i wanna know

hi everyone, i have a question, i wanna know how much everyone is working out. i want to know what you are doing when you work out. i want to find out if i am about average....or below or above. i know that sounds dumb...but i am pretty proud of myself and the fact that i have been at the gym working out no less than 3 days a week since i was 10 days out. i am now almost 11 weeks out and i am down 47 lbs. i am happy with the weight i have lost but i am wondering if maybe i would lose faster if i wasn't working out so hard. i know muscle weighs more than fat...and that i am toning up and everything. but it is so hard to think that so many people are losing faster than me and i am really really really working out hard. i guess i am just wondering if i should maybe just walk. and not work out with weights and stuff. i am debating on hiring a trainer and i am wondering if anyone else has and their experience so far. please let me know what your workout routines are and where you are in all of this. i attend a support group and no one really talks about excercise...they all just talk about food. i am doing good with the food part. nothing makes me sick. and i eat small portions and i am getting my protein and water in and taking my vitamins etc. i am totally aware that it is NOT A RACE! but i can't help comparing myself to people in the same boat as me. please let me know what your story is. thanks! brandy

Hey Brandy! You said that you have been working out since 10 days out from your surgery. Wow! My surgeon has not even released me to resume my weight training yet. I am hoping that he will at my 3 month appointment. I guess I have this philosophy...you are losing weight and it sounds like you have everything under control, so don't worry about it. Be careful not to push yourself too hard...I would hate to see you end up hurting yourself internally. I do alot of walking right now. I bought myself a pedometer and try to get at least 10,000 steps in a day. Once I am released to weight train again, I will start back with that at an easy pace. Best of Luck! Just me...Jess

Hi Brandy, I love this question...I've been wondering the same thing! I do some sort of exercise 6 days a week. 3 days I either do water aerobics or swim (and walk) laps in the lap pool for an hour, and the other 3 days I walk a couple miles. I'm trying to get weight training in 3 days a week as well, but I'm not as consistent with that. I'm meeting with a trainer for the first time next week, so I'm looking forward to that, although they certainly aren't cheap!! I sometimes wonder too if working out is causing me to lose weight slower, but I just kind of decided that as long as I'm feeling better I won't worry too much about the scale. It sounds to me like you are doing fantastic! At 10 days post-op I was still whining about pain! Congrats and good luck! Amy

Boy oh Boy - I just discoverd that I'm a lazy slug. I'm lucky if I get a lap around the block once a week. I also pick up the cambells soup cans and do a few arm lifts sometimes. Does this count? Thanks for inspiring me though - maybe I'll get on the ball now. HUGS Kimberly

Luckily, I have a kindergartner and I walk her to and from school every day. That's the only way I'd be getting any exercise in! I do know that the good thing about muscle is that it continues to burn fat long after you are done exercising. That's why men generally lose so much so fast- because they have a lot more muscle than we do. Maybe you could concentrate on how fit you are getting, rather than a number on a scale? I know we ALL get caught up in that...but honestly, I think that you are going to lose the same amount of weight at this point in the game whether you exercise or not- meaning it won't have a massive impact right now- but you will certainly need it when your appetite really returns and you need to burn some calories. I think you're doing great, and it's much better to build muscle and be in the good habit of exercising.

Brandy It is a great question. I started exercising at 6 weeks when my surgeon ok'd me. I do curves 3 times a week and walk 2 miles on the off days. If you feel good about working out than I think you will be OK. You may be a slow loser regardless of how much you work out. I think 47lbs in pretty good. When was the last time you lost that much weight in such a short period of time. I was concerned about my loss too but the inches were coming off. I recently got measured at curves and I lost 14 inches in one month. Now that is great. hugs Pam

Hi Brandy, For now my husband, son and I have been going for a little over a mile walk each day. We even climb this fairly steep hill so I can get some resistance in. I felt lost yesterday because we couldn't walk due to thunderstorms and lightening (wicked lightening). I am looking forward to getting back on track today though Mandie

thanks everyone for replying! i appreciate your words of encouragement and advise. just to clarify....at 10 days out i went to the gym and hopped on the treadmill and walked a mile. and every day that week i did the same thing until the next week i reached 2 miles. i didn't introduce weights until a few weeks later. and now i am at the gym 3-4 days a week doing 30 minutes of cardio (treadmill walking 1-2 miles) and then one day lower body, one day upper body, and one day of really good stretching. i also swim at home a few laps on off days. like i said i am happy about my loss of 47 lbs...and i got measured last week and i have lost 45 inches since surgery! so that is definately something to be happy about. i was just kind of wondering if maybe i was overdoing the excercise or if i wasn't getting enough. sounds like i might be about average. which i am fine with. i will keep on doing what i am doing. i am getting results. and thanks again for responding. best of luck to you all. brandy

Hi Brandy-Right now I am just walking and try and get 8-10 miles in each week. I am starting Curves back as well. I have lost a total of 45 lbs which I am grateful for-with that being said I thought I would have lost more. More importantly to me, I can walk again without severe pain. I think you are doing great and keep your exercise routine. Take Care, joyce

My exercise: Lots of regular walking. Soccer once a week. Keep saying I need to start at the gym, but haven't got it into a routine yet. Even more important (my opinion only here) than excercising to lose weight is excercising to build the good habits that will keep it off once the weight loss part is done. You are way ahead of most of us - keep up the good work. -Pam