Did/Do you work out?

I'm curious on who worked out and who didn't after their surgery...and if you felt that working out helped you with skin issues or not (I know that I'll definitely lose weight with the DS but I'm wondering if working out will help minimize excess skin or not).

Thanks,

I worked out for a while, and I REALLY should get back into it---I just plain felt better when I was.

But no, it won't help with excess skin. Skin doesn't exercise. (*grin*) It WILL give you better muscle tone so that your excess skin looks better (because the shape beneath it will be nicer),  but it will still be there.

I did work out with a trainer quite a  bit my first year after surgery. I also basically recorded every bite with that program...uh... escapes me now the name of it, but there are several nowadays. Wow, memory loss after 6 years is significant! See my journal posts under my name if interested.

Didn't help at all with the skin, but after losing nearly 300 pounds, skin just wasn't going to bounce back! Took 20lbs off with skin for the belt lipectomy, another 5-7 with the upper body lift/arms, and per surgeons I have at least 5lbs each leg, if not 10lbs each leg of skin/fat to lose.

Ughish on the thigh skin, think 'saggy baggy elephant' legs.

Working out can help but it surely depends on how much you have to lose and how and where your fat was deposited!

I worked out extensively and for me it didn't help with the skin issues because I was obese my entire adult life and the skin elasticity just wasn't there.

IMHO it did help in a number of ways. First, my body fat was almost non existent so I was just healthier. I also lost at a very steady, constant pace and I credit that to working out. I lost 5 pounds a week for 5 months and never hit a plateau. I didn't hit the platuea until I quit smoking. I also feel it helped in the fact that when I did finally have plastic surgery I didn't have to deal with any kind of liposuction as some have to and my muscles were so toned that recovery from plastics was easier. For example, when you have a tummy tuck you really need your leg/thigh muscles to help stand up. By working out that became much easier.

No,  it didn't help with loose skin - it never does - but it sure did make me a healthier person,  and made all my plastic surgery much easier because I was strong and able to use my muscles during recovery.  I also breathe better and move more easily....it's a vital part of my health.

Nope...never worked out yet. But since my wl, my energy level increased and I have more stamina to do things, which is always a plus. Not sure if it helps with loose skin..I'm thinking no, but could be wrong.

Exercise does not change skin. It changes muscle. You might look better under the loose skin, but that's all.

People who insist the exercise DID change their skin just had the genes to not have as much loose skin as some of us.

I did not do any kind of regular exercise routine after my surgery. I didn't start any focused type of workout stuff until less than a year ago.

It doesn't do anything for skin.  Making a muscle bigger can fill out the skin with muscle instead of fat and since fat jiggles and muscle doesn't, it can still improve appearance, but the skin will still be there.

I exercise kinda.  Not as much as I used to.

I worked out before surgery doing water aerobics.
I still workout only now I am running the pool and teaching between 1-2.5 hours per day of exercise classes.

There are so many scientific reasons to work out- increased health in all areas cardiovascular, lung capacity, bone loss prevention and one of my favorite the endorphins released in the brain that work to stabilize mood and enhance perceived well being.

As a physician I just do not understand why any of us given the chance at renewed health are not doing some form of aerobic cardiovascular workouts combined with weight building for increased muscle mass.

Ours choices were limited to us many times due to our morbid obesity once at goal work those physical barriers of fat have been removed. Hopefully our bones, muscles and ligaments did not sustain too much damage from carting our morbid obesity around. Even so there are exercise programs especially in the water that are non-weight bearing and protect the already damaged joints.

sorry if this comes off like sounding so strong, but for me not exercising is not medically sound advice for a healthy life!!!!

back to the topic at hand: skin does not shrink with exercise all you do get is increased muscle tone filling out from below. Personallly for me exercising made my arms and lower legs look pretty darn good. No exercise was going to fix the legs or the abdominal area that is what my plastic surgeons were for!