Lynnie, if you don't mind my asking, how are you going to achieve that? Did they want you to get your heartrate up to a certain level? Or did they just want you to start walking or something like that?

They want me to start doing some sort of cardio to make my heart go faster which will make your heart stronger. They preferred me to do 20 mins of brisk walking a day. Feel free to ask me anything. They want my heart stronger for when I have open heart surgery.

Lynn

Lynn, I didn't realize you were having surgery! Are they waiting for you to lose more weight before the surgery? Or is it only about strengthening your heart with cardio?

You're officially on my prayer list!

They are waiting to have surgery because I am not showing any signs of congested heart failure. So as long as I don't have symptoms he says he aint going to fix what clearly is making it on its own. I will have to have the surgery that was confirmed today just don't know the time. But in the meantime they want me to become healthier and make my heart as strong as I can so there is no complications at the time of the surgery. I have had this heart murmur since I was born and clearly someone or something is at play here because I have had no problems thus far. Thanks for the prayers. Remember to SMILE!!!

Lynn

I am off to my sister-in laws graduation from high school tomorrow. OMG I can't believe she is 18 already. Is it odd to feel old at 28???LOL. Anyways I have done a lot of planning ahead and even packed a cooler with our ON PLAN food. Hoping I can keep it together when I am not in the comfort of my own home. Hope everyone has a great couple of days!

hi my girls!

310.8 today, second day back on plan, so hopefully the scale will be kind tomorrow.

totally lacking on the exercise..grrrrr..i know i need to walk and it is only going to help me, and i will be screwed in oct if i cant walk for a long period of time at disney, i just find it sooo boring, even when i take my ipod along with me. sidewalks are all cracked, raised, or some places none at all, i could drive to the park, but we are officially broke for now until the 3rd so i don't want to use what little gas we have.

and i have decided to start trying to get a tan, i burn easy, so i am doing 10 mins a day for now, and if i don't burn i will increase the time again, if i get to florida and get a massive sunburn i won't be able to do anything!!!!!!

do any of you girls have an old verizon phone laying around, with a full keyboard prefered??????? i have a blackberry but i wanted to cut down on my cell phone bill for a few months, 30 a month for the internet..grrrr...even using a phone that requires a 10 dollar internet plan will save me 20 a month, that will be 100 dollars for my trip (not having a job stinks!) just a thought anyways...

Hi everyone. I would like to rejoin you all on the 300+ board and I think this challenge is just the start I need. I am so close to getting below 300. I weighed 306 at my doctor's office yesterday. Everytime I ever get below 300 it's like some sort of panic or something hits me and I start going in the wrong direction again. I'm bound and determined to hit 299 and on this time.

Hi all,

Lynnie what actual is a heart murmur? I've heard the term a lot, but never actually asked what it means?

I so agree Nancy, the scale can de-motivate as easily as motivate! I think inches are a good indicator too, they move pretty slowly in comparision to scales, but certainly tell you that things at still on track even if the scales have gone up a bit? They don't react to one night's pizza etc....

A week of this month to go Georgia, make it a good one!!!

Silent - you seem to be enjoying the loaner dog - going to get one of your own????

Hi to everyone else - and have a good healthy day!

Mrs Tee - No, No pup for me too much work long term I felt a little stressed that I couldn't just pick up and go into work and felt guilty as all heck for leaving her alone even for a couple of hours. Too much pressure I'll stick to borrowing/babysitting. Just like children not ready to have my own!

Justmary - Welcome back. :-D

repto - I just daydream and lose myself in thoughts, the walking become repetitive and like relaxing background noise after a while. I love music though and so ipods are amazing when I want a soundtrack or even audiobooks. Oh and I don't tan, I burn so for me its slather on SPF 60... repeat every couple of hours! And find shade when I can. You can do this I know you can. :-D

Lynn - Oh you will do good, keep up the good exercise and make your heart a fighter :-D

Georgia - Can I ask why 205lbs would be your magic number for upping the strength training? Just curious, I don't do a lot just my aerobic class circuit and interval classes, they are more what would be commonly called 'toning' I think. Which is light strength training with a lot of reps so we are getting stronger but not bulking up, mixed in with intense (or in my case moderate) cardio intervals to keep it mixed up. I really feel like I should be doing MORE strength excercises but I just can't seem to MAKE myself do them.

Today I went to the gym with a friend that was nice we both needed the workout. Life is DRAMA DRAMA (not for us but for some of our other friends) and we needed to take a little time out for ourselves to escape it.

Mary, we're happy to have you join us! I love our group. Everyone is so supportive, positive and motivated!

Repto - sending you muscle-vibes to hang on to that loss and muscle on to a bit more! If anyone had a spare phone, it would be me, if it wasn't for how abusive my boys are on the poor phones! I always have to buy insurance for their phones.

I made it to Pilates today! Yeah me! It felt so good. I enjoy taking an occasional break for a few days and then coming back and discovering I have progressed just a little further in my flexibility and strength.

I am waiting to get to 205 lb before I ramp up the weight training, Silent, because I'll have the last 50 lbs to lose. With the majority of the excess weight gone, I'll be able to accomplish more with cardio, lunges and other weight bearing exercise without hurting my knees. By the time I get to 205, my core will be in really good shape and I'll be better able to safely pump more weights for upper body work without hurting my shoulders or back. Those are areas I've had problems with in the past and have had to lay off the weights till the core is in better shape.

Any extra exercise makes me hungrier, and I can't exercise enough now to burn off extra calories I eat. So the current focus is on building core strength, good alignment and range of movement, as well as shedding fat. I have plenty of opportunities after that to sculpt my body even more. And after the weight's been off for a year or two, and the muscles are getting really toned, then the excess skin is coming off!

Okay, bedtime. Wishing you all lots of overnight fat burning!

its actually called aortic stenous. Its means the opening where the blood goes back into the heart is not big enough and it flutters. So if I don't get a valve replacement that opening could get smaller on me and cause congested heart failure.

Lynn

AGGGGG.... I was 305 on Sunday morning which was fabulous. I was good all day Sunday except dinner which was the smallest cheat and I worked out. Anyways Monday Morning I was 305 still "Thank God" was on plan all day Monday and Tuesday morning I was 305.5. WTF? So I was on plan all day Tuesday and even got up at the butt crack of dawn this morning to do my workout and back at 305. I swear this is so damn frustrating!!!!!!! Oh well still gonna keep pushing through it.

Georgia - IF sounds really interesting and like something that I would want to try, but unfortunately from everything I have read about diabetes it isn't a good choice for me. Managing diabetes is all about keeping your blood sugar as constant as possible throughout the day and having big spikes from not eating at all to eating a larger meal could be dangerous. I will likely still check out that podcast though.

Lynn - that is scary stuff about your heart! Another tidbit in the diabetic area is that regular exercise has been shown to help insulin resistance and lower blood sugar, so by doing your prescribed exercise you are killing two birds with one stone.

Mary - 300 may very well be a psychological barrier for you. Do you have any ideas on what it might be that scares you about being in the 200’s?

I did great on my dinner out last night. I did have half a glass of wine, and boy can I feel it! But I wasn't shy and told the waiter that I was allergic to wheat and he took the sauce off the chicken and I also replaced the potatoes with more veggies. I kind of enjoyed watching other people eat dessert.

Nancy,
Thanks for telling me that but I didn't realize it. Thanks sweetie!!!

Lynn

309.4
i remember how excited i was last week to get under 310!!i was wondering if it was ever going to happen.. will be so happy to see that 2, but i do love our little makeshift group and don't want to leave it..will still have to post and encourage people, and tell them how awesome it feels on the other side..lol.