What's on the menu today, RNYers?

Hey Sara!  It's amazing what we can accomplish, right?  I am seeing a real trend on this thread of people doing things they haven't done before, and impressing even themselves.  Now 2.5 miles...a month from now maybe 3 miles :)  I should track my vitamins in MFP like you do!

Do protein shakes satiate you like the bars do?  I know you have been worried about your weight going up, and I have read other posts where people refer to them as "crack" lol.  I had one today - but it didn't taste very good so there is no danger of me getting addicted.  I think I may avoid Quest bars because they appear to be quite delicious!

Emily, Questbars and Muscle Milk Pro Series 40 are my addiction like Syntrax Matrix and Nectar are yours and Annys. LOL! I have been out of Muscle Milk but just bought some the other day and plan on drinking them within the next two weeks or so. I find it hard to incorporate them in my menu unless I start with them first.   

Hey Sara, it's Tuesday - have you stayed away from the scale? I hope so! Tomorrow is almost here.

Yes, Anny I have stayed away from the scale. Emily I find the bars more filling since the shakes are liquid. They only fill me for a few minutes, long enough for them to travel through the pouch I guess. The bars stay longer but are only 20g of protein and I can get 40g of protein in two Muscle Milk shakes. Like you gals, I tend to stick to meat, shakes and bars for the source of protein and then get veggies and fruits are last for me. I normally only get in protein with very little veggies due wanting to use my calories and protein wisely.

Glad you're sticking to your guns, Sara!

Ah, thanks Em! Sorry to let you down today, but yes, I was at personal training and figured I was out of the house a little too early to start the thread for you today. Glad to see you posting, though, I've missed your contributions here!

Ok, so I had my first personal training sesh today, and let me tell you how embarrassing it was. Not at all because of the trainer, but because I felt horribly obese and weak. I could barely lift my foot up high enough to get on the recumbent bike she had me try, and I couldn't even do more than a couple reps of the arm exercises she showed me. Ugh! Yes, I know it will get better with time and effort on my part, but in the meantime I felt awful by the time we were through. I feel like I have no strength and no flexibility at all. She was very encouraging, though, telling me that she'd "seen a lot worse". Oh, yeah, that does help tons. /sarcasm  Nothing to be done for it but to keep plugging away at it, however.

Anny, you'll be glad to know I got on the elliptical, and lasted a whole two minutes! Yes, two!! I know, I rock, right?  

And to add insult to injury, my trainer wants me to swim and do the water aerobics classes. Lady, there's a reason I haven't worn a bathing suit in over 16 years! Hell, the last time I was at a beach people tried to roll me back into the water. I love to swim, don't get me wrong, but doing it in front of other people...ugh ugh ugh! Oh, and of course she was all freaked out about my food intake, and I had to be firm and remind her that I was a bariatric patient (I don't think they have a lot of familiarity with us) and that my nutrition was NOT up for debate, period. She wanted to know why I don't eat more fruits and vegetables...I had to explain that I don't have any room for veggies most of the time!

Soo, I came home, and all I wanted to do was eat. Still do. I'm drinking my third glass of water, though, and when it's down I may nibble on some jerky for a bit. I realize I'm feeling anxious and down about what I've taken on and how it went today, but I just have to keep telling myself "It will get better!" I might even end up believing it, too.

At any rate here's today's gourmet treats. Water is on track, vitamins are ok, and even exercise is doing well. I'll get on the treadmill here at home later because I only did five minutes on the recumbent bike, so I still need something in the way of an aerobic workout. Have a fantabulous day, everyone!

Oh no, Pam!  I am sorry that was your first session!  But honestly, when I think of my first session...it was painful for me to get on the floor to do stretches (hurt my knees).  And now I can totally get down on the floor and get back up.  In only 2.5 months.  This is almost good for you to have a baseline, I think.  Keep going to her and learning what it is you are going to do.  AND, this is a biggie, don't be afraid to say "I can't do that yet".  There are plenty of exercises you can do with 2 or 4 lb weights that won't require you to feel like you can't do it.  We have talked about our saggy skin - these workouts will help us to tone the muscle under that saggy skin.  And re: water aerobics - you have lost 80 lbs!  You will look a lot different in a bathing suit!  Plus, the last time I checked, fit and hot men don't go to water aerobics.  You just have to get from the edge of the pool down the steps and no one will see you.  Not to mention, your husbeast loves you loads, even when you were "rollable" lol.  And it's awesome that you are going to do cardio tonight.  Imagine how you felt 80 lbs ago, think about how good you feel now, and then think about how INCREDIBLE you will feel in another 50 lbs when you hit Onederland and are strong and working on muscle tone.  That's what I do - envision the future!

And I agree with the trainer/menu problem - one of my trainers is always super concerned that I have had 300 calories for the day when I see him lol.  I want to be like, "Hey dude, I have a lot of fat stored up to burn - don't give it a second thought!".

Do not let today get you down!  Think how ridiculous it would have been 80 lbs ago.  And make your appts for midday when it's less busy!  And again, tell her if something is really going to hurt you - outside of your comfort zone is ok - but I was embarrassed to say I couldn't do certain things at the beginning so I was straining my back and knees.  Only YOU know your body and what it is capable of!

XO

Pam it will get better! I applaud you and everyone else to tackling it so early on! I was dumb and went into all of this thinking my weight would just come off and stay off forever. Here I am 7 years later and just now really getting into working out. When I started with the group pt classes I was the slow one (and not the fattest one!) I was the one the trainer had to modify this for, but as the weeks have gone by I am keeping up! I am not as sore when I wake up in the morning and even today I am thinking about going back (I was going to do it 3xs a week) today. Like I said it will get better. Your confadince will grow, your muscles will become more defined and your weight will melt. Good for you guys for doing it now! I am so proud of all of you! 

I'm so sorry that you had such a rough morning, Pam. But the first one is out of the way now, right? As the others have said, it WILL get easier and your confidence will begin to build.

2 minutes on the elliptical is 2 minutes more than you've ever done before! What did you think of it?

You might be thinking we're just placating you - you were venting and now we're BSing you a bit, but no siree! You are going to rock this exercise thing once you get the hang of it - I know...because I just do 

Thank you Emily, Janessa and Anny. Yes, I was just venting, but I really do appreciate the support and encouragement. I know it will get better, it's just that it's really driving home how much I've abused my body, and for how long, and it's made me feel pretty crappy about it. When the personal trainer and I were talking, she asked what my goal weight was, and when I told her she asked when was the last time I'd weighed that..."Um, I think it was third grade?" So she asked how much I weighed in high school, and when I told her (240 was my young adult weight, from high school on until my early 30s) she said "Oh, I'm so sorry." Umm, me too? I mean, how do you respond to that? It really just rocked me on my heels a bit...wow, I guess I really sucked. 

The elliptical was actually fun for the amount of time I could do it. It definitely gives a much more intense workout than a treadmill, I could feel it in my quads almost immediately and my heart rate went up quite fast as well. Someday I'll work up to half an hour or more at a decent pace...someday.