LauraCLT

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I have started running a little bit of my Monday and Wednesday walks.  So, here is my new exercise routine:

Monday ~ Walk 5-6 miles (running about 1 mile of this in spurts)
Tuesday ~ 20 minutes elliptical + arm strength training
Wednesday ~ Walk 3 miles (running about 1 mile in spurts)
Thursday ~ 20 minutes elliptical + arm strength training
Friday ~ Walk 3 miles (no running... resting before Saturday's training)
Saturday ~ C25K training.  Up to Week 3:   walk 5 minutes, run 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes (do this sequence 2x), cool down 5 minutes

As of this morning I've lost 82 lbs.

Yesterday I went shopping and truly had a good time -- for the first time EVER!  I am comfortably wearing size 18 now, and have been able to buy clothes at Old Navy and other "regular" stores.  Such a treat.

I forgot to post last Saturday -- my 4 month "surgiversary."  Total lbs lost as of that date... 77 lbs.  Total gained?  A WHOLE NEW LIFE.  As I've mentioned before, what I've gained in the past 4 months has totally surprised me.  I knew I'd feel healthier by losing weight, but I never imagined how WONDERFUL I'd feel mentally, emotionally, and physically.  I have now added a little bit of running into my walks on M-W-F.  During my 5-mile walk on Monday I actually jogged almost 1/2 a mile (1/4 mile at a time).  AND I TALKED WITH A FRIEND WHILE DOING IT!  You couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

I cannot emphasize how much I hated even the THOUGHT of exercise before this surgery.  And if someone mentioned that I would want to exercise and run after the surgery... I probably wouldn't have had it!  LOL  But now I wake up grateful every day for the opportunity.

I've posted some 4-month pictures -- one of which is me standing in only 1 leg of some pajamas (in case you can't tell what I'm doing).

 What a wonderful summer this has been!  The road trip, family beach vacation, and fun time with my kids has made it the best summer ever.  Of course, losing 75 lbs since April probably had a little bit to do with making it so special as well :)  

When I started on this journey, it was hard not to view it with a mixture of dread, despair and hopelessness -- as I had viewed every diet for the past 20 years.  In the back of my mind, I wondered if the surgery would work... and if it did, would I really be able to keep it off.  With each day that passes, I feel my spirit truly lift.  I have established some good habits, and exercise is now a part of my daily ritual 6 days a week.  I now KNOW that I can lose this weight.  I also am constantly aware that it is much easier to break good habits than to build them... so I stay on guard.  And I truly appreciate this message board with constant reminders that the first 18 months are the easiest -- and that this process will be a journey for the rest of my life.

My exercise regime is pretty much the same except that I've tacked on a little bit of running after the elliptical on Tuesdays and Thursday.  I'm up to 5 minutes with that... and also running on Saturdays.  I've lost 76 lbs as of this morning, and I feel better than I ever have in my entire life.  Doesn't get much better than that :)

 We returned from our road trip last night, and although we had a blast I am glad to be home.   I was disheartened to wake up this morning with only a 3 lb weight loss over the past 3 weeks.  HOWEVER, Keith reminded me that last year I GAINED about 10-15 lbs on my 4-week road trip.  So... all is good.  I kept up my exercise and only strayed slightly from my eating plans (had a few bites of sweets); I think what killed me was not being to get all of my protein in each day.  

Anyway... I upped my running program today and was running for 90 seconds at a time.  Woo hoo!  So far this has been one of my best summers ever!

 The kids and I are on our annual road trip -- 3 weeks this year -- so I haven't been able to weigh.  However, while I have had a hard time with the "gym" workouts, I have been keeping to my eating plan and walking plan and had to stop at Target and buy all new shorts.  My "new" ones from 8 weeks ago were literally falling off. 

I've been tracking my food on www.thedailyplate.com and to my surprise I've had a hard time just eating all the food that I need to eat!  Of course, this was not a problem on past road trips :)  But for my energy level, and overall health, I'm having to make sure that I DO eat.  And, again, it's wonderful being happy and satisfied with healthy food and small portions.

Well... only one day a week.  But I'm very proud of that.  I've lost 63 pounds, and am feeling better than I have in years.  The exercise is finally starting to feel normal -- and it is becoming a regular part of my day.  Although it seems like the summer days are full of free hours, the reality is that if I don't exercise first thing, it doesn't get done.  So, I've been getting up at 5:30 to have coffee and read the paper, then walking at 6:30 so I can be showered and dressed by 8:00.  This has put quite a crimp in my late night reading -- but it's a good thing:)

Regarding food ~ I love eating normal amounts of food and being completely satisfied.  Admittedly, since I don't dump and can appear to eat just about anything, I have to stay on guard with my "no grazing" habits -- and I have to CHOOSE to eat the high protein foods.  So, while I LOVE the surgery... it truly boils down to making the right choices.  But, of course, it is A LOT easier to make those choices now.

As I mentioned in my last post, I've added more miles to my walking schedule, and I'm loving it. Today I downloaded WEEK 1 of the run/walk cues "from couch to 5k" (www.c25k.com), and RAN! There is a 5 minute warm up walk, then 8 segments of running for 60 seconds/walking for 90 seconds, and finally a 5 minute cool down. I will do this for the next 4 Saturdays, then download WEEK 2. I'm losing a bit more slowly now (down 57 lbs), but I feel absolutely wonderful.

I am now two months out and my life is getting better and better each day.  My exercise routine is now as follows:  Monday ~ walk 5 miles; Tuesday ~ elliptical for 20 minutes, then a nautilus workout; Wednesday ~ walk 3 miles; Thursday, elliptical for 20 minutes, then a nautilus workout; Friday ~ walk 3 miles; Saturday ~ run/walk 1 mile (start training for a 5k).

Additionally, I'm continuing to work on new habits:  Only 3 meals + 1 snack a day; protein first at meals; no drinking 30 minutes on either side of a meal; NO GRAZING -- not a single bite between planned meals/snacks; no sodas; and recording all food and exercise in my online journal (www.thedailyplate.com).  And in the midst of all of this... I am also working on crawling out of the "black and white" zone ~ if I forget and take a bite of something while cooking, it's OKAY.  I just get back on track and don't beat myself up about it.  Surprisingly, this last part has been the hardest.

All-in-all it's been a great 2 months, and I look forward to each day.

I just returned from my Friday walk and managed to walk 3.5 miles in 58 minutes without stopping. Normally I have to stop while going up the hills to take a drink of water -- but I bought a CamelBak hydration system... and now I can walk without stopping. Regarding weight loss, today I hit 52 lbs! But I'm most excited about going to IOWA tomorrow to visit my sister! Woohoo!

... and tied my shoes! Now that doesn't seem like such a big deal, but for years when I put on my athletic shoes I would have to put my foot on a chair to tie them. But this morning I was talking with Keith while dressing for my 3-mile walk -- and I sat down, put my shoes on, then leaned over and tied them! I was tying the 2nd one before I realized it -- and it felt REALLY good.