Happy New Year

Hello world!! I'm thinking since I've got all the surgeries I can stand out of the way and my motivation back, now is as good a time as any to start blogging again. I can't promise I'll have lots to say, but actually using my blog to clear my mind is gonna relieve stress and get me back to losing weight.

Just a catch up:
April 6 - 227lbs, had a hysterectomy, luckily we had decided 2 kids was enough so it wasn't a shock or disappointment to make the decision. IMO, don't have your tubes tied, I had difficult periods before but damn-dammit, it all went to hell after the tubal. The surgery was laparoscopic but the swelling held on for months. Losing inches during the healing process was exciting.

August - went to the general surgeon because my lapband port was sore. Jackass says well we can just convert you to the sleeve. Umm, I didn't ask for conversion!! He sends me to ultrasound, they can't see the band, why the hell am I here? I immediately requested a 2nd opinion with a non-military doctor. Michael Blaney, I loves him!! He did my moms GB 3 years ago so I was super excited to see him. He ordered a barium swallow, scheduled for Sept 20. Could see it was too tight and then couldn't access the port. Damn thing was flipped over. 223 lbs

Oct 1, port replacement surgery. Low profile and moved it closer to my mid-line. It was flipped more than 120 degrees and the new position puts it on the naturally flatter part of the abdominal wall.

Nov 6, x-rays and barium swallow. Everything is great, 5cc total fill and I'm down to 218 :)

Finally we are in current times, I'm in a 16 jeans from Gap!! Say what?! When I was a 16 everywhere else, I couldn't wear a 16 @ Gap, I slipped right into those long and leans like they were made for me. AND they make my butt look great! Hubby will finally be back from the sandbox in a couple days, Thing 1 just turned 5 and Thing 2 will be 3 in March and somehow I've managed to keep all of us alive, clean and well fed during the ridiculousness 2012 brought our way.

Hubby and I have talked about jogging together once he's back and I'm excited to do it. I've purchased three pairs of sneakers in the past 3 months, can't wait to see how they road test.

As of today I weigh 216, that's exciting to me as well because how the hell does anybody manage to still lose 2lbs through the holidays? I ate really really well, whatever I wanted. All I can think is I really listened to my body and portion control came easy for once.

Til next time
~rah

hi

I really am sucking at this blogging thing. My 1 yr bandiversary has come and gone, my scale is hanging out at 218 and Friday I'm having major surgery. Life is a bitch right now :( Hubby is in the sandbox doing help-desk type work, the food is not that great so I've been sending all kinds of goodies. I've been really good about not keeping crap foods in the house, now to manage my night time eating. I'm still adjusting to him being gone and the kids were taking it really hard, 6 weeks has really made a difference for all of us. I can finally sleep more than 5 hours, our daughter doesn't think every time the laptop is on we're using Skype and our son is finally talking to me about his feelings. He said he's sad and misses Daddy, and he's mad that I said he had to go to work. It makes me think he thinks it's my fault daddy had to go. I hope time and skype and emails will help him realize that this is his work. Anywho, I'm still around, trying to prepare my house and kids for the surgery, my mom is here so we're not alone.

xoxo

~rah

New Year, New plan

So the past month has been filled with family friends and carbs BUT the last 5 or so months has been looking at the same number on my scale +/- 5 lbs. I'm frustrated with my band. I'm frustrated with the war, my band doc deployed in October. I'm frustrated with the timing of this move to GA. I'm REALLY frustrated with the amount of begging I feel like I'm having to do to get some friggin health care. Just to catch anyone up, Hubby is in the military, we were in TX when I was banded and since he is deploying again soon *tear* I decided to move back home to GA. Our son has food/seasonal allergies, eczema and asthma that was just diagnosed and our daughter has minor diary allergies. This past summer I was diagnosed with food allergies to ALL meats including fish and shellfish, most beans, dairy and soy and half the damn vegetables grown on the planet.

back to the present Ever since that point, my diet has been screwed and my weight stalled. It's really hard to get in enough protein without some type of reaction, nothing deadly just big discomfort for a few days. I can't say it's worth it to eat something I know my body will react so negatively to.  Ya know what, we're family and everyone else discusses everything under the sun, I will too. I get bloating/gas/constipation/loose stools/itching hands/feet/mouth/palms mean/angry/bitchy/nauseous or some combination of all of these. With everything I've tried has some reaction whether I notice it right away or not. 

