My understanding Now of WLS surgery.......

I am 8.5 months out from RNY surgery. The weight came off steady for 8.25 months without a real excercsie program (spariodic)......I am now realizing that if I do not excercise alot I probably will not loose much in the future. So, I stand at a cross roads. Do I sit here and be happy with my 118 lb weight loss........which is 66% of excess weight off...or do I move to the next stage..............mandatory regular excercise. I don't mean a stroll in the neighborhhood...I mean 3-4-5 mile daily walks or a full hour of daily aerobics. Anything to get the heart rate and hold it there. And yes sweat. It would be easy to say the hell with it...and not excercse. I really want to loose the next 70 lbs to be at goal. What I am getting at, the weight loss surgery is not easy. A, you strave yourself to death to get the weight off......or B, you excercise and watch your calories (1,100-1,200 max per day) I am leaning towards B the excercise and calorie control. So, to get to goal..............it is not easy and yes you got to control your eating habits and excercse. There is no other way. Sorry guys....just my new understanding of WLS surgery. Sandy in Tucson

You're probably just on a bit of a plateau. But I'd still recommend the regular excercise. It serves a number of purposes, from keeping your body in maximum condition - to substituting a better addiction for the one you're trying to leave behind - and, as you know already, it can jump start weight loss. I've gotten so accustomed to regular excercise that if I go a few days without it now, I miss it terribly. I've also integrated a walk around the park each week with a friend as part of my social life, which really gets us both going. We enjoy the conversation enough that even when one or the other of us doesn't particularly feel like walking, we still go so as not to let the other one down. And it's amazing. After a couple of blocks, the lack of enthusiasm goes away once we're walking. My water aerobics is also a social thing to some extent. A couple of things I'd recommend for your excercise regimen....varie what you do so it doesn't get boring - maybe water aerobics one day and walking the next - but at the same time, get it going so that you get a five or 6 day a week routine going. And do find people that you like to do some of it with. The mutual support system is pretty important. Last, but not least, remember that it takes at least six weeks to establish a habit, so give it at least that long to get you hooked and it takes even longer to cultivate like minds that want to excercise with you, so don't give up on that either if the first attempts don't pan out. If anyone can get to goal, you'll do it, Sandy. You're one of the most motivated people I know, and that's the main thing, I think. I can't believe it's already been 8 months since your surgery. Seems like just yesterday. - Stephanie J

Exercise!!! Don't give up and accept "almost" getting there! Go the full way. I've been lax about exercise too and my weight loss has been non-existent this month even though I lost steadily the first 3-4 months - 85 lbs lost so far. But this month I have only lost 2 new pounds. I talked with Dr. Fang yesterday regarding some stomach pain I've been having, and also told him about the scale not moving. He asked about my exercise, and I told him that I've started walking again. He said that walking is okay for the first 3 months, but from then on we need to be doing cardio-exercise plus strength training. Building muscle helps burn fat and keeps our muscles healthy and vital. So I plan on joining a gym soon. Exercise is good for everyone - even people who don't have surgery. It's vital to our health. I hope you lean towards your option B. That sounds like a winning plan and doable long term. "starving yourself" isn't good for you and you won't be able to do that long-term. So let's get moving! Trisha

If you walk fast that is good cardio.......when you sweat and pant. I am believing the part on the gym. I am doing water aerobics....I perfer to swim over free weights. I lost good for 8.5 months, 118 lbs......but now I know i got to get the heart rate up and sweat. I want one of them heart monitiors. I will be going to Big 5 or Sports Authority on Friday to get one. I never walked until lately.......and I lost. I think all them plateaus people talk about are real...and to get off them you got to move more or eat less. End of story. Sandy