Yeah, Skwigg's blog is where I first heard about it too. Every now and then she posts a list of songs on her iPod and it's always a good source for new workout music (which is essential, of course )

Isn't her blog a total blast to read?

Meg, I am glad your shoulder is back to 90%, that is great.
I had a disappointment yesterday when I saw my doctor and found out that I am needing surgery again. Last one was 11 weeks ago. This time I have really bad bowel adhesions in my pelvis. I am having a hard time walking because of the pain. This will be 4 surgeries in 14 months and it is certainly depressing when I am trying so hard to be healthy and exercise. Each time it sets my exercising back by 3 or 4 weeks and decreases my endurance for a while. I am trying to be positive. At least it can be done laparascopic since I have lost the extra weight.

Oh Lily, I'm so sorry that you need another surgery. I really understand how exhausting it is to keep having to fight back after surgery and how we worry about weight gain. Does your doctor think this will be the last time and it will all be fixed for good? Do you have a date yet?

Thank goodness it can be done laproscopically! You did yourself a huge favor by losing the weight.

Thanks Meg, I appreciate it. No, I don't have a date yet. They don't really know why I keep having so much trouble with adhesions and bowel obstructions. He just says that this does happen sometimes. I sure hope it will be the last time, but really can't tell. It just makes me worry so much more about maintaining my weight. I know that with lots of exercise and a healthy diet that I can maintain. I have even wondered if being obese that first surgery had prolonged effects that have caused me to have so much more trouble than usual now. I don't know if that even makes sense. I know it probably affected the repeat hernias that I developed, because I could feel it tearing when I would struggle just to get out of bed. It may also have something to do with my poor immune system and my age (46).

It has also got me thinking about the plastic surgery that I wanted on my breasts, hips and thighs. I think I should learn to be happy with my body the way it is and only have surgery if absolutely necessary for my health. I don't heal well like other people and might cause myself some unnecessary complications. If I could go a couple years without any problems, I might change my mind on this.

Sorry about your surgeries lilly, but at least they are doing something about it, and fixing you up good

Like Meg & Susan said - healthy people recover faster.

I want to be just like Skwigg when I grow up!

I had what I think might be a maintainers God Smack today.
I went second hand clothing shopping with my Mom. She lives in London, Ont where they have awesome big Value Villages.
I was really just looking for a top to wear with a skirt I bought at the beginning of the summer. Our niece is getting married on Saturday.
I ended up with a dress $14.00, a blouse $8 and a skirt $4. I coulda bought a cart-full. There was sooo much great stuff for cheap.
My Mom was talking about not really needing clothing because she has a closet full.
I do not! I have 3 skirts, two pairs of jeans, one pair of go-out-able shorts, one twin set, two blouses, two pairs of dress slacks, some tanks and some sweats type stuff, uniforms, socks and underwear.
Seriously, how pathetic is that?
What do I think is going to happen? I'll explode back up to 160 lbs again overnight? I've only ever grown back out of one very little pair of jeans in all this time (over two years) and I've been wearing those nonstop for most of this year. I think I can relax a little and keep myself dressed for Heavens' sake!

Susan, I know what you mean. I have bought myself some cute things but not too many. My oldest step-daughter had a baby 2 months ago, so I have been using all her clothes that she can no longer wear. But, she was here today and is down to a size 7. I may be giving up her clothes sooner than I thought. LOL. I do need some winter things as everything from last winter is way too big. I think I will look at a consignment shop first. I was at the mall today and had a hard time passing up all the cute bras, undies and nighties. I may have to go back and get me some. I have found that clothes shopping is so much fun now, but I want to buy everything. I bought 2 new dresses last week and they were the first 2 that I tried on. I can't refuse a good bargain. By all means, you should get you some more clothes. You have done fantastic with maintenance. I am just getting started with maintenance.

Funny you should mention undies. I just changed into my jammies ... er rather Dh's t-shirt ... slipped out of my LARGE panties. Yup you read that right. LARGE.
My daughter was here several months ago and we were trying things on. She laughed at my underwear. "They're way too big. You can tell through that skirt!"
Time to move on, I think.

Lol, my undies were so big that the leg holes were gaping and I had to roll the top of them down under my jeans. I have gotten some now that are the right size.

Crawled out from the rock I was hiding under..

These past few months haven't been too great what with personal things (illness in the family - but everyone's fine now, quitting my old crap job for a new one etc) and I regained a bit of weight. Not a huge amount but definitely enough to really bug me (and to make my Fabulous Jeans too small! ) So now I finally got my rear in gear and did something about it. I went cold turkey with candy at the beginning of July and after a hellish first week it was such a relief, I felt so much better. Ok, next step was to get back to exercising properly and since I got a nice tax return I hired a personal trainer! Only for 5 sessions to begin with but oh my gosh! was that ever the right thing to do or what? My trainer ROCKS and exercise is FUN again. So these kilos are doomed, I tell you.

So anyway, I've been reading everything back from February up until now and you are all such champions. You struggle, you triumph and most of all you are very generous with all your collected wisdom. It inspired me even more (my motivation and inspiration must be hitting 110% by now!) to carry on and lose these last kilos and to start maintenance properly this time. I got a bit too cocky when I hit goal back in November last year and thought that I could do this without any food journalling and all that. Nope. I can't. And I've accepted that, I NEED to monitor myself constantly, at least at this stage. Like Meg has written in a post way back: it's worth it, all the monitoring, to not go back to being your old obese self.

Big happy hugs to all the groovy maintainers and maintainers-to-be

/Ann-Charlotte

Welcome back, Silvernight.