I went to the nutritionist with my list of allergies and we tried to work out some things that I could eat to maintain protein but it's hard when NO ONE else in this damn house will eat those things. It's hard enough making 2 meals because the kids are picky but to throw in a 3rd is just out of the damn question. I'm starting to believe the band is not for me. A lot of the things we came up with are things that don't agree with my band. With that and the stalled weight loss in mind, I'm leaning toward a revision to the gastric sleeve, limits quantity but not as sensitive to texture as the band. I know everyone is different but I see a bigger benefit, eat the things I need to and lose the weight I want, or stay fat, itchy and angry with the lap band.

 

So now the trouble with health care, the military base is not at it's capacity for patients and since we have 100% coverage they're refusing to send me into the city for care. I asked for a referral to a bariatric doc and dammit to hell they have one, so I'm stuck there too. My appt with them is Jan 9, doesn't seem so bad considering it's 25 Dec but I went to the doc 9 Dec for the referral o_O, had it been over 30 days they'd have to send me out, but noooooo, they HAD to have one appointment left just for me. I went to that department to find out about a fill and if they do flouroscopy and numb the injection site, big fat NO to both. Are you kidding me? My port is tilted, has always been and I've seen Dr Acheson fight to get the damn needle in, uh, there's no way they can go at me without anesthesia. I guess I'll have to talk to the surgeon about that too. The referring doc made note of my concern to switch to sleeve so the surgeon is supposed to check that out too. Since they don't do flouro, I"ll be scheduled a separate appointment to have a swallow study done then go back to the surgeon to follow up. It feels like a lot of wasted time and gas driving up there for something that would have been done in one visit in TX AT the damn base hospital (((grrrrrrrr))) The resources here are definitely limited, it's a training base, they don't have many civilians to see for care. It's mostly retirees, or old people, they don't have the need for upgrades and things because they are so used to caring for soldiers or people who don't have young children and other shit to do than wait 3 hours for an appointment. I'm seriously considering changing to 80% care and paying the difference, it will get the kids seen a hell of a lot quicker even if I have to drive across town for it. I'll revisit that idea after March when they've both gotten physicals and are up to date on vaccinations LOL

Thanks for reading all this, I had to get it off my brain, it is really causing me distress. I'm gonna go cuddle with my hubby for the next 13 days.

~ttyl

Hello World!!

So what had happened was my laptop died early November. Knowing that the move was coming and there were other things to spend on, I went without a computer. My cell was enough for basic stuff but writing a blog post wasn't happening. Tonight hubby and I left the kids with my sister and went Christmas shopping for the kids. We stopped for dinner and he suggested we walk around Best Buy, he's a nerd so wanting to go there wasn't odd. Once we were there he said 'You have $700, pick a computer' straight to the point but not romantic at all ;-) 

My weight dropped 7lbs during the week leading to the move but all 7 came back, brought friends AND TOM, not happy about that but I know that it was probably dehydration coupled htwith not eating AT ALL for 4   days, I lived on coffee. Once I started drinking again and trying to eat more regularly and TOM of course, the weight came back. It's really time to do measurements, I think for as long as I've been stalled the inches are gonna be the biggest reflection of good habits.

The new house is beautiful, the realtor we're renting through is a real bitch but that will get worked out I'm sure. If not by me, then hubby.

Thanks for sticking around during my radio silence :) It's probably gonna take me some time to get in the blogging habit but I am here now 

~ttyl

Hello, anybody here?

I'm alive......just counting down the days til I get the hell outta Texas. Trying to do all the briefings we have to do with the Army to schedule movers and leave on post housing without too much incident or $. Not too much happening on the scale, I've been lucky to maintain at 222 despite the stress. I will be back, I promise.

~ttyl

a new month, no new season

Did Mother Nature miss a memo? Isn't Labor Day supposed to be the last weekend of summer? Why is it 106 degrees again? That broad is trippin' and I got suckered in to believing the cooler days from 10 days ago were here to stay. I'm not asking for much, 90-98 is fine with me, I wouldn't complain, for a few months at least.

