question for vets

I see that allot of people start marathons and runs etc after losing all their weight. Did you like to excersize before the surgery? How is it that you like to do it now?

I am not a huge fan of excersize but wondering if that might change if I were to have the surgery?

Thanks

I'm 8 years out and fairly active.  I can walk 5-10 miles without much effort.  I have completed five half marathons.   I have done floor hockey, swim and baseball coaching.   I was not active prior to surgery.  I tried to run but I hate running although I still wish is like it more. 

I do not love exercise.  I still naturally would rather sit and watch tv or play on the computer and be sedentary like most of North America.   I view exercise as a necessary evil and very important to keeping my weight stable.  There's no magic to motivation -- it doesn't just happen because you have surgery as I know many who don't exercise.  It's certainly easier when you aren't carrying 100 extra pounds though.   You still as Nike says, have to "just do it"

As Dawn said, post surgery doesn't make you want to exercise, is you don't to.  It's still hard for me to go out and do anything.  I need someone to go with (drag my butt out really).  Sometimes it's a co-worker wanting to go for a  walk, or taking the kids somewhere.  I'm a hockey Mom and I still usually end up hauling the gear.  And I still carry a 60lb kid around when he fall asleep on me (i.e. in the car).

So, tips to get/keep motivated is to have a workout buddy, join a groups sport/activity (just finished ball hockey, see what I have time for this fall), or find an activity that's fun.  Some people like a specific activity, such as Zumba or swimming.

Cathy

I was not active at all pre-op but I am now. I run, lift weights, do yoga, barre/Pilates and every class at the gym. I do it all! 

I might be an anomaly but I love to work out. Of course I hated it before! I was hauling around an extra 130 lbs and was very out of shape. It is much easier to work out now without all that extra weight. Once you establish some baseline fitness and become more in-tune with your body, you may enjoy it much more. The benefits of exercise (no Z) are immeasurable. It is my stress relief. 

There are so many ways to be active. Try different activities and see what you like. 

Like Dawn said, the motivation still has to be internal - no magic exercise gene is implanted with the surgery.

I exercised before but I am much more active now. I have a Curves membership and really enjoy the Zumba classes and the Jillian Michaels work-outs added last January have really helped me become much stronger. I am much more active in general because I have the stamina for it now. 

All the best in your journey.

Karen

I go to the gym 4-5 times a week, usually spending about 1.5 hours there or so.  I also for walks of about 45 mins each day- missed maybe a total since my surgery in May?  Do I like it, not overly, but I consider it a part of my weight loss routine.  I know when the snow starts to fly in late Oct, early November, I'll stop the walking, but until then, I'll keep going.  My two dogs love it as well...

I used to hate exercise in any form. I was always the fattest, slowest, most uncoordinated kid in the school and DREADED gym class.

Once I started losing weight everything became so much easier to do... every pound lost seemed to help. Going up a flight of stairs no longer winds me. The effort I put into the surgery process and the commitment and lifestyle changes I made really encouraged me to overcome my anxiety about exercise. Now I workout regularly and love it! It's so empowering.

One key was that I joined the Y... I don't feel comfortable working out next to twigs that treat the gym as a fashion show or pick-up joint. My Y has a variety of people at all different levels of fitness and a very wide range of weights and ages. Community Centre based gyms seemed to provide this kind of environment more so than the branded chain gyms I checked out.

Another key component was realistic exercise goals. I started in the pool with Aquafit early in the morning with the 80+ crowd and then went into the gym where I do a weight circuit... starting slowly and increasing the weigh as I acclimatized.

Who knows how you'll feel after surgery, but I think that exercise needs to be part of the plan. Even if you commit to a 5 minute walk a day and then increase it to 10 minutes a day a few weeks later, it's 5 or 10 more minutes than you had done before. For some people marathons are the goal, and that's great for them, but it doesn't have to be your path. Getting off the couch however, does! Baby steps!!!

I'm six months out and have lost 116 lbs since I started the entire process. No regrets... not even the saggy skin I'm getting!

Good luck!

I was into the pool 5 days a week before the surgery. When I was younger I use to run at night trying to lose weight. I had a lot of breathing problems and it is one reason a doctor recommended the surgery and got the ball rolling. I understand that this surgery was not a miracle cure and you could gain the weight back so the second day at home I started to walk the streets and and as I got stronger I went further and further with my dog. That was the start. As the weight came off breathing got better and once I cleared to go back into the pool I was in. Than I thought I have the pool and fitness pass go to the gym and I did and now I am there every day except for weekends because I am usually training for a marathon or triathlon.  The  fitness center is the best and I have so many friends there now that I look forward to going and doing the classes. I hope in 3 years to do a half ironman.   You need to move the body to lose the weight and keep it off.  As I keep saying calories in calories burn. Weight does come back. It is a lifestyle change that you need to make