drdenise Member

I personally know people who had bypass and serious, life threatening complications. They, like you, were not that heavy but felt that they lacked the motivation to do it the right way. One person's reason for bypass was that she wanted to be able to do things with her grandchildren, such as play catch and other games.…

Just did 8.5 miles on the bike and 3.45 miles on the treadmill :)

You can add me. I am a divorced mom of two boys, 20 and 16, and work the brutal schedule of overnight ER. Yup, have to go from being a vampire to being a day walker. Makes sleeping right difficult, which makes losing weight and training even more difficult! :)

Sounds great, headed out to start racking up the miles!

Morningstar spicy bean burger mixed in with 1 egg and egg whites

Hats off to you for your determination! I have not been in your situation, but have been overweight by 60 pounds. Anything I can do for moral support, add me as a friend! I think many of us have used food as a crutch for emotions and bad relationships. Good luck!!!!

Definitely focus on swimming. Look up swimming drills to help with efficiency of the swim. You can swim laps forever and it will not prepare you for open water swimming in a triathlon. There are alot of websites that help with programs, and even reasonably priced programs. Get a coach if you can. For biking and running,…

I have a nordic track, I love it. It has incline up to 12%, and it has flex in the tread, which is easier on my knees. :)

If you are on a budget, why not get a bike trainer, if you already own a bike. If you don't own a bike, most bike shops will be putting good quality bikes on sale soon, so you could get a bike and trainer. The best thing is the ability to use the bike outside during nice weather for a change of venue. I love my bike…

I like Shocktop Raspberry Wheat and Wild Blue for bottled beers. BUT!!!!!!! Rock Bottom Brewery just tapped my fav, Pumpkin Ale! With sugar and cinnamon around the rim! They have a fantastic Rocktoberfest too. Love it!!!!! Granite City Brewery taps their Oktoberfest Monday. Microbrew rocks!

My heartrate is always in the 40s at rest, even after a couple cups of coffee. During exercise, it goes up to 130 to 150. Generally, it means you have an efficiently working heart. :)

Oatmeal.......I love steel cut oats, with added flaxseed, craisins, and egg whites to balance the protein. And.........I am all about the GU.......gotta take in a Gu energy gel prior to the race, and midway, to keep up your electrolytes and instant energy. Seriously, it is magic in a foil pac

I too have bigger thighs, and it is where I tend to put on weight.........thighs and hips. I do running, biking, swimming, rollerblading and strength training. My thighs are getting significally thinner, and I think that mixing up the cardio has helped tremendously. I will never be able to wear slim fit jeans, no pencil…

Chris Matthews........oh baby, long hair, muscles, and a soft heart for kids. :)

Biking, power walking, rollerblading.........but seriously, don't nix running! I have never been a runner (was a sprinter in high school, ran the 400 meter mostly). I had never run more than 2 miles in my life (hate running) until May. I decided to train for a triathlon, as I needed a goal, and I wanted a challenge. So…

I strongly support your desire and effort to lose weight. But 500 calories on a diet is extremely unhealthy. You will loose muscle mass, including potentially muscle mass from vital organs, if you continue to long! Remember Karen Carpenter and her struggle with anorexia? In the end, she succumbed to a wasting disease, with…

I assume you are doing this on a treadmill. I started out unable to run at 5 mph more than 5 minutes, and before May had never run more than 2 miles in my life (not run at all in 15 years). I now can run 4.5 miles at 6.5 mph (I vary the speed while running, up to 7 or 7.5mph) and just completed a sprint triathlon. I think…

So many of us have "been there, done that" and felt exactly like you. After my dad passed away, I had that same downward spiral, which was made worse by a bad relationship with the man cheating on me. I decided I needed to take charge and be the person I wanted to be. I set a goal of competing in a triathlon, have lost…

It is great to set goals, to give you something to strive for! I recently competed in my first triathlon at 48 years old.......or I should say completed! It gave me that goal, and I definitely am more fit because of it! To help with clean eating and motivation, I love Oxygen magazine and Clean Eating magazine. Lots of eat…

Any soda, diet or otherwise, is horrible for your body. Better to get off it completely. The acids in the soda demineralize your bones, the sugar or sugar substitutes cause insulin issues. Better to drink water, tea and coffee!! Even BEER is better! I quite drinking soda 7 years ago, and feel so much better! Just say NO!

Stress and grieving is difficult. People have posted some very wonderful advice. Definitely keep up the exercise, as the endorphins released will relieve some of the stress. Eating smaller meals frequently, bland foods. Talk with friends, post on here, keep the communication rolling. It will help. Best wishes, you will get…

Definitely trying to get used to transitions. I have biked to the YMCA to swim for 30 to 60 minutes, then biked another 20+ miles right after. Also have biked on a trainer for 30 to 40 minutes, then switched shoes and ran for 2.5 miles on the treadmill. I guess I was wanting to "wimp out" on the lower body weights, wanted…

I have a chocolate addiction, especially dark chocolate.....very dark chocolate. So, I will eat Zone Perfect Dark Chocolate bars, which is nutritional, and very decadent. Or Ghirardelli chocolate squares, usually just one or two. Small number of calories, but enough to snuff my cravings when they occur.

You should purchase Clean Eating Magazine. Or the Clean Eating "Diet" books. They have outstanding recipes for all meals, and they are WONDERFUL! Lower calorie recipes for your favorite meals. I have made chicken strips for my son, stuffed pork loin, etc. Even desserts!