Working out was going well, I had that week of total craziness and lost 6 lbs. I've committed to eating just what I need to be satisfied, not going overboard and if I think I want more, waiting 20-30 min before I make that move. Last week the organized working out was replaced by running around and primping for the Signal Ball. I should have the professional photo by the end of the week. Hubby looked so handsome in his dress uniform, I loves that man! My babies are still at Yai's house (grandma), they are having so much fun they don't even have time to talk to me :( I'm hoping to roll up to TN and kidnap my children back at the end of next week. 

Just wanted to give a quick update. 

~ttyl

working out

This morning I got up at 830 fixed a protein shake that rivals a Starbucks frappe and went to the gym. I walked the treadmill for 45 min at 3.2mph and 4.5 incline, that was crazy in an of it self but I needed to move my ass. Then I came home and did about 30 of the Insanity DVD's, that shit is INSANE!! I couldn't do all the moves or even last a minute on the ones I could do but I didn't stop moving. I had to sit for an hour before I showered because I was still sweating. Not damp shirt, bra, socks, I but having to mop my brow for new sweat beads before it gets into my eyes for a solid hour after I sat my ass still. IT FELT SO GOOD!!! I had heard about a Zumba-thon for an instructor that is leaving the area, it was at a gym in the city and would be free to the public. I did 2 hours of Zumba, on top of everything I did this morning, and I'm gonna do it again tomorrow. Maybe not the Zumba, although there is a class tomorrow night at my usual place, I think tomorrow will be the treadmill with a little jogging thrown in and then I'll come home and do pilates on Netflix.

The local weight loss group asked if we had any goals for September
1.  to go get my babies from grandma's house, I miss them sooooo much (it's been 3 weeks so far)
2.  to get back on track with eating
3. to continue exercising and hopefully start running, for real
4. to lose at least 15 lbs this month, REGARDLESS of TOM fluctuation I know I will gain 3-5lbs but it can go just as quickly as it came

I'm gonna beg hubby to massage my calves before we go to bed

xoxo
~ttyl

7 month photos

Hi family, I suck at posting I know. Still stalled but inches are still moving. I took pics today :) As usual I'm in my daughters room. I keep thinking I should put those jackets in the closet but I never do it.......

xoxox
~rah

Food Allergies

Does anyone have food allergies they work around with the band? Or find out about allergies AFTER being banded? I went a few weeks ago to the allergist to have them check for environmental stuff, my sinuses and breathing in general were awful. Standard for the office is to test the top 8 foods. . .  I reacted to all of them and all of the environmentals, 70+ items altogether. Well today, I went for a follow-up to be tested for the rest of the foods another 60+ items, all of them positive. They want me to do a food trial, cut things out for 2 weeks then add them back in one at a time. Sounds good in theory. We agreed to do the ones with highest reaction first, 4-5 at a time.

What the hell am I supposed to eat now? Beef, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, peanuts, dairy, soy and wheat/rye/barley are either in everything and/or the best ways I've learned to get my protein. I'm frustrated, scared, confused, lost and most of all PISSED. I went through surgery to help me lose weight and now I'm scared my tool is going to have to be taken away because I can't eat band friendly things. I've scheduled an appt with the nutritionist, Ruth, for next Tuesday. Hopefully, she can point me in the right direction and help me not to survive on gummy bears since sugar seems to be the only thing I can eat. WTF is that about, FML!!

~ttyl

Hi there

Hey everyone! How the hell are ya?! I've been kinda at a loss for words but I'm still working my band.  I went to support group and weighed in at 223!! Hot damn, that's 7 lbs since the last time I went, officially my lowest weight. I'm excited, it's the same weight and 1 pant size smaller than when I met my husband. He has absolutely noticed *wink, wink*

I've been working at Lane Bryant again, so far just 1-2 days a week and that's enough for me. It's pocket change, discounted clothes for the shrinking and something to do til we move back to GA at the end of the year. Yes, yes ya'll I'm going home!! I'm so happy to get out of TX, I can't stand this heat, 28 straight days of temps above 100! Somebody tell Mother Nature I'm gonna kick her ass if we don't get a break and some damn rain!! I can't make myself go anywhere near a gym and I'm not disciplined enough to work out at home so what's a girl to do. I tried some pilates on netflix yesterday, I didn't like the instructor. I'm probably gonna end up playing some music and muting the tv. At least 10 min of pilates will tighten some things up, not sure how to get cardio in, I know that I know that I know I will NOT do that at home. Maybe sex can substitute, I"ll have to tell hubby 3x a week so I can keep my cardiovascular fitness up :)

My NSV's for this past month, my size 18 jeans are loose, even after washing, I have to wear a belt with them AND my belt is 5 holes tighter than when I started this journey. Work was doing a special and I got a pair of the new jeggings in a 14, my intention is to wear them once the weather breaks but the 16 felt too loose to last that long. OMG a 14!! I haven't worn a 14 since.........hell I don't remember, that's an NSV in itself!

