Hey Members,

It's that time again, where we share and inspire others about our journey.  This month I wanted us to share with others what has been the toughest challenge in this journey?  Was it getting insurance approval, pre-op dieting, complications after surgery, no energy, food?

For me being so far out I am finding the biggest challenge is not gaining weight.  I need to stick with the basics and not let life get in the way.

Come on in and share with us and your comments may appear in the next edition of OH's Newsletter.

Take care,
Kathy

 Yep, it is true!  I am a oldie but goodie.  Had surgery many years ago and the impact it has had in my life still blows my mind.  I am 5+  years older, put on 20 pounds and was able to do things that I only watched others do in TV.

My son invited me to come on a trip with him, his girlfriend and her family to Greece.  It was a trip of a life time as I have never been out of the states.  He planned to ask her to marry him on the island of Santorini and wanted me there (get the kleenex).  If I had not had WLS, lost over 200 pounds and kept moving I would have NEVER been able to do this trip. 

I knew I was in for it from the beginning.  The kids took 2 buses and the "L" here in Chicago just to get to the airport.  Mind you I brought up the rear but kept up.  We flew on a brand new jet from Swiss Air and they do not recognize larger people.  The seats were smaller than small and if you were taller than 5 feet you had issues.  I was able to be comfortable thanks to my WLS.   My poor son is 6"4' and when someone laid back his poor knees were jammed the entire flight.  When we got to Athens, Greece, we hauled our luggage all over the city, taking several buses, trains and all to get to the Ferry to the island of Crete.  Before WLS they would have been calling the ambulance and I would have been too big for the stretcher.  Not to mention where is the oxygen?

There was a strike going on and we had to sit in the parking lot for hours.  I sat on my luggage without fear of breaking anything...  We finally got on the ferry and again space was small.  I only saw 3 over weight people during the entire trip.  After eating and living like the Greeks I think I know why they don't have a problem with obesity.  On the island of Crete we walked fishing villages, climbed caves, walked beaches.  We even walked to the store for groceries and all.  Can you imagine someone saying hey let's walk to Wal-Mart?  We walked miles to get to where we wanted to go.  And these streets are winding and an incline like you find in San Fransisco.  

We went to the island of Santorini and this is one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen.  My son asked his GF to marry him in a little white church on the side of the cliff.  She said yes!!  You will have to see the pics but we hiked 1/3 of the island from where we were staying to a town called Oai.  Now mind you, this is a trail on a volcano.  There were times when the trail was dirt, rocks, lava rocks up down and right next to the cliff.  There were times I was on my hands and knees.  If you had told the 330 pound old lady she would be doing this one day she would have laughed and then cried.  YES I DID!!!!!  YES YOU CAN TOO!!!

The last leg of the trip was the city of Athens, 4 million strong.  WE walked everywhere, to the store, farmers market.  We did rent a van to go to the beaches and it broke down.  We had to leave it on the side of the street and walked around all the demonstrations that were going on at the time.  We walked all the way back to where were were staying.  Walking all the ruins entailed climbing and stairs, stairs, stairs!!!

Now confession time.  By now my knees were getting to me.  You can't be overweight all your life and get old and not pay the price. My knees and back has....but let me tell you, while I have them propped up now, re cooperating.  I am so damn proud of the fact I did it!!!!  I did things I only watched others do on TV.  And may I add, several years out and still going strong.  So don't think weight gain is a given, don't think the first year is the the best it's gets and DO DREAM, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!  Thank You WLS!!!!

BTW, something I noticed that blew my mind. There were NO handicap features in Switzerland or Greece. I found that so strange...but then I NEVER saw anyone in a wheel chair.  There were older people walking....WALKING with a cane but that was it.  And I bet you they were 100 but looked 80.  So the moral of this story is, eat right and move, move, move and you will live a very long healthy life!

This is where we were staying, and the white you see at the end of the island is the town we "HIKED" to.  Yep, I said hiked.  Now that is a WOW moment 5 years plus after WLS!

