my plate right now with my certification test coming up this weekend....but that's the least of my concerns....I became a victim of identity theft last week (warning: don't use your credit card on the internet to make purchases - even from "secured" sites...) Then Monday My neighbor informed me that he watched my lawn mower get stolen. And to top it off my car that has been in the shop for 6 weeks hadn't even been STARTED on and I NEED it this weekend! (I wound up putting it in a different shop and it's now finished....for less money! (Yeah - a good thing!) Oh yeah - I forgot to mention that I also help coach a little league base ball team in my "spare" time......think I'm over doing it a bit? I'm hoping that the "funk" will be over soon.....if not I will just have to roll with the punches and not let it get me down! Thank you all for listening to me.....sometimes I need to get out from my cocoon and be the "butterfly" this surgery wants me to be! Much Dee Dee

We women are like that...small but mighty! Tell her I am thinking about her and I hope she gets to feeling better soon. I think about her a lot. I can't imagine how frustrating that might be. I will work out for her and send strong healthy vibes her way! Must be a guy thing with the hibernation. I want to be around somebody, I want to be babied when I am sick... just ask Earl... he'll tell ya, but he doesn't want to be near me cuz he doesn't want to catch it. I say, share and share alike right? NOT!!! Hang in there, give her hugs for me! PS I LOVE The toilet guy! where did you find that????