Ok friends, til next time

~rah

I'm alive. . . barely

*Intense whining ahead*

I'm alive, just feeling like crap. I had allergy testing June 23 and ain't been right since. 2 weeks ago I started snotting, ok, summer cold I can handle this. then I started coughing, ugh, I hate coughing....wtf this cough is dry and unproductive. I can't sleep, I can barely walk to the car cuz i'm coughing so much. I go to the doc and they're like 'Oh, it's just an allergy attack here's an inhaler, steroid and decongestant. You'll be fine in a few days' Uh, no. It's a frigging week later on meds and 2 weeks since the start of this crap, I'm not fine, if anything I'm worse. The cough is making me gag and my left eye looks suspiciously like conjunctivitis. I think I have lung-junk-tivitis. somebody better figure this shit out, I'm so tired of being sick and tired. I guess it's not all bad, my weight is still dropping, about 1.5lb a week since last TOM. That's usually when I gain, and the past 2 months had been ridiculous, I didn't gain but I couldn't lose either. Anywho, I went to a doc yesterday and he says it's allergies but it's more like allergic asthma, that's why I'm coughing so much and here's another Rx. This time it's Singulair, I think this is probably the better one as opposed to the decongestant. This morning I wake up coughing up my guts, spitting bubbles, it was so much like the frothy crap that comes before a PB, it was miserable. I have my Pharmacy Tech final tomorrow, I cannot walk in there tomorrow morning cradling a trashcan, that would not be cool. I think I'm done whining now, my weight is still dropping, I'm drinking plenty water because the meds are drying me out so bad and it's been 105 outside for the past 2 weeks. I'm so excited to hopefully be on my way back to GA at the end of the year, if I could fast forward 4 months, it would be better weather in TX and I'd be that much closer to going home and being a place with friends and family and a life outside of the military.

the military lifestyle is overrated

~ttyl

Photo update

4.5 month pics, 35lbs down


grey sweats and black top are most recent photos
all 3 pants are the same size just diff colors. I definitely see a change in the fit :)

Clothing purge

I'm going through clothes right now. I've got some LB and Catherine's pieces. Once I get some organization happening I'll take pictures and post descriptions. See ya soon
~ttyl

Results

After that public pep-talk I have been seeing results, I hit the 220s and have been steadily dropping, I'm down to 227! That's 3lbs in 7 days, just working the band like I should. Eating and not drinking, paying REAL attention to when I'm not hungry anymore and getting my water in each and every day. I'm proud of myself and I hope that my public declaration of my commitment to myself continues to stay in my mind and be that voice in my head htat I need to keep moving forward and downward.

xoxo

~ttyl

Why did I do this. . .

I just read a post over at Maria's that hit a nerve. She talks about the need to reset ourselves to continue to go towards our goals. I've hit a weight that I've been comfortable in before and because of the familiarity with this place that I haven't been a good bandster because I'm 'OK' at this weight. Uh......no. I did not have major surgery to become complacent after losing 30lbs, if that's all I really wanted to do, why bother? So like Maria said, I need to reset, mind and body to get into the groove of reaching my goal weight. 30lbs is indeed an accomplishment but it is not the end of my quest for better health (and better shopping).

I know I have some fears about loose skin that have already become reality but I honestly can't say I'm surprised. My thighs are a mess!! I've always had large thighs even when I was 120lbs 15 years ago, my mom has big thighs. She had GB 18mos ago has lost 150lbs and she wears spanx to hold it all together. I'm sad to know that's probably my future because I can't imagine having to wear spanx thru the TX summer but dammit if it helps my smaller clothes look better on my shrinking body, I'll do what I have to do.


So to Maria and anyone else in reset mode, let's do this! We have lived with this weight long enough to decide that we had had enough of carrying it around and had surgery to help the process. It's time to work with this band, minimize the self sabotage and let the weight and it's grip on our self-perception go!