Take care,
Kathy

ps..will post more about the food later.

Come join us in the Back On Track Together group.  It's a safe place to get back on track and you will find more support than you know what to do. 

Hope to see you there soon 

Take care,
Kathy

Hey Everyone,

Cathy Wilson is one of the most giving persons I have ever known.  She is always there for us all and has inspired hundreds of us to keep going no matter what life throws in front of us.

Please give a warm shout out to Cathy as today is her 8 Year Anniversary 

WAY TO GO CATHY     

Cathy Wilson
Director of OH Support Groups and Training

Take care,
Kathy

Hey Everyone, 

Ok, we know session, sets and reps, now how much of what?  When starting your workouts it's a good idea to start with one set and after a couple of weeks you can go to two sets.  After a month or two then go to 3 sets or more.  You will find you know best as to when to increase your sets.    To determine how many reps the last one or two should be hard to do and you may even not be able to do the last one.  This is what we call "failure" and that is a good thing.  So if you find you can do 5 reps and not break a sweat you need to increase that number until you are groaning and straining to do that last one.  Yes, ladies I said groan 

Another important point is the amount of time you take to rest between sets.  When starting out you will find your breathing has increased after a set, take 30 to 90 secs for your breathing to slow down and go back to normal.  Once you progress you will find  if you decrease that amount of time between sets you get an awesome cardio workout as well as weight training.  This is something my son taught me. If I am short on time and don't have an hour for weight training and another hour for cardio we set up 5 different exercises for the body part we are working, for example arms.  I do one set for one exercise, then without stopping move to the second one and then third and so on...  When I am done doing a set for all 5, I am huffing and puffing....  This is a great way to combine cardio and weight training.  But for now, take that time and rest between sets 

Next we need to talk about the importance of Breathing...  This was one of the hardest things for me to learn.  To this day I still don't get it right all the time, but trust me when I tell you all the experts are right.  When you breath right it gives you added power and energy to push through and get that extra rep or two when you think you have no more to give.

Have you ever been working out and felt dizzy or light headed?  One of the reasons is you may not be taking in enough oxygen while working out.  So how do you do it?  Most of the time you inhale quickly during the easiest part of an exercise and exhale just as the hardest part is finished.  Think about this while doing your reps and again I know it seems like a lot but so very important. 

So my friends, Did You Move To Lose and or Maintain Today?  I am doing my boxing class tonight if I get all my yard work done on my "To Do" list.  I am so behind, I wanted to plant last night and it started raining just as I got the garage door up.  Grrrrr 

Come on in and be accountable for your Movin Today 

Take care,
Kathy

Hey Everyone,

If you are just beginning your workouts this week is for you. If you are more seasoned, please read and you may pick up a tip or two 

We all know the mistakes we have made when starting a new workout plan.  How do we know?  Because it didn't work or we were so disappointed we quit.  The most common mistake is we want it and we want it NOW, the fastest, easiest, least amount of work routine.  Let me ask you something?  How is that workin for  ya?    Hmmmm, I bet the answer is it's not, and you don't want to hear it.    Imagine you are out walking on a trail and you are climbing and running and working up a sweat to get home and when you get to the end of the trail you find you are on the wrong trail.  You can avoid all the frustration and mistakes in your workout routines by doing it right the first time  

You want it simple (if it's to complex  you are going to quit), short (you need time to rebuild after a workout) and of course eat the right foods.  Another key to working out is Sleep    I know with all that is going on it's hard to get a good nights sleep, but there is no better way to hit the ground running than a good nights sleep.    

Tomorrow we will talk about sessions and sets/reps.

