Shhh... Want to Know the Secret to Getting to Goal??

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... it's a big secret!!! Do you promise not to tell anyone?? Seriously? Like cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die-stick-a-needle-in-the-eye serious? OK. I'll tell you. Brace yourself for the shocking revelation. . .

(If you think I look completely loca in this picture, you should have seen the rejects!! LOL!! )

OK. Here goes. . . .


GET YOUR CUTE A$$ INTO THE GYM!!!!!

OK... OK... so that's not really a secret. But it really IS the secret to getting to goal and staying there. And, it doesn't have to be a gym.. but you'd better get some type of exercise program in place if you want to go all the way with your band and stay there.

Let's talk numbers. On October 23, 2011 -- just three months from now -- I will hit my THIRD bandiversary. I hit goal more than a year ago, on April 5, 2010. Since then, I dropped nearly ten more pounds for an all-time low of 145.2. Guess what? It's hard for me to stay at that weight, so my scale tends to bounce between 148 and 151-point-something. This morning, I weighed -- within 2/10ths of a pound -- what I weighed on July 1, 2010. I feel really good about that. For the first time -- EVER -- I have some confidence that the clothes I bought for this summer are going to fit me next summer.

(Plus, if you work out, you get to wear cute gym outfits, like this Lululemon situation that I wore to my spin class earlier tonight. Yes, this is post-gym. But I did take out the ponytail especially for you...)

It hasn't felt like hard work through this past year to maintain my weight. Why do I say that? Well, even though I've been working out consistently, and I do pay attention to what I eat .. especially when the scale gives me a number in the 150s, all of this has become pretty normal to me. It's not hard anymore. I also have been very fortunate not to have any problems with my band, thank God. I still weigh myself every day, pre-shower and post-loo. It still keeps me on the straight and narrow.

I never thought I'd get to this point, but exercise has become a part of my life. If you want proof that this didn't come easily for me, flip back through my first six months of posts and see how many talk about how badly I feel that I can't seem to motivate to go to the gym. At some point, that changed, and I stick with it because it makes me feel good, the workouts I do are ton of fun (spinning at S-o-u-l-c-y--c-l--e and yoga, mainly), and I like how working out makes my body look.

I've been at goal for long enough that I sometimes wonder if people read my blog and think I was never fat, or never really struggled with my weight. That's not the case at all. I struggled with it every single day from as long as I can remember until I got my band. And, I started this process at 230 pounds, with a BMI of 37.

Here is a photo of me from September of 2007, just about a year before I got banded. And trust me, the fact that I didn't delete this photo or crop out everything but my face means it's a really flattering one. Check out my arm.

Here is a photo that I took of myself after my workout tonight. Check out my arm. ... And... Welcome to the Gun Show! If I can do it, you can do it. Heck, a bunch of you already have.

With this post, I am sending out lots of positive energy and some metaphysical kicks-in-the-butt to every bandster who is struggling with finding the motivation to workout. My advice is to start small -- but START. Don't set unrealistic goals for yourself, like working out 5 times a week (Disclosure: I try for 4 and am happy if I get in 3). Maybe you need to start with 30 minute walks 3 times a week. But don't stop there indefinitely. Try new things -- the sheer number of bandsters who fell in love with Zumba speaks volumes for how much fun it is -- others, like me, tried out boot camps, yoga, spinning and more. Just find something -- anything -- that appeals to you and give it a chance.

If you live in NYC and need support, send me an e-mail or a blog comment. If we can work out logistics, I will go with you to your first class to make sure you don't have to go alone and feel like the awkward new kid.

The most important thing to remember is that you CAN do this. There are a lot of inspiring blogging bandsters out there who have overcome the exercise hurdle. I don't want to leave anyone out so I won't even try to name them all. But, I'm giving special shout outs to Amy, Jessica from Island Bandit, LapBandGal and Cindylew, all of whom keep me inspired and motivated on the exercise front with their own success and determination.

More Sisterhood Fun

I had a great day on Sunday! I woke up, hit my spin class, went for a 90 minute massage, and then had friend and fellow bandster, Nora, over to raid my closet! Though I've mailed out and given away in person countless items to many other bandsters, I'd been holding on to all of my higher end items... things like that $2,200 Tom & Linda Platt gown that's in one of the "before" photos I always use, two other cocktail dresses, and two really fun dresses .. including one from Neiman Marcus that I (agh.. the waste!!) never.. even... wore...

So, while I still can't bear to part with those pricey items, I decided to lend them to Nora. Although she lives in London, we have been able to get together several times and have a ball! We also have a lot in common... including our basic body shape, which makes trusting these precious pieces to her all the more worthwhile, since they are going to be smashing on her!