I want to propose a toast *to us, getting even more healthy* 

xoxo
~ttyl

Happy still

I went to class this past Friday and got a 101 on my quiz!! I studied my butt off, it was a lot of material AND we had a sub. Who the hell has a sub in college?! That was some weird stuff but it was nice to have a different perspective and teaching style. I went Thursday for a followup/fill and ended up getting just barely .5cc. Under flouro it was pretty obvious that if I had anymore of a fill I wouldn't be able to eat, that means it is sup to me to get my ass in gear and really do this thing. I know my biggest problem is breaking the habit of eating and drinking. I have been trying to not even have a drink nearby when I eat to avoid the impulse to sip. A couple days of that has already proven to be FABULOUS, I'm down to 228 this morning, that's 3lbs from Thursday at the docs office AND while Tom was in town! I felt like poop Thursday after my appt and the light bulb finally came on Friday morning, I hadn't been drinking enough. Friday morning after 10 or so hours of sleep I still felt like hell. I grabbed a gatorade on the way to school and felt so much better. I've been conscious of maintaining hydration, I drink 3-4 16.9 oz bottles of water each day and maybe 8-10oz of other stuff and its obviously working since the scale is moving again.

This week I'm going to work on a baby quilt for a shower June 11 and this Friday is my birthday! Hopefully it won't be too stressful since I'll be spending the bulk of it in the classroom. My professor said she'll make this one of our pizza days and use school $ to feed us, I'm gonna take cupcakes. There are only 8 of us in this class I feel comfortable sharing this with them, after all it is my 30th birthday. Our plan is to go to an early movie Saturday and that's it, no parties, no alcohol (maybe), just hubby and the kids. A quiet day doing the one thing I really wanna do and it allows us to be a couple for a few hours then we can come home and be a family of 4. I think Saturday would be a good day for progress photos, I'm sure there has to be a visual difference by now!

~ttyl

pleasant surprise

My body must have listened to my whining complaining and such yesterday, I stepped on the scale this morning and saw 231.4!! 2 whole pounds lower than my lowest to date and a few from what I'd been fighting for 3 weeks! *happy dance, happy dance* Zumba felt great this evening, I pumped it up and did a lot more of the jumping than I usually do. That was a surprise in itself since it's rainy-ish and my knees usually hurt like hell when it rains.

Just wanted to give a quick update. I need to get my butt to bed, I have class in the morning.

~ttyl

ya know. . .

I think I lost a post. I've been so sporadic at posting anything I'm not even sure if that's true. Let's see, ummmm I"m still holding on to weight from TOM in APRIL and now TOM is upon me for May so let the water retention begin. It's frustrating to be so mindful of my eating, I feel like I might be on the tip of my green zone but I'll see my doc next week to talk about it. Working out is picking up again, I finally got my ass on the Wii Fit after almost 18months 2 days for about 30 min each time, (planks are a bitch!) Zumba Tues/Thurs and hour each AND I went to the Zumba Pajama Jammer Saturday night. It was frigging 3 hours of dancing in a poorly circulating skating rink, which means I sweat my ass off, literally, my pj bottoms were falling when I did the shimmy. I believe my ass has made its departure, hopefully it will come back as buns of steel with some roundness :)

I ended up not doing the 5K Saturday in my city, I horsed around with hubby and when he tossed me to the couch I landed wrong and had a nice bruise on my hip. It didn't really bother me til I did Zumba but dammit did it hurt after class! I decided it was easier to move around in a gym than to walk 3 mi through downtown where I wasn't sure of the route and stuff.

Well, what else? Hubby is taking classes or something for work and if he snaps at me one mo'gin, he gon' wake up missing an eyebrow or something! I hate when his work consumes him that way, he becomes such a prick, I'm tolerant in the beginning, when he gets quiet but he seems to always start talking before he's gotten over his pissy-spell, and that's when the storm begins. I hope it passes quickly. Now that I know he's in a classroom all day, I can modify my goings ons to make sure he has quick breakfast/lunch foods since he hardly gets a lunch break and I can make more effort to cook something healthy and hearty for dinner, be the housewife of his dreams for a week or so. I'm accommodating.......sometimes. Honestly ya'll I suck at this housewife thing, I had never considered staying home until I was pregnant with my son, it was nice the first 2 years. He was 18mos when I got pregnant with my daughter, ok, another year home, I can handle it. It'll be fun getting to see their relationship evolve. And it has been, but now they seem to be in a routine with each other, she is saying new words each day and I'm ready to go to work. I feel selfish for wanting to run away but me time should not be the hours between 10p-1a. Can I get some daylight hours to be Rahshell and put my Mommy hat on the shelf? July 29, can't come soon enough, classes will be over and I will have registered to take the PTCB. Hopefully I'll be working in the time between finishing class and taking the test. We'll see how that goes. I had my 2nd midterm last week, not sure what my grade is yet but that's part of the reason I've been short on posts. Reading up for class this Friday is why I'm up now. good gracious it's midnight!!

