dumb reason not to exercise?

I hate official exercise and dread it like a root canal and haven't done any yet since my surgery. I've just tried to be a bit more active by parking a bit further when shopping, doing some gardening and lawn mowing, and doing some home improvement projects. But I know this isn't actually aerobic exercise. So what I am wondering is if I'm only averaging 400 calories a day right now, is it really truly necessary for me to be burning calories with exercise at this time?

Trust me I understand your loathing of exercise. But I also think you know the answer to your question. Exercising is good for you and is necessary. Your calorie intake should be at whatever your nutritionist says...but you should still be exercising! It helps you maintain your muscle mass. I don't remember the exact stats but when you lose weight alot of it can be muscle mass your losing. If you exercise it switches the loss to mostly fat. Maintaining your muscle mass helps you be healthier and makes it easier to lose more weight. Walking a bit farther when parking is a good start but you gotta step it up a bit more with some official exercise. I walk around my neighborhood right now...I haven't worked up to the gym yet...but it gets my legs aching and my heart pumping. There are alot of ways and places to work out...start small and you'll feel better for it. Good luck with everything!

Melissa,

I understand how you feel.  I used to feel that way too.  Dionysius star was right in everything she said.  Right now the weight is coming off because of the surgery but you will greatly benefit yourself and your health if you start exercising.  Trust me, you can find something you enjoy.  There are so many exercise options from working out with a dvd or cable show to walking, going to the gym, Curves, aqua aerobics, biking, etc.   You are literally in training right now to learn how to maintain your weight.  The surgery is a tool just like exercise.  You will be so much better off if you just make yourself exercise faithfully for a week or two.  Then you will probably find that you want to do it.  Then you will suddenly realize that you have to do it. Today, I realized that I am outgrowing what I am doing and need to step it up more or change it up.  Wow!  That was such an awesome thing to feel.  It was like my own little party going on while I worked out. I hated to exercise before.  It hurt.  It chafed.  It made me sweaty.  But now it doesn't hurt like it did.  Sometimes I am sore, but I think, "yeah, I earned that...good for me on that muscle reshaping itself".  But the achey joints and stiffness are gone.  I don't chafe and I think of the sweat as releasing toxins.   Exercise has become my way of coping with stress.  You have to find an alternative for emotional eating, so I figure it might as well be working out.  I feel so good afterwards and now I have to do it or I don't feel good.  Exercise clears your mind and calms your spirit.  Give it a try.  Start slow with consistent walking.  don't hurt yourself.  You will be so proud of you! Katy B  

I actually have found that I love to exercise.  I think I always did but have been so self-conscious.  I hate being the fattest one in the gym, etc.  But now I'm really enjoying it.  I was walking around the local park for 2 hours, which I figured out to be about 4 miles.  I just joined the YMCA and have been walking on the treadmill there, I only average about 2 miles on there, but I think that's more of a workout than walking on the track, steadier pace and all that.  I also swim laps when I get the chance, about 10 or so.  I've started taking horseback riding lessons again, and am also learning to scuba dive.  I tried step aerobics but hurt my knee :-(  don't think that's very wise, at least right now.  I might try again once I get some more weight off.  The scale isn't moving too fast, but my doc thinks it's because I'm building muscle mass, which I had almost none of before.  A coworker of mine had this done, and does not exercise and eats hardly any protein.   She has lost a lot of weight, but complains about how weak she is, I think she's lost a lot of muscle.  That certainly motivates me.  I have more energy, and supposedly it helps keep depression away.  I'm still battling with that but keeping my fingers crossed.

IMHO - exercise sucks if it's boring. When I exercise - I have to do things that I like to do - or is fun. In addition to housework and gardening, I like to dance and swim. I bought a few exercise tapes that show me how to dance - and I have fun with i****er aerobics gets you in the water with a bunch of other people and it becomes a social activity. (The same goes for the classes out of the pool, too.) I also work out in the gym if I have someone to talk with and laugh with. There's' also yoga, pilates, bowling, golf, - anything that you like can be exercise!