Any "fuller figure (or former) " warrior survivors out there?

The only thing that works for me is Weigh Watchers.  I think the peer pressure helps.   I was overweight, 5'10" and 200 lbs.   I am now at 170 and plan to lose 10 more and see how I look and feel.  My BC was estatic I lost weight.  She was telling me she always recommends weight loss to those over weight, but most do not do anything about it.  She believes it is a very high risk factor. 

Best of luck to all of you. It is hard losing weight, but I am liking the complements I am getting and I feel a lot better.  A lot better. It is amazing how taxing it is to carry around that extra weight,and you do not realize it until it is gone. I have waaaay more energy and have a new spring in my step.  BTW....it took me about 5 to 6 months to lose the 30 lbs.  

Hi StillVerticle,

Just to let you know, chemo. also left me with bad knees as well as neuropathy. I purchased a mini trampoline/urban rebounder and I can't say enough about it. It's a lot easier on my knees; less jarring. So far I'm able to do 30 minutes twice a day and that burns up to 500 calories total. I notice my body getting more toned although the weight is so slow coming off.

Just don't want you to get discouraged. We're in this thing together. I also learned cutting back on carbs plays a big role. It's as if once we're past 40, our bodies just seem to suck carbs up like a vacuum and refuses to let go. I need to take in more whole grains and drink more water. These are my two biggest faults.

jwatrlily-  Absolutely anything is possible!  Don't listen to those people who say it isn't.  I will rave again about The Sonoma Diet book.  Both my husband and I lost about 40 pounds on their plan and we have kept it off (well, maybe I'm creeping a little bit up) for 4 years.  It is not a diet as much as a very healthy Mediterranean way of eating and the recipes are fantastic.  Google it and you can find recipes online.

sable-  Good for you using your rebounder 30 minutes a day!  Mine is staring at me for weeks, I have to get back on it!

Lisa, you are an inspiration! I have been eating sooooooo good lately. I don't have a scale, I just get weighed at the nephrologist. As he's been tracking me for over 2 years, it's interesting to see that I seem to bounce around the same 10 pounds. up, down, up, down....

Day?? I'm happy that I didn't buy a chocolate bar at work. And I even forgot my afternoon apple? I go hour-to-hour hrf. That's all I can do.

So who's invited to the party? S'up??

Don't keep grazing food in the house!!! I don't, so I can never slip up at home. I have vanilla yoghurt as my treat. I crave the bad stuff all the time and know if I had it in the house I'd use it.

Ladies, you are doing so great! Not only is every day a new chance, but really, every hour is a new chance.

There really is a physics principle here: what is in motion tends to stay in motion (momentum) and what is at rest tends to stay at rest (inertia). BC tx tends to be a whopping dose of inertia, so for those not yet committed to moving, start small, but consistent. It will prepare you for more vigorous activity later that really does help drop weight. 

I made chocolate covered strawberries for the staff at my son's school, and got into some of the leftovers. My DH helped me with them, and got the idea of chocolate covered bananas. They ended up looking like turds, so I didn't send them to school, but couldn't let them go to waste, and they were great!

Needless to say, I am waiting for the scale to reflect my indulgence. I did get my salsa dance hussle on, so hopefully that counts for something.

I hope you all are having a great day!

I let my nephrologist weigh me every 3 months. If I could walk I would! We tried to go for a walk last week and only got a very, very short distance down the street. My right knee is bone-on-bone so it's just too painful. How can I exercise? Can't pedal, can't bounce, can't walk, can't !!!

Stardust,

I am so glad you were motivated to move. It really is amazing how much better you can feel when you push past the tiredness, and go out and do it!

I have had more success with keeping track of how my clothes feel than weighing myself, but also pounds can slowly climb, so I'm trying to do both now. I do know that muscle weighs more than fat, so as I work out more and develop more tone, the actual numbers may be skewed. I have a Wii fit board, and it keeps track of BMI, which I like better.

Hi, it's me again. I found the you tube video for today's Ellen show. It's so awesome and encouraging! Richard Simmons has done so much to help people who have a lot of weight to lose do it. He is such a positive, compassionate person. I wrote him this a few years ago telling him that, and have got his newsletters ever since. He includes a healthy recipe in each one. You can sign up for this at : www.richardsimmons.com

Link for the newsletters is on the left hand side.

David Garcia is a segment producer on the Ellen show. Highlights from today's show on how he did it:

1. He accepted the offer of help from Richard Simmons.

2. He agreed to send Simmons a food diary of sorts listing everything he ate every day for a year.

3. He changed the contents of his fridge, and drank about a gallon of water a day.

4. He moved at Slimmons, which he said was hard before, and now is fun.

5. He looked at his emotions. He felt like a failure, he didn't want to fail at attempting to lose weight, and his confidence was low. He had to overcome this.

Here is the show that aired today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3DE8gCD_Ro

Ideas from this:

 - If there is an encouraging friend or DH that you have, you can send them a daily email accounting what you ate. Commit to this for a year.

- Order a Richard Simmons dvd to get you moving.

- Learn to develop an inner voice that encourages, rather than shames you.

What do you ladies think? Please tell me if you like the video.

Barbe, I think the idea of swimming or water aerobics is worth looking into.  Practically no pressure on the knees.  

DesignerMom, I don't know of any race walk tapes, but I do think listening to music is a great way to keep you going on your walks!  I actually use the Slacker Radio app on my phone - that way, the music is always different.

Bianca, I couldn't watch the video (on my phone), but I've always liked Richard Simmons and his positive, supportive approach. 

Ladies, I'm so proud of myself!  I've gone for a 4.5 mile walk/jog every day this week except yesterday (I had an early appointment).  It's still not easy to get out of bed in the morning, but I'm determined to keep it up.  I've found that once I've gotten started, it's much easier to convince myself to keep on going.  

Have a great day, everyone! 

Hi girls.  Just checking in.  I am still up 1 pound, but down 20 overall.  it has been a very tough week.  My friend's husband who was diagnosed at the same time as me, but he had lukemia passed away.  The funeral is tommorow.  My blood clot is officially gone and I went to see my plastic surgeon to talk about my reconstruction, plus  I have a hard lump under my pectoral muscle that has been getting worse.  I really didn't think it was anything, but WRONG.  He sent me immediately to have an ultrasound.  They can't figure out what it is.  I have to wait until next Tuesday for the Dr. who specializes in difficult biopsies. I am trying to stay calm and not worry until I have something to worry about. All the appointments and stress are making my stupid mono worse. Needless to say, I am on a stress diet at the moment.  I don't even feel like eating.

Sorry for venting on all of you, but it helps to get it out!!!

Talk to you soon!

Lisa 

Hang in there, Lisa! Just take it one day at a time, and try to find ways to relax. I'm sorry to hear about your friend's husband. Hopefully the lump is nothing serious.  I'm glad you are seeing a specialist.

Torigirl, I hope you are doing okay. I know your DH has been deployed, and it has to be tough going through rads alone. How many more weeks left? I lost count.

Txstardust, wow, you're doing awesome! That is a really good distance. I would imagine the weather would be nice there. It has been great in TN.

Designermom, love your new red ruby slippers! There's no place like home, especially NYC!

Barbe, congrats on your new grandson!

Hope you all have a great evening, ladies.