~ttyl

March for Babies

* I know I've been MIA, I hadn't really had much to say. I started this post on my cell riding back from Austin :)*

It went well!! Karen and I met up with a few other ladies for the drive to Austin. We got to the location problem free and were raring to go. The Mothers Milk Bank had a nice setup for nursing and some changing tables, of course the table with information about breastfeeding.  A little after 9am the ladies from the bank were ready to get going, we left with the second wave. The walk was through downtown Austin and we pretty much strolled and did some sightseeing. We took about 90min to complete the course. The hills on Congress and Lavaca were f*%$ing stupid but the start and finish on the bridge was pretty. I got my MMB tshirt and was pleasantly surprised, it's an XL and has slack around my hips!! We're gonna do the walk this coming Saturday in Killeen and this time I'll take my family along. Hopefully hubby will get some good pictures of us.

Y'all, I have never participated in anything like this and I have no experience with losing a child or having on in NICU. The emotion and love and support was palpable, almost overwhelming. There were signs at the chute that had words from parents to their angels and my gosh it was so touching. Karen's friend had lost a baby this January and she broke down and cried, I couldn't remember her name all day but I felt so protective of her, primal, like her pain was mine and I took it personally. At some point we all teared up. It was emotional and cleansing and it makes me feels so proud of the parents and babies who have fought long and hard to be healthy and it made me feel blessed to have my healthy children. I learned the March of Dimes is in support of ALL babies, full-term, pre-term, with and without health concerns and their goal is to see babies born healthy, and to support the families of those babies. I feel like I'm rambling so I'm gonna go. Check out the pics :) The Brylie is the doll I'm walking for, Karen had her at 29 weeks, she is 6 months old now

After the March

Clothes

I've got 2 pairs of denim capris size 24, one Old Navy the other Lane Bryant, anybody want them? I'm a whole 5 ft tall and the ON pair hit my ankle, I cuffed them twice to make them look like capris on me, they also have a lot of stretch and give during the day. the LB pair are still kinda long on me, maybe low calf area, funny looking but short enough to not look like floods LOL they have a cuff that's about 1.5 in, and both pair are a medium wash, kinda like this. Leave a comment and I'll email you for your address, if there's multiple replies, I'll use random.org or if there's only 2 replies, I'll post pictures and let y'all decide. I'll try to take some pics of them tomorrow anyway.

On my hotsexymama quest, I've PB'd 2x since my last fill, first time I was probably eating too fast but the second time I'm not so sure. I took a bite, chased a kid, took another bite and got all slimy and sick and stuff. I'm torn between thinking it's too tight and not tight enough, it varies day to day and it's a big variance. Some days, I haven't been able to tolerate white meats AT ALL, no matter the preparation, it could be stewed and I'd still feel choked up. On other days I can eat whatever I want. It's one hell of a learning curve. I was expecting TOM last weekend and felt like hell and doggonit I checked my calendar and it's not due til this week. Energy is low, sleep is terrible and I've not been working out like I should. However, I do bench press the baby LOL I think she's put on a few pounds, my arms are sore after our session today. It's crazy how I've incorporated the kids into my little moments of strength training. I put my son across my lap and do leg raises for lower abs, I hold Liv over my head and 'bench press' her. Joe will lay on the floor with me and do yoga moves. He get so excited for me to 'move my body' it's such a great motivator and I know I'm being that example for him and Liv to lead active lifestyles.

don't forget about the March for Babies 5K in Austin May 7. Ya'll pray I get some mileage in this week, I'm feeling weak, hips hurting and such. I know I need to make sure my body is primed for this event, I do not want to embarrass myself LOL