So my friends, Did You Move To Lose and or Maintain Today?  I have been working like a dog on my yard, getting out the furniture, getting the beds, pots and all ready for plantings.  So after work I will be out in the yard, working like a dog 

Come in and be accountable for your exercise, share and inspire  

Take care,
Kathy

Hey Everyone,

I hope this finds you looking forward to the weekend.  If we don't dry out soon I will have a green yard but it's going to be mold not grass 

Today I thought I would touch on myths concerning women and working out with weights.  It's so important we do resistance workouts due to our bone loss through out our lives.  The only way to build bone is by doing resistance workouts and weight training is one of the best ways to do so. 

Women have a tendency to be afraid of working out with weights.  They fear bulking up like the Incredible Hulk and or just feel afraid of the entire process.  We do not bulk up, we can't unless we are taking drugs containing testosterone.  We do however burn fat become lean to where it will show your abs and defined muscles.  Now that I can get excited about    Come on, get excited about pumping iron, you will love it and the results 

So my friends, Did You Move To Lose and or Maintain Today?  Come on in and be accountable for your Movin and inspire others. 

Take care,
Kathy   

Hey Everyone,

Have you seen the sun?  Where the heck did it go?  I know April showers bring May flowers but come on.....

Ok, yesterday we talked about ways to find out your body fat comp.  Next start taking stock of your body, your fitness level.  If you have done nothing but the couch to fridge shuffle for years then you are not going to start out running a marathon.  But you can start by walking around the house, then the block and so on and so forth. 

Age is not a factor    I hear so many say but I am to old    It's never to late and don't you tell yourself otherwise ....

Throw our the scale    I know you are saying are you nuts   We should judge how we feel and look not just a number on the scale  

Cardio is awesome but don't forget the weights    Weights help with with your overall health, endurance, flexabiltiy, increases  your heart and lung health.  Increases your muscle mass (women do not bulk up) and therefore burn more calories  Where's my free weights? 

So my friends, Did You Move To Lose and or Maintain Today?  Come on in and share and be accountable for your exercise  I

I hit the gym this morning and did some arm work and then 30 mins on the treadmill...

Take care,
Kathy

Hey Everyone 

I want to say sorry for being gone for a week or two.  We were so busy on the boards and to be honest not many people were posting so I thought there was no interest in the thread.  I have gotten a lot of emails say "hey where are ya".  So thanks and here we go 

For those of you that know me I am a BIG Oxygen Magazine fan.  I love the workout plans they put together for you and the photos on "how to" do them ROCK.  I love Tosca Reno that writes for the magazine.  She is in her 40's and looks fabulous.  If you hear me say "Eat Clean" that is where I get it from.

I have bought her books about eating and working out and will share with you all what she has to say.

I can't believe it's only 54 days until summer.. No matter where you are with your weight loss journey think how much better you will feel and look staying the course in 54 days 

So my friends, Did You Move To Lose and or Maintain Today?  Come on and let's get out butts moving 

Take care,
Kathy 

Hey, Hey, Hey.....little did I know that my cardio today would be shoveling snow    Yep you heard me right, SNOW in April 

I am late today as the boards have lost their minds today and it's been busy, busy, busy....

So my friends, Did You Move To Lose and or Maintain Today? Let's rock this week and be accountable and MOVE TO LOSE  

76 DAYS UNTIL SUMMER 

Take care,
Kathy 

Hey Everyone 

Making it fun is the key to staying on track with exercise    So I challenge you to put on some music before this Friday is over and dance, dance, dance    Cleaning house?  Put on some tunes and dance while cleaning.  Kids just got home?  Put on some tunes and all of you dance around the family room...have fun, laugh...  When your loved one gets home from work, put on some Jazz and dance...

Today I am cleaning house and putting on some tunes while doing so.  Then I am doing 3 miles on the treadmill during lunch...

So my friends, are you going to Move To Lose and or Maintain Today?    Let's call this our Jammin Friday 

Take care,
Kathy

Are you bathing suit ready?  Not me    But we have time    Let's bet those booties movin

Today is a cardio day for me, either some time on the bag or treadmill....

So my friends, Did You Move To Lose and or Maintain Today?  Let's go, it's hump day and the weekend is around the corner 

Take care,
Kathy