Hey guys!!!! Remember me? It's been about two months....soooooo.

I have good news!!! I have continued my weight-loss....albiet a little slower than before, but it's still coming off. I made my move and am living in the upper part of Michigan with some relatives and am loving it! I got a great job with great hours that lets me work out and lift with my uncle. I haven't been lifting the past couple weeks due to an injury sustained to my rib area, but I've still been running.

That is my NEXT big accomplishment. I am running 4 miles in 42 minutes...that's just over 10 minutes a mile which is great for someone my weight! I can't wait to see what happens when I'm 85 lbs lighter!!

I have been so encouraged since I moved. Once I got up there my uncle was inspired to start lifting again...he is now benching 315 lbs again and is losing some of the chub he put on. They are eating healthier with me and slowly changing what types of things they eat for snacks. When I moved up there it was a bag of Lays potato chips or full-fat ice cream in the evenings....and a LOT of it. Now it's fresh fruit, fruit smoothies, reduced fat wheat thins, pretzels, fat free pudding or fruit sorbet.....and a number of other healthy foods. I've gotten my uncle to eat at least 3 meals a day...helping with his motivation to work out in the evenings with me. He can run his mile at 13.5 minutes. Which is great!

Now here's my dilema...I've been running usually 6 times a week, and my knees are taking a toll. I know that's a lot of pressure on them. Should I still keep running? I've thought of a gym membership at Anytime Fitness up there...would be nice to go whenever I want, but I don't want to stop running and chance not being able to get back to it. Any ideas?

I'm so excited to be home for the weekend because I get to go to Bally's here in Ann Arbor tomorrow and Sunday and I'm psyched!

I hope you all are doing well!!! I'm so excited over my weight-loss even though it's slow. I haven't put-on and THAT is an accomplishment for me because I haven't kept track of my weight the past two months and I've just been eyeing what I eat.

I could really use some advice for my mom though. Since I left, she has admitted that she's lost the passion for getting the weight off. Anything you can think of that I can tell her to help her? I don't want her to put it back on!!!! She's done soooo well!!

Hey BrownEyes!! I had been wondering how you were doing!

That's great news that you've been continuing to lose! Look at you, down over 70 pounds now!


For the knees--it's really important that you not hurt your joints. First, you need to have really good shoes. Not necessarily the most expensive, but a good brand of athletic shoe that will support you. If your running shoes are getting close to 6 months old, you need new ones! Second, give yourself a break from running every two or three days. You're not training for the Olympics and your body needs time to repair.

Sorry, but I don't have any advice for your mom. She has to want to do this for herself--you can't make her and neither can anyone else. All you can do is encourage her to keep the weight off, but don't become a pest about it. Could she go back to the program that you were on together before?

Good luck! You keep going!

Jay

She is thinking about going back to that program....every time I talk to her on the phone I ask her how her weight loss is going and she sighs a big sigh. Not because I"m bugging her but because she knows she needs to get back to business.

She wrote me a letter and in it she said "I need to be more determined...like you". She says I'm inspiring, but obviously not if she can't get her butt back into gear. She gained about 15 lbs and has stayed there for a few months now. I will just continue to encourage her....that's all I can do.

As far as running shoes go...last time Famous Footwear had a sale I ended up buying 3 pairs of Nike Running shoes. The pair I'm using right now only have about 3 months on them....the pair before that I threw out at 500 miles. I don't mess around when it comes to shoes...if my feet ain't comfortable, then forget about it! Thanks for the tips though

It's good to see your continued weight-loss...I'm so happy for everyone! I won't be down to my goal which is to be "overweight" by Christmas....but I might make it by the end of February...we will see.

I agree with Jay about taking a break and not running 6 days in a row. I was having major knee pains when I first started too. If I went more than 4 days in a row, I'd be stuck wearing a knee brace for 2 days. The last thing you want to do is push your body more than it can handle. You'll end with permanent damage eventually and then you won't be doing any running. Try going 3 days, skipping a day, then going 3 more...etc.

The other thing that the doctor had told me when I complained to him about my sore knees was to work on exercises that strengthen the thigh muscles and all the other muscles around the knees. This helps to support to the knee joints better apparently and helps reduce soreness and damage. I've been doing lots of strength training (squats, lunges, etc) for my legs since then and that, combined with the continued running (and listening to my body when it does get sore) has helped my knees dramatically. I can usually run more than 4 days in a row without sore knees...though I think they'd probably start again if I tried 6 in a row. That really is a lot.

As for your mother, it's hard enough to get ourselves motivated but even harder to get someone else motivated. I've been trying with my friend since March and it hasn't been working. Though, I've recently gotten my mother motivated so I can share what worked with her. I should mention that my mother though has always been incredibly obsessive about her weight and has never been overweight a day in her life. Recently she had put on a few pounds (like 10 I think) that she didn't like and was having trouble getting them off though. I had started reporting to her every morning about all my successes with my weight, running, strength, etc. It got her motivated to start walking again (she always used to workout and exercise). Then we started morning weigh in reporting where'd each morning we email each other our weight that day. That also helped a lot b/c it's being more accountable to someone other than ourselves. It's actually helped us both when we fall off track. I don't know if that type will work for your mother or not since everyone is different but that's what worked for my Mom.

welcome back! nice to see people continuing their weight loss and trying to inspire others to do so

That is a great idea!!!! I think I"ll talk to her about having email weigh-ins weekly and that way she will know "gee, I have to weigh-in in a few days....I need to get my butt going!"....