And, lest I post without a photo, here is one from last week. Steve and I were at a reception for the 9/11 M-e-mo-r-i-a - l. (I'm trying to avoid having Google Alert pick this up... hence the weird spelling.) It was a small reception, and Mayor B and the architect responsible for the memorial were there. We're standing on a balcony here, overlooking the site. The memorial looks great already, as do the many trees planted there. It was nice to see that, ten years later, it's finally almost done.

Lots of Parties, Not So Many Posts!

Hi there! I've been posting less lately, mainly because I've been so busy, between work and life in general. But, it's been a lot of fun!

It was Steve's birthday last week, so I organized a get together at a rooftop bar to celebrate. It was a gorgeous day and around 100 friends came out to celebrate. I arranged for some hors d'oeuvres and a yummy cake (yellow cake, chocolate icing), and the party went really well!

With two of my oldest and dearest friends, B and N

On the rooftop with E, B and Marjorie!

I actually wore a dress that I got from Rent the Runway. It's a Lela Rose dress that retails for about $1,200, and I was able to rent it for around $150. They let me have it in two sizes, and the 8 worked perfectly!

Unfortunately, at one point in the night, the heavens opened up, and we had a TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR for about 15 minutes! We got absolutely soaked!! Even though there was a covered part of the roof, the rain was coming in sideways, by the bucket! Here is the birthday boy, dripping with water!

Happily, it didn't last too long and everyone got back to enjoying the terrace as soon as it ended!

On Friday, as a b-day treat, Steve and I went up to a bluegrass festival in the Catskill Mountains, then continued up to his parents' house in the Adirondacks for his dad's 70th b-day celebration. We got in some hiking, some tennis, and plenty of celebrating. I met much more of the extended family, and everyone was great.

Pre-party cocktails by the river.

Steve played guitar at the party with a friend.... just behind this hideous frog gnome that someone got his dad as a joke! All in all, life is really good. I'm so happy with Steve, and this summer has been a blast. I'm still having trouble juggling my schedule, and I've definitely been in less touch with my friends and family who live out of town than I'd prefer to be.

It's also been hard to get as much exercise as I usually do, since we're out of town every weekend. And... as of this morning, my scale is up 4.6 pounds from my maintenance norm of 148 (I'm still under my goal, but I'm closer to it than I'd like to be). So, I'm going to dial back the sweets and see what I can do to get an extra workout in. I'm actually going to stay in town this weekend (though Steve invited me out to the Hamptons) to get in some down time and my usual two workouts. I did not work this hard to get to my goal to screw it up now, especially since my band is working just fine.

Another weird thing I've noticed is that I developed an allergy or two during the last six months to a year. I seem to be allergic to my cat now, and to be allergic to a few other things. Basically, I wake up stuffed up every day. I'm wondering if this might be band-related. I had another bandster friend who (sorry.. hope you're not eating) said that she was a little phlegmy (squirm squirm...) post-band and that her doctor said it was likely band-related. I guess it doesn't go down the way it would have before? Have any of you experienced anything like this?

4th of July in the Adirondack Mountains

One of my goals for this year was to do a vacation that was athletic enough that I wouldn't have done it pre-band. I actually did that once already in February, and just did it again over the weekend of the 4th of July.

Steve and I went up to the Adirondack mountains with a group of three friends and had a great mix of outdoor sports (hiking, swimming in a lake, paddling out to far off spots in an Adirondack guide boat) and country club living (tennis, a nice dinner at the club, more tennis, lawn bowling, cocktails on the veranda)! It was a blast.

Here is the view at the top of the mountain we hiked! It was one heck of a climb. Four hours of decently hard cardio, especially on the way up. It was definitely challenging and, even though I thought I was in such fantastic shape that it would be a breeze, it was not easy, and I'm still sore! I found out about a few muscles I didn't know I had before on that hike! :)

Foot trail markers on the way...

On the way up...

Prepped out for the 4th of July dinner and fireworks display at the club... My hair was a bit of a frizz, since I forgot my conditioner... ag!

I laughed so hard when I was taking this photo. I was trying to get a snap of my cute new Lilly Pulitzer espadrilles.... and noticed that I still had mud on my leg from the hike that afternoon! I felt like a real nature girl.... :)

It was a fantastic weekend, and I'm so glad that I went. I also got to meet Steve's sister and her family for the first time, which was great (whew! I really liked them!). I would NEVER have agreed to do a trip like this at my start weight -- I just could not have handled it. Even after working out hard for 2 1/2 years, it was still challenging, so I can only imagine that I would have been completely miserable and have had to quit if I'd been doing this at 230 pounds. But instead, I enjoyed the challenge and had a great time. What a difference.