I totally can see us doing that.

Thanks for the info about my knees. I do squats, but can only do so many before my knee wants to give out. I've had surgery on my knee a few years back and it just doesn't like to bend. When I do bend it, it grinds and you can hear the cartilage inside grinding against bone. It's nasty, but that's what I get for being overweight for so long. My knee surgeon said I already have arthritis in that one knee....which sucks at 22 years old. I will most likely have knee replacement after I get this weight off...that's what he wanted anyways.

Do you take glucosamine or anything for your joints? Perhaps something like that would help? Might be worth asking the dr about.

Hey Sheila. It's good to see you. I'm so thrilled to hear that you are still into your losing ways!!! 70 lbs gone is awesome. Keep at it girl.

You've already gotten some good advice. I've nothing much to add. Just wanted to say hi and I'm so glad that, in your words - you're BAAAAAACK.

I definitly take glucosamine....heck, I even make my dog eat dog food with glucosamine because she runs with me. I try to be as careful as possible. Hmmmm....I might need some physical therapy to help strengthen my knee? I also put a heat pack on when my knee is giving me extra trouble and that seems to help really well. What I'm not looking forward to is my other knee becoming like this...that's why I'm never letting myself get fat like I was ever again!!!

Soooo good to see you're doing SOOO well!! You have always been an inspiration to me. I hope by next summer to be down close to where I want to be...if not there. I don't think 85 lbs is a lot for 8 months. It's attainable, but I also want to lose it slowly so I can tone at the same time...which is what I've been focusing on. I'm sure I'd be down a lot more if I had been watching what I'm eating a lot more. I only keep healthy snacks and proteins in the house, so I'm eating really good, I just eat a lot more right now with the lifting so I'm pretty sure I've set back my weight-loss a little. I'm happy though

Sheila, my knees were awful, simply awful back when I was 287 lbs. They are by no means perfect now, but they have improved GREATLY. Getting rid of the excess weight has done wonders. Simply wonders. It's really the best remedy for bad knees. I am amazed at how active I am able to be now. I hardly notice the slight discomfort at all.

Physical therapy can certainly help. A professional can show you how to strengthen the surrounding muscles, which in turn will help support the knees. You said you tried heat. I find ice to be helpful.

EDITED TO ADD: I see we posted at the same time. You'll get those 85 lbs off Sheila, I have no doubt about it. Just keep at it. You're doing a smash up job.

Sheila,

I've started running as well and I also have osteoarthritis. I make sure I have good shoes and I take my glucosamine. I did go to physical therapy and that helped a lot but that was actually before I started running. There are a lot of good exercises for the knees that you can do.

One thing I do, because of my weight and because of my osteoarthritis is try to run on a soft surface. I know concrete/asphalt is one of the worst surfaces but also the most accessible but do you have a soft surface you could run on?

I think mixing it up with a gym membership might actually improve your running as well. Run one day, do some other cardio another, etc.

Just one more thought--it can help to use ice packs your knees after you run. Heat can help, but it's better beforehand. Ice helps stop the inflammation.

Jay

In the past I did a lot of power walking at a heavier weight. It ruined my knees. I now need total knee replacement surgery. I was like you and one of the few ladies who actually loved to exercise. It was a destressor and I loved being outdoors listening to my tunes. Rain or shine! I was benched for awhile and my arthritis got a lot worse!! At one point, I was close to being bed ridden and I was definitely housebound. Neither of which is condusive to weight lose.

I have started back exercising. You just can't keep us down! I have a really solid treadmill (that takes up to 300 lbs!) and I walk 2 x a day for 10 minutes. It is modest compared to my old days of my 12 min miles BUT I am walking on really bad joints. I am sure a doctor would tell me I am nuts but I figured this. I was told by my orthopaedic surgeon the more weight I can get off the easier my recovery and rehabilitation will be. After all, artificial joints actually can wear out faster than the ones we are born with! Isn't that interesting?

When it seems like my knees really smart, I "back off" and take a day off. I have cut in half my daily pain medication which is great. I work out 6x a week too but I try to vary my "activity" so it is not all weight bearing.

It sounds like you are also doing a lot of caregiving. We have to know when being supportive and caretaking blur. They can take care of themselves. I am sure they are over 21. Concentrate on your own journey.

I think your weight lose sounds good. I think we all need to remember we didn't gain all this weight in a year so why should we expect to lose it in a year? I remind myself that I am back in school and Graduation Day will be the day I reach goal. Until then, I need to do what I need to do to move towards that day and goal. Attend classes, learn new skills and tools, seek support, have team spirit, know that I won't pass every test but I'll make the grade if I keep at it long enough.

I think it is ironic how impatient we can become when we finally do decide to do something about our extra weight. Slow down and take a deep breathe.

You've made some significant changes already. Don't burn out before you reach the Finish line!

Slow and steady wins the race. Inch by inch any thing's a cinch.

Good luck

Welcome back Sheila! It's great to see you! Congrats on the continued weight loss.

I'll add my voice to the chorus: cut down on the running. Mix it up with long walks or the elliptical at the gym or swimming or something. Running is very very tough on the knees and you need to be kind to your body.